Kagaznama

Essentiality Certificate Application

At a glance

Price: Free
Stamp duty: No ad valorem stamp duty is payable on this application.
Registration: Not compulsorily registrable.
Witnesses: None required.

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Also called

Essentiality Certificate
Section 118 Essentiality Certificate
Essentiality Certificate for Industrial or Tourism Unit
आवश्यकता प्रमाण पत्र आवेदन

When you need it

You are not an agriculturist, and you want to buy land in Himachal Pradesh under section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972 for a purpose OTHER than a dwelling house or a shop — an industrial unit, a hotel, a homestay, or another commercial or institutional use. Permission for that wider class of purpose needs an essentiality certificate first, from the department the proposed use concerns, certifying that the land is essential for the project before the Collector will consider the section 118 application itself.

Not for a dwelling house or a shop: the Collector's practice, as currently reported, does not call for an essentiality certificate for either, and applying for one where it is not needed only slows the file down. Confirm the current position before filing regardless — this exemption, and the essentiality-certificate requirement generally, have both been the subject of recent government review. Use it beside the Section 118 Permission Application (Non-Agriculturist Land Purchase), and, where the project is a hotel, resort or homestay, alongside the Hotel / Resort Lease or the Homestay / Guest House Lease if the land is to be leased rather than bought outright.

Whether you can fill this in here

You can fill this in here

You can fill this one in on this site, and read the whole draft on screen before you decide anything about it. It is a carefully drafted template; it is not advice about your own facts.

Fill this one in

See stamp duty, registration and witnesses

What follows is written for Himachal Pradesh. It states the position there rather than describing how it varies, so the amounts below are the ones that apply — worth confirming at the sub-registrar’s office, because rates change. If the property is anywhere else in India, none of this is yours.

Stamp duty

No ad valorem stamp duty is payable on this application. Some departments call for a nominal court-fee stamp on the covering letter — confirm the current requirement, if any, with the office addressed.

Registration

Not compulsorily registrable. It is filed with the department whose subject the proposed unit concerns — typically the General Manager, District Industries Centre for an industrial unit, or the District Tourism Development Officer / Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation for a hotel, resort or homestay — and, once issued, the certificate is annexed to the section 118 application filed with the Collector. Confirm the correct office for the district and the sector concerned before filing, since this varies by the nature of the project and this template addresses both the common cases without fixing a single office. Where permission under section 118 is not sought within the period the essentiality certificate is valid for — commonly two to three years, extendable — a utilization certificate from the issuing department may be required before it can still be relied on; confirm the current validity period and the extension procedure before treating an older certificate as still good.

Notarisation

Not required for the application itself. Some departments ask for the project particulars to be affirmed by a sworn affidavit as part of the checklist — confirm the current checklist for the office addressed before assuming a plain signed application is enough.

Witnesses

None required.

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Sample preview — placeholder answers, not your data

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APPLICATION FOR AN ESSENTIALITY CERTIFICATE

To,
District Tourism Development Officer, Kullu,
Himachal Pradesh.

Subject: Application for grant of an essentiality certificate in support of an application for permission under section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972.

Sir/Madam,

1. THE APPLICANT

Highland Retreats Private Limited, of SCO 14, Sector 8, Chandigarh 160009, PAN AAFCH2345M (the "Applicant"), respectfully submits this application.

2. THE PROJECT

2.1 The Applicant proposes to set up an industrial unit in Himachal Pradesh.

2.2 A 24-room hill resort with a multi-cuisine restaurant and conference facility, proposed to commence operations within eighteen months of land acquisition.

3. THE LAND

3.1 The land required for the project is: Approximately 1-02-00 hectares near Khasra No. 340, Mauza Naggar, Tehsil Kullu, District Kullu.

3.2 The Applicant is not an agriculturist within the meaning of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972, and accordingly requires permission under section 118 of that Act to acquire this land. This essentiality certificate is sought to accompany that application.

4. WHY THIS LAND IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE PROJECT

4.1 The site adjoins the Naggar tourist circuit with an existing motorable approach, commands an unobstructed valley view essential to the resort concept, and no comparably situated site is available within the same Tehsil.

5. INVESTMENT AND EMPLOYMENT

5.1 Estimated capital investment of Rs. 4.5 crore; direct employment for approximately 22 persons, largely local.

6. PRAYER

The Applicant respectfully requests that an essentiality certificate be issued certifying that the land described above is essential for the project described, so that it may be annexed to the Applicant's application for permission under section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972.

The Applicant undertakes to put the land to no use other than the project described above, and to apply for and obtain permission under section 118 of the Act before any transfer of the land is given effect to.

Place: Kullu
Date: 1 April 2026

Signature: ______________________________
Highland Retreats Private Limited

Questions about this document

Does the Essentiality Certificate Application need stamp paper or stamp duty in Himachal Pradesh?

No ad valorem stamp duty is payable on this application.

See the full position on stamp duty, registration and witnesses

Does the Essentiality Certificate Application need registration in Himachal Pradesh?

Not compulsorily registrable.

See the full position on stamp duty, registration and witnesses

What does the Essentiality Certificate Application cost on Kagaznama?

Free.

Documents are free. Only kits are paid.

Does the Essentiality Certificate Application need witnesses?

None required.

See the full position on stamp duty, registration and witnesses

Often needed with this document

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