DDP 725. Brian Trackman, William Fisher, and Luis Salas. "The Reform of Property Registration Systems in El Salvador: A Status Report." October 1999. 26 pp. Central America Project Series

El Salvador is in the midst of a substantial reformation of its real-property registration system. The purpose of this paper is to provide the foundation for an analysis of how that reform process might be accelerated and improved. To that end, the paper describes the current condition of the Salvadoran registry and the changes that have been instituted to date. Sections II and III describe the history, authority, jurisdiction, and structure of the principal land registries in El Salvador – the Real Property and Mortgage Registry (RPRH) and the Social Property Registry (RSI). Section IV outlines the ways in which the RPRH and RSI are currently financed. Section V sets forth the ways in which the registries seek to fulfill their obligations to record, guarantee, and publicize private property ownership and other rights and interests pertaining to land. Sections VI and VII catalogue the respects in which the registries are currently being reformed. Among the dimensions of change are: the conversion of existing records and the integration of the registries and the cadastre under the auspices of the Proyecto Plan Nacional de Modernización del Registro Inmobiliario y del Catastro; the pilot automation project in Sonsonate province; and the efforts associated with the Salvadoran Registry Modernization Project to overhaul legislation pertaining to the registries. Section VIII considers the relationship between registry reform and the Salvadoran system of “supplementary title.” Finally, Section IX outlines the ways in which disputes that arise out of the registry process currently are being resolved.