How do I find the owner of a plot?

There is no public list in which you can look up the owner’s name from an address. That name is held in the cadastre (kadaster) of the Federal Public Service Finance (FOD Financiën). A third party only gets it with a reasoned request, for a purpose the rules allow, and never for commercial, political or electoral purposes.

What the cadastre shows, and to whom

The cadastre is kept by the General Administration of Patrimonial Documentation (Algemene Administratie van de Patrimoniumdocumentatie) of FPS Finance. Public information includes the cadastral map and the cadastral history of a plot. You can view the map free of charge online in CadGIS: it shows the plot number, not the owner.

The following are intended only for the people concerned:

the ownership situation and the identity of anyone holding a property right in the plot (zakelijk recht), such as the owner;
the data on the plot and the tax data, such as the cadastral income (kadastraal inkomen, KI);
the cadastral register (kadastrale legger), which lists the plots per owner.

A third party only gets that data for a purpose allowed by the Royal Decree of 30 July 2018 on cadastral documentation.

A purchase involves other points too, such as an easement and the cadastral income. What a report on an address costs is listed under Perceelscan pricing. You can work out the taxes on a purchase for free with the registration duties calculator and the property tax calculator.

When you can get the name

That decree lists twelve permitted purposes. Some examples:

a legal obligation;
managing a property in which you yourself hold a right, or a co-ownership;
a property covered by an agreement to which you are a party;
legal proceedings;
a legitimate interest (gerechtvaardigd belang), unless the protection of the personal data of the person concerned outweighs it.

Commercial, political and electoral purposes are prohibited. You must give reasons for your request; that is not needed for your own properties.

How to request a cadastral extract

You request a cadastral extract (kadastraal uittreksel) via MyMinfin, the online service of FPS Finance, or on paper with the FPS form, stating your purpose. An extract about your own properties is free via MyMinfin; there you can also request a paid, reasoned extract about someone else’s plot.

The fees in the annex to the decree:

the identity of the owners and other rights holders of one plot, without cadastral income: €5 via MyMinfin, €20 on paper;
the adjoining plots: €10 via MyMinfin, €40 on paper;
the co-owners in an apartment building: €10 via MyMinfin, €40 on paper.

FPS Finance keeps a register of every consultation and delivery: who, for what purpose, when and which data.

Other routes, and where they stop

At the municipality, plans and permits are public, but an authority refuses disclosure that would harm someone’s privacy, unless the person concerned consents. A notary or another professional also only gets the cadastral data for a purpose set out in the decree, such as a file they are handling in a professional capacity.

The Legal Certainty Office (Kantoor Rechtszekerheid) of FPS Finance, formerly the mortgage office, gives anyone who asks a copy of the deeds recorded in its registers and of the registrations, such as mortgages, or a certificate that there are none. Note that a certificate on transfers concerns the persons you name in your written request. A fee applies: check the current amount with FPS Finance.

What does this mean if you are buying a house?

If the house is for sale, contact the seller through the estate agent or the notary.

If you want to buy a plot that is not for sale, you can request a reasoned cadastral extract. FPS Finance only gives the name for a permitted purpose: if in doubt whether yours qualifies, check with FPS Finance or a notary.

Without the name, you can still check what is known about the plot yourself: its number in CadGIS, and what the public registers say about the plot.

What the Perceelscan shows

A Perceelscan shows what the public registers say about the plot itself, not who owns it. It never shows the name of an owner, and does not look it up either: for that, go to FPS Finance.

Per address, it shows:

the plan that applies (a spatial implementation plan, a development plan or the regional zoning plan), with the zone and a link to the rules, and the regulations;
plans and regulations still being drawn up, and expropriation plans;
heritage, flooding, pre-emption rights and nature;
Seveso sites (companies holding large quantities of dangerous substances) and OVAM soil investigations;
vacancy and housing quality, the environmental permits on the plot and at the neighbours, and historical maps;
how many m² of floor area can be built under the rules.

Nor is it a planning certificate (stedenbouwkundig attest) or a planning extract (stedenbouwkundig uittreksel), and it does not replace the property information (vastgoedinlichtingen) required for a sale.

Sources

Check it for your address

Updated on 24 October 2026