COVID-19 Resources
Service Notice: Restricted Access to Land Title Offices
In order to protect the health and well-being of our employees and customers, the Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia (LTSA) is restricting access in all Land Title Offices to only its employees, direct access pass holders and Registry Agents until further notice.
Land Title Office front counters are closed; all other office operations continue as usual.
Please be advised that mail processing has slowed due to Canada Post delays and the implementation of COVID-19 safety measures designed to protect our employees. As we work to process an increase in mail submissions and telephone inquiries, you may wish to contact a legal professional who may help achieve earlier registration.
Declared by the Province as an essential service during the COVID-19 pandemic, the LTSA continues to operate and customers can still file applications, register land title interests and search for land information through our online systems.
Our Customer Service Centre is open from 8am – 4:30pm each business day. Contact us with your questions about land title applications, survey dataset submissions, and your system setup and use.
March 17, 2020
Service Notice: Restricted Access to Land Title Offices Starting March 19, 2020
March 25, 2020
Working with the LTSA During the COVID-19 Situation
Temporary Practice Changes During COVID-19
In support of recommendations by the BC Public Health Officer to maintain social distance, the LTSA has implemented temporary practice changes during these extraordinary times. Temporary practice changes are in effect for applications signed and submitted from March 2020 until further notice.
As outlined in the Land Title Electronic Forms Guidebook (the ‘Green Book’), the section 49 affidavit process for signing without officer certification remains the same. For more details on section 49, including preferred forms of affidavit, please see paragraphs 5.88 to 5.101 in the Land Title Practice Manual.
Much of the temporary practice changes listed below involve remote witnessing procedures (see Practice Bulletin 01-20: Process for Remote Witnessing of Affidavits for Use in Land Title Applications) and the acceptance of true copies instead of originals when submitting documents (see Changes to E-filing Directions for Supporting Documents):
| March 24, 2020 | LTSA Guidance for Witnessing Requirements under the Land Title Act During the COVID-19 Situation |
| March 31, 2020 | LTSA Temporarily Allows Remote Witnessing of Affidavits in Support of Land Title Applications During the COVID-19 Pandemic
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| March 31, 2020 | Practice Tips to Maintain Physical Distance |
| April 17, 2020 | Questions and Answers: Remote Witnessing During COVID-19 |
| May 15, 2020 | Additional Supporting Documents Accepted During the COVID-19 Pandemic May 15 Update May 11 Update April 17 Update |
| May 21, 2020 | Province Issues Two Ministerial Orders Outlining Remote Witnessing Requirements for Wills and EPOAs |