ACD Procedure in Ivory Coast: Steps and Required Documents
How to Obtain a Definitive Concession Decree (ACD) in Ivory Coast? Detailed Steps, Required Documents, Timelines and Costs.
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The questions people actually ask
You have heard about the ACD. Everyone talks about it. But ask concretely how to obtain one and the answers stay vague. "You file a dossier at the ministry." Fine, but which dossier? At which window? What does it cost, exactly? And how long does it really take?
This guide takes those questions one by one, with official costs drawn from servicepublic.gouv.ci and texts from the Ministry of Construction published in BÂTIR magazines (2018-2024) and the MCLU Newsletter of August 2025.
The ACD in two sentences
The Arrêté de Concession Définitive (ACD / Definitive Concession Decree) is the act by which the Ivorian State officially transfers to you the ownership of a plot of land in the urban land domain. For the Autonomous District of Abidjan it is signed by the Minister of Construction, Housing and Urban Planning (MCLU); outside Abidjan, the Prefect signs it by delegation. The legal basis is Ordinance No. 2013-481 of July 2, 2013 and its implementing decree No. 2013-482, consolidated by Law No. 2020-624 of August 14, 2020 (Code of Urbanism and Urban Land Domain).
The ACD integrates the creation of the Land Title by the Conservation of Land Property and Mortgages (CPFH), which reports to the Ministry of Budget and not to the MCLU. The TF (Titre Foncier / Land Title) is created at step 3 of the official procedure, before the ministerial signature at step 5. The ACD published in the Land Register (dgi.gouv.ci) is the TF published. These are not two titles of different levels, but the same act at two stages of the procedure.
Official ACD timeline: according to texts from the Ivorian administration published in BÂTIR magazine No. 004 (Jan-Mar 2022), 180 calendar days at the MCLU for a plot from an approved subdivision, excluding tax processing. In practice this timeline can be considerably longer, for a range of reasons that are not always clear.
Publication in the Land Register: official timeframe of 180 days (BÂTIR N°004, 2022); often longer in practice. These field durations are not stabilized and vary from one dossier to the next. The doctrinal point bears repeating: the ACD published in the Land Register embodies the Land Title. One legal act, two stages of the procedure.
Prerequisites before filing
Before assembling your ACD dossier, four conditions must be met:
- The land sits in a subdivision approved by ministerial decree of the MCLU, which you can check on construction.gouv.ci. At the launch of the 2025 ADU Caravan, the Minister put it plainly: "You must no longer buy land in a subdivision that is not approved" (Man, August 1, 2025).
- You hold an ADU (Attestation de Droit d'Usage / Customary Land Use Certificate), in effect since July 1, 2024 and issued free of charge since January 1, 2025 by the GUFH (Guichet Unique du Foncier et de l'Habitat / Single Land and Housing Window). It is today the only document the State recognizes to attest to a customary right over a subdivision.
- You have submitted your land position request, mandatory since March 31, 2025 (MCLU Newsletter, August 2025). This is a new preliminary step before any ACD dossier is filed.
- The technical dossier is ready: boundary marking report (procès-verbal) by a surveyor registered with OGECI, site plan, table of georeferenced coordinates, and surveyor's report.
Without these four elements, the dossier will be rejected.
One particular case: for subdivisions approved before the mass titling reform, circular note No. 0174/MCLU-CAB of April 1, 2025 governs the securing of customary information and applies as well.
Documents in the dossier
| Document | Detail |
|---|---|
| Handwritten request | Addressed to the Minister of Construction |
| ADU | Customary Land Use Certificate (since July 1, 2024) |
| Land position request | Mandatory preliminary step since March 31, 2025 |
| Site plan | Prepared by a surveyor registered with OGECI |
| Boundary marking report | Signed by the surveyor, contradictory (in the presence of neighbors) |
| National ID or passport | Certified true copy |
| Land rights receipt | Paid to the Public Treasury (TrésorMoney, pay.tresor.gouv.ci) |
| Attestation of land development | If the land is already improved (fencing, construction) |
The dossier is filed at the Guichet Unique du Foncier et de l'Habitat (GUFH / Single Land and Housing Window) of the MCLU, Tower D Plateau, ground floor.
GUFH contact: 27 20 21 74 78
MCLU general call center: 1378 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 4:30pm)
Land complaints on WhatsApp: 07 89 04 87 36
Official costs
ACD fees by profile
| Profile | Cost |
|---|---|
| Individual | 100,000 FCFA/lot + 1,000 FCFA/dossier + 50,000 FCFA |
| Company / SCI | 450,000 FCFA/lot + 1,000 FCFA/dossier |
| Association / NGO | 150,000 FCFA/lot + 1,000 FCFA/dossier |
Ancillary fees
| Item | Indicative cost |
|---|---|
| OGECI surveyor (plan + boundary marking) | 150,000 to 500,000 FCFA |
| Domain status (preliminary verification) | 5,000 FCFA |
| ADU (since January 1, 2025) | Free of charge |
| Land position request (since 31/03/2025) | Per local GUF rate |
| Publication | Included in the procedure |
Estimated total for an individual, for one lot on standard land: between 300,000 and 700,000 FCFA all-inclusive.
Source: servicepublic.gouv.ci
The official actors in the chain
According to doctrine published by the Ministry of Construction (BÂTIR magazine No. 000, Oct-Dec 2019), the ACD delivery chain mobilizes four actors split between two supervising ministries:
| Actor | Ministry | Role |
|---|---|---|
| GUF (Guichet Unique du Foncier / Single Land Window) | MCLU | Dossier reception, registration, transmission |
| DDU (Direction du Domaine Urbain / Urban Domain Directorate) | MCLU | Domain attestation, technical verifications |
| Land Conservation | MCBPE/SEPMBPE (not MCLU) | Land Title creation, registration |
| Cadastre | MCBPE/SEPMBPE | Cadastral map, boundary marking, reports |
Land Conservation does not fall under the MCLU but under the Ministry responsible for the Budget and the State Portfolio. That division of competencies explains why verifying an ACD and verifying a Land Title happen at two different windows.
The steps of the procedure through SIGFU
With the deployment of SIGFU (Système Intégré de Gestion du Foncier Urbain / Urban Land Integrated Management System, Decree No. 2021-862 of December 15, 2021) and of the SIGNE electronic signature, operational since January 2024, the GUFH has largely digitized the procedure.
Step 1: filing the dossier
You file your physical dossier at the GUFH: ADU, proof of land position, the surveyor's technical dossier, identity documents, receipts. The GUFH registers the dossier in SIGFU and assigns the plot an IDUFCI (Identifiant Unique du Foncier de Côte d'Ivoire, the national unique land identifier, Decree No. 2019-221) if it does not already have one.
Step 2: technical review at the DDU
The MCLU technical services verify:
- the availability of the plot in the digital database (322,462 km² recorded to 1 m² precision; BÂTIR No. 008, 2024)
- subdivision compliance
- the absence of any recorded opposition or dispute
- the regularity of the technical dossier (surveyor, boundary marking)
Step 3: creation of the Land Title by Land Conservation
According to official Ministry doctrine (BÂTIR No. 000, 2019), the Land Title is created at this step, before the ACD is signed, in the Land Conservation register. That sequence marks the difference from the old regime, where the TF was created only afterwards.
Step 4: publication and oppositions
The request is published so that oppositions can be raised. If a third party claims rights over the plot, the procedure is suspended until the dispute is resolved. This publication can lead to a stay of several months, which partly explains the gaps between official timelines and actual durations.
Step 5: electronic signature by the Minister (SIGNE)
Since January 2024, the Minister signs ACDs electronically through the SIGNE platform (MCLU plus the Ministry of Public Service). The pace has moved from roughly 1,000 ACDs signed per month under manual signature to 2,000-2,500 ACDs per month (BÂTIR No. 008, Jan-Mar 2024). In annual volume, the target is 24,000 to 30,000 ACDs delivered per year, against 17,000 in 2020.
Step 6: publication of the ACD in the Land Register
The signed ACD is published in the Land Register (Official Journal). That is the moment when the Land Title becomes enforceable against third parties.
Step 7: collection
The secured ACD is handed to you once payment of the domain fees is confirmed.
To situate the volumes actually processed, the South Comoé Regional Construction Directorate delivered 5,760 ACDs in 2024: Aboisso 388, Adiaké 913, Grand-Bassam 876, Tiapoum 8, Assinie-Mafia 1,280, and Bonoua 2,295 (MCLU Newsletter, August 2025).
On timelines, official texts mention 180 calendar days at the MCLU for a plot from an approved subdivision. In practice that timeline can run much longer, for reasons that are not always possible to explain: backlog of dossiers, oppositions, stays, documents to complete, back-and-forth between services.
After the ACD: what comes next
Once you have your ACD in hand, you can:
- Apply for a building permit at the Guichet Unique du Permis de Construire (GUPC / Single Building Permit Window), Cocody 2-Plateaux BMW (27 22 51 48 50).
- Sell the land by notarial deed, with a Certificat de Mutation de Propriété Foncière (CMPF / Property Title Mutation Certificate, 15,000 FCFA) to formalize the transfer (article 223 of Law 2020-624).
- Obtain publication in the Land Register, step 7 of the official procedure. The ACD published in the Land Register by Land Conservation (dgi.gouv.ci) is the Land Title enforceable against all, unassailable and imprescriptible. This is not a transformation, but the publication of an act already created at step 3.
Official sources:
- servicepublic.gouv.ci for ACD costs, domain status and procedures
- construction.gouv.ci for the MCLU, the GUFH and subdivisions
- idufci.construction.gouv.ci for IDUFCI and SIGFU
- dgi.gouv.ci for Land Conservation
- Ordinance No. 2013-481 of 02/07/2013 on the urban land domain
- Decree No. 2013-482 of 02/07/2013, its 39 implementing articles
- Law No. 2020-624 of 14/08/2020, Code of Urbanism and Urban Land Domain
- Law No. 2024-351 of 06/06/2024 amending the Code of Urbanism
- Decree No. 2019-221 of 13/03/2019 on IDUFCI
- Decree No. 2021-862 of 15/12/2021 creating SIGFU
- Circular note No. 0174/MCLU-CAB of 01/04/2025 on securing customary information
- BÂTIR magazine No. 000 (2019), No. 004 (2022), No. 008 (2024), Ministry of Construction
- MCLU Newsletter No. 028 (August 2025), National ADU Caravan
Further reading:
?Frequently asked questions
Is the ADU mandatory to obtain an ACD?+
Yes, since July 1, 2024. The ADU is the mandatory preliminary document. It has been issued free of charge since January 1, 2025 by the GUFH of the MCLU. Since March 31, 2025, a land position request must also be filed before any ACD dossier.
How long does it really take to obtain an ACD?+
The official timeline under the texts is 180 calendar days at the MCLU for a plot from an approved subdivision, excluding tax processing. In practice these timelines can run much longer, for reasons that are not always possible to explain: workload of the services, oppositions, stays, documents to complete.
Can you obtain an ACD from abroad?+
Yes, by notarial power of attorney with apostille. Your representative files the dossier at the GUFH and follows the procedure in your name.
What happens if someone opposes my ACD?+
The procedure is suspended. MCLU services examine the opposition. If it is well-founded, the dossier is rejected; if it is unfounded, the procedure resumes. Where the dispute persists, the parties are referred to the State Council (Organic Law No. 2020-968, which repealed Law No. 2018-978).
Can an ACD be refused?+
Yes: if the subdivision is not approved, if the land is in a non-buildable zone, if a dispute is recorded, or if the technical dossier is incomplete. The refusal is notified with its reasons, and you can file an appeal.
Is the ACD accepted by banks?+
Some banks accept it, with reservations. What counts for them is publication. An ACD signed but not yet published in the Land Register is valid without yet being enforceable against third parties; an ACD published in the Land Register is the registered Land Title, on which a mortgage can be taken. So the distinction is not between two documents, but between two stages of the same act.
What is the SIGNE electronic signature?+
Since January 2024, the Minister signs ACDs electronically through the SIGNE platform, set up by DMISSA (MCLU) and the Ministry of Public Service. The MCLU processes more acts this way, with full traceability of the signature path.
How do I check the progress of my dossier?+
Through your SIGFU number and the MCLU call center 1378 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 4:30pm). To report an anarchic construction or a land dispute, the MCLU WhatsApp number is 07 89 04 87 36.
