Land

Arrêté de Concession Définitive: the administrative order by which the State transfers ownership of an urban plot. It is signed by the minister in charge of Urban Planning in the Abidjan District, by the prefect elsewhere, and must be published in the Livre foncier, the land register (Decree No. 2021-785 of 8 December 2021, which replaced the 2013 framework).

An ACD can only be issued for a plot that is part of an approved lotissement (subdivision) (Decree 2021-785, art. 2). Once the ACD has been obtained, the property is sold by authentic deed, before a notary (art. 8).

See also: lettre-attribution · titre-foncier

Two design stages carried out by the architect before building work starts. The APS (outline design) sketches the project: floor areas, position on the plot, estimated budget. The APD (detailed design) refines the technical drawings and costings.

Both are required before applying for a building permit.

See also: maitrise-oeuvre · permis-de-construire

A survey carried out by a licensed chartered surveyor (géomètre-expert) to mark out a plot officially. Numbered concrete boundary markers are set at the corners and an official report (procès-verbal) is drawn up.

Only chartered surveyors registered with their professional Order may set out subdivision plans on the ground (Law No. 2020-624, art. 96). Moving or removing a boundary marker is an offence under the Penal Code (art. 281).

See also: geometre-expert · acd

The set of maps and records listing plots and their boundaries, kept by the authority in charge of urban planning and land. Each urban plot is given a unique identifier, the IDUFCI.

Before buying, the public search on the sigfu.gouv.ci portal lets you check that a plot exists within an approved lotissement (subdivision). It does not tell you who owns it, or whether there is a dispute: for that you need an état foncier (land status report), requested by a notary.

See also: titre-foncier · acd

The package prepared by the architect or project supervisor so that building contractors can bid against each other. It contains the construction drawings, the technical specification of the works and the contract terms.

Contractors price their quotes on the basis of this package. The rule is to compare at least 3 quotes.

See also: maitrise-oeuvre · opc

Compulsory insurance covering, for 10 years after handover, damage that undermines the soundness of the building or makes it unfit for its purpose.

In Côte d'Ivoire, every builder is liable for 10 years for damage that undermines the soundness of the building and must be insured from the day work starts on site. The owner who commissions the building must, for their part, take out property damage insurance before work starts (2019 Construction and Housing Code, arts. 230, 236 and 240).

See also: reception · maitrise-ouvrage

A professional registered with the Ordre des géomètres-experts de Côte d'Ivoire (OGECI), authorised to measure, mark out and survey the boundaries of land. Together with the urban planning services, only they may set out a subdivision plan on the ground (Law No. 2020-624, art. 96).

The Order’s register is public (geometre-expert.ci). A surveyor or topographer who takes part in an unapproved subdivision is an accomplice to the offence (Law No. 2024-351, art. 282).

See also: bornage · cadastre

Security granted to a bank over a property in exchange for a loan. In Côte d'Ivoire, an ACD or titre foncier (land title) free of any charge is required to create a mortgage.

An ACD, once published in the Livre foncier (land register), can be mortgaged (Law No. 2020-624). Before buying, the état foncier (land status report) shows whether the property is already mortgaged.

See also: titre-foncier · acd

A document issued by the town hall or the developer of a subdivision, allocating a plot to a named person. It is an intermediate step, not a final title of ownership.

It must be converted into an ACD through the Guichet Unique du Foncier (land one-stop shop) to secure the plot legally and put an end to an insecure land situation.

See also: acd · cadastre

The register kept by the Conservation foncière (land registry office), in which land titles, ACDs and their transfers are published. This is where you check the property rights and charges attached to a property.

The état foncier (the rights and charges on a title on the day of the request) costs 3,000 FCFA and is issued in 2 days by the Conservation foncière. The état historique traces every transfer (DGI, servicepublic.gouv.ci).

See also: titre-foncier · acd

The role entrusted to the architect (and the engineering firms working with them) to design the project and oversee the works. The maître d'œuvre approves the construction drawings, checks quality and signs off progress payments on the client's behalf.

Not to be confused with the maître d'ouvrage, which is you, the client.

See also: maitrise-ouvrage · apd-aps

That is you: the person who commissions and pays for the building. The maître d'ouvrage sets the brief (floor area, budget, timescale), signs the contracts with the builders and accepts the finished works.

From abroad, this role can be delegated through a notarised power of attorney, legalised at the Ivorian consulate.

See also: maitrise-oeuvre · opc

A specific role given to a site coordinator to plan the sequence of trades (foundations, masonry, electrics, plumbing…) and make sure the schedule and budget are kept to.

Essential for building projects managed remotely from the diaspora.

See also: maitrise-oeuvre · dce

Required for any construction, extension, rebuilding of the main structure and even a boundary wall (2019 Construction and Housing Code, arts. 12-13). Applications go through the one-stop shop, which became the GUPCCU in April 2025, and “every construction project must be drawn up by a licensed architect” (art. 18).

The permit is valid for one year: it lapses if work has not started within the year, or if work stops for two years (arts. 11 and 23). Without a permit, the building can be demolished by administrative order.

See also: acd · geometre-expert · maitrise-oeuvre

The official act by which the maître d'ouvrage (you) accepts that the works are finished. It starts the clock on the guarantees (ten-year liability, two-year guarantee). It can be signed with or without reservations (a list of defects to be put right).

In Côte d'Ivoire, handover is recorded in a report (procès-verbal) signed by the client and the builder.

See also: decennale · maitrise-ouvrage

A legal restriction on the use of a property for the benefit of another property or of the public interest. Examples in Côte d'Ivoire: right of way (a shared path), building line (a minimum distance from the road), public utility easement (networks).

The certificat d'urbanisme (planning certificate) reveals them before any purchase.

See also: permis-de-construire · cadastre

The ownership right that results from registration in the Livre foncier (land register). Since Law No. 2024-351, it can no longer be the subject of an action for annulment (new art. 162).

When a property with a land title or an ACD is sold, the land registrar issues a certificat de mutation de propriété foncière (certificate of transfer of land ownership), described as “final and unchallengeable” (new art. 223). The IDUFCI identifies each plot.

See also: acd · livre-foncier · hypotheque

Buying a home that has not yet been built, on the basis of plans and a notarial contract. Payments are staged according to how far the works have progressed.

In Côte d'Ivoire, the contract is notarised and must include a commitment to hand the ACD over to you. The developer must hold a ministerial licence, and each development a technical approval before it is advertised. On reservation, the deposit is capped at 10% of the price if the sale takes place within the year, 5% between one and two years, and nothing beyond that (2019 Construction and Housing Code, arts. 119, 128, 138-140).

See also: permis-de-construire · decennale · maitrise-ouvrage

A document that recognised the customary allocation of a plot in a village subdivision. It is not proof of ownership. Since 1 January 2025, it is no longer accepted for a new ACD application: it has been replaced by the ADU (attestation de droit d'usage coutumier, customary land-use certificate) (ministry announcement of 23/08/2024).

A trap for the diaspora: a seller who can only show an attestation villageoise. Customary rights over urban land cannot be sold on (Law No. 2020-624, art. 168): have a notary look into the situation before paying anything.

See also: adu · droit-coutumier · acd

The document that replaces the attestation villageoise (village certificate): it proves that customary rights over a plot have been cleared. It follows a single, secure template, with one copy per plot, the plot's IDUFCI and a verifiable QR code, and is signed by the village chief, the chair of the village land management committee and the developer of the subdivision.

Introduced on 1 July 2024, it has been the only document accepted for a new ACD application since 1 January 2025 (ministry in charge of Urban Planning). It is not a title of ownership: it is the ACD that transfers ownership.

See also: attestation-villageoise · acd · droit-coutumier

The set of traditional rights over land that are recognised locally (chieftaincy, families, lineages, historical occupation, right of use).

In urban areas, customary rights are not ownership, are personal and cannot be transferred: “no one may acquire the said rights” (Law No. 2020-624, art. 168). Their holder can only have them cleared (purge).

See also: adu · attestation-villageoise · titre-foncier

A document issued by the Direction du Domaine urbain (urban land directorate) while an ACD application is being processed (Decree No. 2021-785, arts. 12 and 18). It is a step in the procedure: it does not confer ownership.

Holding an attestation domaniale is therefore not the same as being the final owner.

See also: acd · titre-foncier

The office that handles building permit applications, set up in 2016 to bring the procedures together in one place. In April 2025 it became the GUPCCU, Guichet unique du permis de construire et du contrôle urbain, the one-stop shop for building permits and planning control (Council of Ministers of 9 April 2025).

No recent official processing time has been published: the figure of 21 days that is often quoted dates from 2022, before the reform.

See also: permis-de-construire · sigfu · construction-anarchique

The State’s platform for urban land (Decree No. 2021-862): applications for land documents are processed there, and the ACD is signed electronically on it.

Its public search (sigfu.gouv.ci, “Parcelles” section, no account needed) shows whether a plot exists within an approved subdivision. It does not tell you who owns it, or whether there is a dispute.

See also: geometre-expert · cadastre · gupc

What is commonly called “escrow” (séquestre): the notary must open a bank deposit account dedicated to the funds they receive, keep separate accounts for each client, and may not hold money on behalf of a third party for more than 6 months (Law No. 2018-897 on the status of notaries, arts. 22-23).

Paying through the notary rather than handing money to the seller: this is the main safeguard for diaspora buyers purchasing from abroad. The notary is insured and covered by a collective guarantee fund (arts. 10-13).

See also: mutation · vefa · titre-foncier

The transfer of ownership of a property from one person to another, which must be formalised and registered.

For a property with a land title, it involves a notary, the tax authorities and the land registry office.

See also: titre-foncier · quitus-fiscal · compte-sequestre

A document certifying that a person or a transaction is up to date with tax obligations.

It may be required in some transfer files or administrative procedures.

See also: mutation · titre-foncier

A document that sets out the rules that apply to a plot: permitted use, restrictions, building lines, easements, whether it can be built on.

It tells you, before you buy or build, whether a project is compatible with the planning rules.

See also: permis-de-construire · servitude

A land title covering a large plot before it is divided into individual plots.

In a housing development, check that the parent title exists, that the subdivision has been carried out, and that you will receive an individual land title or ACD in your own name.

See also: titre-foncier · vefa · acd

Building without authorisation, in breach of the urban plan, in a prohibited zone, on an easement, on public land or on disputed land. Such buildings can be demolished.

To build legally: be the owner (ACD or land title), then obtain a building permit through the one-stop shop (GUPCCU).

See also: gupc · permis-de-construire · servitude

A classic scam in which the same plot is sold to several people, especially when records are badly kept, when the land has no title, or when several parties claim authority over it.

How to protect yourself: have an état foncier and an état historique requested (current rights and full transfer history), and sign and pay at the notary’s office. Selling a property you know belongs to someone else (stellionat) is punishable by 1 to 5 years in prison (Law No. 2020-624, art. 278).

See also: titre-foncier · compte-sequestre · bornage

The works that make a plot genuinely usable: roads, water, electricity, drainage, sewerage, sometimes telecoms.

A plot may be sold as “serviced” (viabilisé) or “unserviced” (non viabilisé). Check exactly what that includes before buying.

See also: bornage · permis-de-construire

A check that shows whether a property is subject to a mortgage or another charge.

An essential step before buying: it stops you acquiring a property already pledged to a bank or caught up in a legal dispute.

See also: hypotheque · etat-foncier · livre-foncier

A document issued by the Conservation foncière (land registry office) showing the rights and charges on a title on the day of the request (mortgages, other charges). The état historique, for its part, traces every transfer.

Cost: 3,000 FCFA, issued in 2 days (DGI, servicepublic.gouv.ci). Have a notary request it before buying any property with an ACD or a land title.

See also: etat-hypothecaire · titre-foncier · cadastre

The administrative entry point for land procedures, in particular obtaining an ACD.

Its official contact details are available on the SIGFU platform (sigfu.gouv.ci).

See also: acd · sigfu · lettre-attribution

A plot that comes from the customary system or from a village subdivision: often cheaper than land with a title, but far riskier.

Checks you cannot skip: an approved subdivision (without it, no ACD is possible), an ADU in the seller’s name with a valid QR code, and a notary’s opinion before you pay.

See also: lotissement-villageois · attestation-villageoise · droit-coutumier

The division of a piece of land into several plots. The crucial point: knowing whether the subdivision has been approved by the authorities.

No ACD can be issued for a plot in an unapproved subdivision (Decree No. 2021-785, art. 2), and subdividing land without approval is punishable by 2 months to 2 years in prison (Law No. 2024-351, art. 282). Ask for the reference of the approval order.

See also: lotissement-villageois · acd · certificat-urbanisme

Land divided into plots by a village community: attractive because it is cheaper, but high-risk (multiple sales, plots that do not exist, chieftaincy disputes, no approval, family disputes).

Never buy without official approval of the subdivision and checks on the seller.

See also: terrain-villageois · vente-multiple · attestation-villageoise

A very long lease (often 18 to 99 years) used for large institutional or commercial projects.

It does not give full ownership, but a very broad right of use for the length of the lease.

See also: pleine-propriete · titre-foncier

The situation in which a person legally holds complete rights over a property: to use it, to enjoy its income and to dispose of it.

For urban land in Côte d'Ivoire, it is the ACD (and then the titre foncier) that confers full ownership.

See also: acd · titre-foncier · bail-emphyteotique

Buying land in the hope that its value will rise sharply with new roads, subdivisions, amenities or urban growth. Common on the outskirts of Abidjan.

It can pay off but is very risky if the subdivision is not approved or the land is disputed.

See also: lotissement · terrain-villageois · etat-foncier