Pretoria Registrar's Circular 08/2016

Registrar’s Circular No 8 of 2016 Issuing of barcodes

1. Purpose
To outline the procedure relating to the issuing and collection of barcodes.

2. Background
The office has identified the fraud risk associated with the issuing and collection of barcodes and the possible manipulation of the process thereof. To mitigate the risk of unauthorized use, misuse of lost and stolen barcodes, the office has introduced new control measures to address/prevent this problem.

3. New procedure for issuing of Barcodes

1. Barcodes will only be issued by the Assistant Registrar in charge of the DOTS section. 
2. The application must be made by the applicant Conveyancer of the respective firm who has registered an account with the Office of the Registrar of Deeds Pretoria and be submitted to the Assistant Registrar of Dots.
3. The application must contain the letterhead of the law firm which is requesting the barcodes.
4. Firms are required to provide the office of the Registrar with only the two names of the conveyancers who are eligible to be issued with the barcodes upon request.
5. The letter and the supporting documents stipulated above will be filed at the office of the Assistant Registrar in charge of the DOTS section for record purposes.
6. The applicant Conveyancer must identify themselves in a form of an identity document or drivers licence. A new letter will be required whenever barcodes are requested by a different conveyancer of the same firm.
7. The amount of barcodes requested will be dependent on the frequency of the transactions of the respective firms. No barcodes will be issued to a conveyancing firm which has adequate stock level of barcodes of at least two month at their disposal.
8. Barcodes issued prior to January 2015 will be invalidated/cancelled from the system (DRS) and all the applicants will have to apply de novo by complying with procedure as outlined above.
9. Conveyancing firms are urged to report any fraudulent activities they may detect regarding the unauthorized use of barcodes for possible investigation by the office of the Registrar of deeds.
10. The Circular must be read in conjunction with Registrar's Circular 11/2015

The circular will come in operation on the 3rd October 2016.

Pretoria Registrar's Circular No. 8 of 2016