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The Domanial Certificate is an internal document within the Ivorian administration. It is not issued to the buyer and does not confer ownership. Issued by the Director of Urban Property (Abidjan) or Regional Directors (interior of the country), it is addressed to the Conservator of Land Property and Mortgages to initiate the creation of the Land Title.
Diagram of the administrative process: One-Stop Land & Housing Office (GUFH / Guichet Unique Foncier et de l'Habitat) → Urban Domain Directorate (DDU / Direction du Domaine Urbain) → Land Registry → MCLU Cabinet → return to GUFH for collection. Source: Magazine BÂTIR (MCLU, 2019). Pre-2025 ADU reform procedure — before the substitution of the Village Certificate by the ADU (Attestation de Droit d'Usage coutumier / Customary Right of Use Certificate) for rural land.
"The Domain Certificate is not a document issued to the ACD applicant and does not confer ownership. It is issued by the Director of the Urban Domain in the Abidjan District and in the interior of the country by Regional Directors. It is addressed to the Registrar of Land Property and Mortgages and initiates the procedure for creating the Land Title and indicates the name of the person to whom the State intends to transfer the land."
In the official 11-step procedure (source: Magazine BÂTIR), the Domain Certificate intervenes at steps 2-3:
Some sellers present a "certificate" from the village chief as equivalent to the Domain Certificate. They have absolutely nothing in common: the Village Certificate (or its replacement since 2025, the ADU / Attestation de Droit d'Usage coutumier / Customary Right of Use Certificate) is a customary act that attests a right of use; the Domain Certificate is an internal administrative act that prepares the creation of the Land Title.
When filing an ACD (Arrêté de Concession Définitive / Definitive Concession Decree) application for a lot in an approved subdivision in Bingerville, the Director of Urban Domain establishes the Domain Certificate after verifying that the parcel is not assigned to anyone else. This certificate is never delivered to the applicant: it is transmitted to the Land Registry, which then creates the Land Title in the name of the State, before the ACD is signed by the Minister.
Magazine BÂTIR N°000 (MCLU, octobre-décembre 2019), page 14. Ordonnance n° 2013-481 du 2 juillet 2013 (réforme domaniale). Loi n° 2020-624 du 14 août 2020 (Code de l'Urbanisme et du Domaine Foncier Urbain).
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The ADU (Attestation de Droit d'Usage Coutumier / Customary Right of Use Certificate) is the single, secure document that replaces the former Village Certificate as of January 1, 2025. Established by Decree No. 2021-784 and secured by the SIGFU (Decree No. 2021-862), it requires a triple signature (village chief, CVGFR president, developer) and a unique IDUFCI. The ADU is not a property title: it constitutes a provisional recognition opening the path to the ACD (Arrêté de Concession Définitive / Definitive Concession Decree) — the ACD published in the Land Register IS the Land Title. Official deadline: 180 days (BÂTIR No. 004); in practice, 6 to 12 months between ACD signature and its publication in the Land Register. Published ACD = published Land Title — same legal deed, two stages.
The Rural Land Agency (AFOR — Agence Foncière Rurale) is the public institution responsible for implementing rural land policy in Ivory Coast. It oversees land certification, registration of rural properties, and coordination of boundary demarcation and surveying operations.
Legal document drafted by a notary that formalizes the transfer of land ownership between a seller and a buyer. The notarized deed of sale is mandatory and confers authenticity on the transaction.
Legal entity that must be established with a minimum share capital of 2 million FCFA held by Ivorian nationals, holding an approval from the Minister responsible for Housing and a financial guarantee from a bank or insurance company.
The alienation price is the sum that the buyer must pay to the State to obtain the Definitive Concession (ACD — Arrêté de Concession Définitive) of urban land. Calculated by an ad hoc commission, it corresponds to the market value of the parcel according to the official schedule.