Quebec real estate glossary · French to English
Registre foncier = Land Register. It is the Land Register, the public record where rights on immovables are published. Educaloi publishes its English capsule under that name.
En bref, en français : Le registre foncier se dit Land Register en anglais. C'est le registre public où sont publiés les droits sur les immeubles.
Everything that affects ownership of an immovable in Quebec is published: the deed of sale, the hypothec, servitudes, legal hypothecs. Educaloi's English capsule on the subject is titled "The Land Register".
Publication is what makes a right opposable to others. It is why the notary's search of the register is not a formality but the core of what protects you as a buyer.
What a search turns up
- The chain of ownership.
- Hypothecs still registered, including any the seller must discharge.
- Legal hypothecs, for instance from construction or renovation work.
- Servitudes, rights of way, and other charges.
Why buyers should care about the word
Searching for "land registry Quebec" in English will get you there. Searching for a literal translation of "registre foncier" often will not. The official English name is the Land Register.
Say it in a sentence
The word on its own is rarely the problem. These are the sentences you will actually hear, and what they become in English.
| Vous entendrez | In English |
|---|---|
| Le notaire a fait la recherche au registre foncier. | The notary searched the Land Register. |
| La servitude est publiée au registre. | The servitude is published in the register. |
| L'hypothèque n'a jamais été radiée. | The hypothec was never discharged. |
The mistake we see most often
The mistake is thinking the register is a formality between the offer and the keys. It is where an old hypothec, a servitude nobody mentioned, or a legal hypothec from unpaid renovation work shows up. Those are found days before closing, which is exactly why the notary is engaged early rather than the week of the signature.
Where this fits in a Quebec transaction
Buying or selling in Quebec means signing documents that exist in both languages, written under civil law rather than common law. A word-for-word translation is sometimes right and sometimes actively misleading. The full list is in our Quebec real estate glossary, French to English.
Related terms
Questions we get asked
What is the registre foncier in English?
The Land Register, the public register in which rights on immovables in Quebec are published.
Who searches it?
Your notary, before the deed of sale. It is one of the main reasons the sale of an immovable in Quebec goes through a notary.
What is publication?
Registering a right in the Land Register so that it can be set up against others. An unpublished right may not protect you against a third party.
Published by the Loaa & Manseur team, number one team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025. We work in French and in English. Tell us about your project.