What does form OC1 ask for, and what comes back?
Form OC1 is a request, not a registration, so there is nothing to sign into effect and no notice to anyone. The fields below follow the edition of 29 August 2023, checked 20 September 2026; check against the form in force when you apply. HM Land Registry Practice Guide 11 (inspection and applications for official copies) explains the form, the OC2 for filed documents and the rules on what may be withheld.
What comes back is a set of official copies, each stamped with the title number and the date and time of issue. The register has three parts: the property register (what the land is, and rights that benefit it), the proprietorship register (who owns it, the class of title, any price paid, and restrictions) and the charges register (mortgages, covenants and rights that burden it).
| Field | What it asks for | Common mistakes |
|---|---|---|
| 1, Local authority | The local authority area for the property | The county instead of the district; a former authority |
| 2, Details of estate | The title number at 2(a) where you know it. Where you do not, 2(b) asks which kind of estate the request relates to, and Practice Guide 11 asks for "please supply the title number" at the head of the form | Leaving 2(b) blank when the title number is unknown, so the request is returned rather than resolved; the freehold when the lease is needed, or the reverse |
| 3, Property | Full postal address, or a description where there is none | An address the register does not recognise; a description rather than a postal address, which the registry will not resolve from |
| 4, Application and fee | The copies applied for and how the fee set by the fee order is paid. Credit account, cheque or, online, by card | Sending an unsigned cheque; no fee at all |
| 5, Sent to Land Registry by | Your name, address, reference and where the copies are to be sent | A reference that does not match your covering letter |
| 6, Paper copies where an email address is given | Used where you have supplied an email address but want the copies on paper | Leaving it blank and then expecting paper |
| 7, I apply for | Which documents: official copy of the register, of the title plan, or a certificate of inspection of the title plan (form CI); and whether the register is wanted as at a specific date | Asking for a lease or filed deed here, that is OC2 |
| 8, Pending application | Whether an application for registration is already pending against the title | Ignoring it, so the copies arrive mid-registration and are already out of date |
| 9, Signature | Signature of the applicant or their conveyancer, and the date | An undated form |
| What comes back | Official copy of the register (property, proprietorship and charges registers), official copy of the title plan, each dated and timed | Reading the plan as an exact boundary; missing that the register is only as current as the time of issue |
Can I get official copies myself?
Yes, and for the register and plan of a single title it is straightforward: GOV.UK's search service lets you buy a copy of the register and plan online, and form OC1 by post is the paper route. There is no identity requirement for a request, because the register is public: the identity evidence HM Land Registry asks of unrepresented applicants, ID1 (with ID5 where the check was by video), applies to registrations, not to official copies (Practice Guide 67, updated 1 September 2026). Where the online service delivers a plain copy rather than an official copy, check which you are being sent. For court or a lender you need the official copy, and the online service does not issue one: GOV.UK says official copies cannot be downloaded online and have to be sent by post, and that what you can download is not usable as proof of ownership (page updated 9 December 2024, checked 20 September 2026). The official copy comes from an application on OC1, or electronically through a Land Registry account.
What people instruct us for is what the copies mean. A Form A restriction, a unilateral notice, a charge in favour of a lender that no longer exists, a covenant against alterations, a right of way over the drive. Each has consequences for a sale, a remortgage or a dispute, and a summary in plain English is usually worth more than the copies themselves. Our title register and title plan pages explain how to read each one.
| Doing it yourself | With Property Law Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Finding the title number from an address | GOV.UK search, or an index map search by post | Found for you, including split titles |
| Requesting the copies | Online or by post on OC1 | Submitted electronically the same day |
| Filed documents | Separate OC2 request, by document | Requested in the same instruction |
| Understanding the entries | Your own reading | Plain-English summary of every entry that matters |
| Spotting a problem before a sale | You may not | Flagged, with the form or step that fixes it |
| Cost | HM Land Registry fee per copy; your time | One fixed fee, in writing, plus the HM Land Registry fee |
What is the difference between an official copy and a copy of the register?
An official copy is issued by HM Land Registry marked as such, carries the date and time of issue, and is admissible in evidence to the same extent as the original under section 67 of the Land Registration Act 2002. A copy of the register bought as a quick download shows the same entries but is not an official copy; it is fine for curiosity and useless in court. Conveyancers use official copies, and a buyer's representative will ask for recent copies, usually obtained shortly before exchange, though no professional body publishes a fixed maximum age.
Neither is a search. An official copy shows the register at the moment of issue; anything lodged afterwards does not appear. For a purchase or remortgage the copies are followed by an official search with priority on form OS1, which reveals later entries and protects the application for a priority period.