A folder of papers arrives on WhatsApp and you scroll through it feeling reassured and none the wiser. Which of these proves ownership? Which is just a receipt? Knowing the documents needed to buy land in Nigeria, Ghana or Kenya is not about collecting more paper; it is about knowing what each one proves and which one is missing. This checklist gives you the universal set, the country-specific additions, and the question to ask when a document is “still being processed”.
Sources last checked: 27 September 2026, against the official sources listed at the end of this guide. If a fee, form or portal has changed since, tell us and we will correct it.
Before you read on: if you are not sure how exposed you are right now, take the free 3-minute Diaspora Readiness Scorecard. Twelve questions, and you will know your riskiest gap before you speak to anyone else.
The universal set: documents every purchase needs
- Seller’s identity documents — government ID for every person signing. Proves you’re dealing with who you think. Match names exactly against the title documents; “small” spelling differences are how impostors and later disputes get in.
- Root of title / title document — the registered title, C of O, indenture chain or grant showing how the seller came to own the land. Proves the right to sell exists at all. Gaps in the chain are your problem the moment you pay.
- Official registry search result — commissioned by YOU, dated within the current transaction. Proves the register’s current view: owner, encumbrances, pending interests. A search the seller hands you proves only that they can hand you paper.
- Survey plan / site plan — produced by a licensed surveyor you engaged. Proves the physical plot matches the paper plot: size, boundaries, coordinates. The classic fraud is selling you Plan A while showing you Plot B.
- Written consent of all necessary parties — family principal members for family land, spousal consent where required, co-owners everywhere. Proves the sale won’t be unwound by someone who never agreed to it.
- Sale agreement / deed of transfer — drafted or reviewed by your own lawyer, referencing the root of title. Proves the terms: price, what’s included, timelines, remedies.
- Payment receipts and bank records — every transfer referenced and acknowledged in writing. Proves what you paid, to whom, for what. Cash has no memory.
- Registration / stamping evidence — the lodgement and eventual registration of your interest. Proves the state now recognises you. This is the step that makes double-selling fail.
Country-specific additions
Where do YOU actually stand?
Most diaspora investors can’t name their gaps until it’s expensive. The free 3-minute Wealth Readiness Scorecard shows you yours — before money moves.
Ghana
- Lands Commission search result on the specific plot.
- Indenture (deed of conveyance) properly executed.
- For family/stool land: written consent of principal members / stool authority.
- Registered title or deed registration evidence per the region’s system. Full walkthrough: buying land in Ghana step by step.
Nigeria
- Certificate of Occupancy, or the deed chain with Governor’s Consent at each transfer.
- State land registry search + confirmation the plot isn’t under government acquisition.
- Charting/survey verification against state records.
- For family land: excision/gazette status and accredited family authority. Full walkthrough: buying land in Nigeria from abroad.
Kenya
- Official land search (now run through Ardhisasa in Nairobi) on the exact title number.
- Title deed / certificate of lease matching the seller’s ID.
- Land Control Board consent for agricultural land transactions.
- Rates and rent clearance certificates where applicable. Full walkthrough: running a land search in Kenya.
Not sure which of these gaps is yours? Show me my riskiest gap — 12 questions, 3 minutes, free.
How to use this checklist without becoming paranoid
You’re not auditing people — you’re completing a file. Frame it that way with sellers and family: “my bank/lawyer needs the complete file” is a sentence that offends no one and filters everyone. Honest sellers finish the file quickly. Fabricators drift, delay and renegotiate. The file-completion test is quietly one of the best scam detectors there is — the mechanics of that are in our double-selling guide.
Verify it yourself — official sources
Related guides on The Mainland
Frequently asked questions
What’s the single most important document?
The one you commissioned yourself: the official registry search. Everything the seller gives you is a claim; the search is the register’s answer. Second place: the survey plan from your own surveyor.
The seller says the documents are “being processed”. Now what?
Then the sale is also still being processed. You can sign agreements conditioned on documents arriving; what you don’t do is complete payment against paperwork that doesn’t exist yet.
Do I need a lawyer if the documents all look right?
Yes — “look right” is precisely the standard fraudsters build to. A local property lawyer reads chains, spots defective consents and knows the registry’s quirks. It’s a small line item in the true cost of buying safely.
Get the checklist as a working tool
The Diaspora Toolkit turns this article into instruments: the printable document checklist, registry search scripts per country, the red-flag index and payment-gate templates — 23 tools for £97, lifetime updates. Start free with the Wealth Readiness Scorecard if you’re still mapping your gaps.
Know someone in the middle of this right now? Send it to them before they pay, not after.
The Mainland teaches process, not legal advice. Registries and requirements change; confirm specifics with a licensed professional in the relevant country.
Ready to run the process, not the vibes?
Everything this article describes — the searches, the surveyor step, the staged payments, the deal file — is a checklist inside the Diaspora Toolkit. You keep the files for life, and you have 30 days to decide it was worth £97.