Circular No. 04/2023, Display of Document Writer Fees
The Head of the Tamil Nadu Registration Department issued Circular Number 04/2023, File Number 11565/S1/2013, dated 23 May 2023, directing licensed document writers to display the prescribed document preparation fees clearly outside their offices. It also tells registration officials to enforce receipt requirements, monitor overcharging and take action against document writers who do not comply.
What the circular governs
Circular Number 04/2023, File Number 11565/S1/2013, dated 23 May 2023, concerns fees charged by document writers licensed under the Tamil Nadu Document Writers Licence Rules, 1982. The prescribed charges for documents prepared by licensed document writers are contained in the fee schedule attached to those rules. The circular itself does not list the fee amounts.
Who is affected
The Tamil Nadu Registration Department's directions affect:
- Licensed document writers who prepare documents for registration.
- Members of the public who pay document preparation charges.
- District Registrars responsible for supervision and enforcement.
- Registration Officers and Sub Registrars who receive documents for registration.
- Registration office staff involved in processing and maintaining records.
Key requirements
Circular Number 04/2023 requires the following steps:
- Every document writer must clearly display the prescribed document preparation fees on a board in front of the document writer's office.
- District Registrars must give suitable instructions to document writers within their districts about this display requirement.
- Licensed document writers must provide a fee receipt to the person presenting the document.
- Registration Officers must ensure that the fee receipt is submitted with the document before registration is completed.
- Sub Registrars must scan the fee receipt as a reference document with the related registered document and retain it in the office file.
- Fee details must also be displayed on notice boards in Sub Registrar Offices.
- District Registrars must continue monitoring, including through surprise inspections, to identify any collection above the prescribed fees.
- District Registrars must ensure that document writers and Registration Officers follow the earlier departmental instructions and must take appropriate action against document writers who do not comply.
Why it matters to the public
Circular Number 04/2023 responds to continuing complaints that document writers were collecting extra money by improperly using the names of Registration Officers or registration office employees. The display board and receipt requirements are intended to help the public identify the prescribed document preparation charge and create a record of what was paid.
The circular states that the receipt, scanning and office record procedure takes effect from 1 March 2023.
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Common questions
Must a document writer display the fee for preparing my document?
Yes. Licensed document writers must clearly display the prescribed document preparation fees on a board in front of their offices.
Should I receive a receipt from the document writer?
Yes. The document writer must give the document holder a receipt for the preparation fee, and the Registration Officer must ensure that it is submitted with the document.
Does Circular Number 04/2023 state the actual fee amounts?
No. It says the charges are contained in the fee schedule attached to the Tamil Nadu Document Writers Licence Rules, 1982, but it does not reproduce the amounts.
What happens to the document writer's fee receipt at the Sub Registrar Office?
The Sub Registrar must scan it as a reference document with the related document and retain it in the office file.
