For a foreign investor, the first question on a Senegalese property project is not price or yield. It is title. Land rights in Senegal come in several forms, and they do not carry the same legal strength.
Know what you are buying
- Titre foncier (land title): the strongest form, a private and perpetual right recorded in the land register.
- Long lease (bail emphytéotique): the usual route to State land for investors, typically for 30 years and renewable, with an obligation to develop the site within a set period.
- Permis d’occuper: a personal authorisation that can be revoked; not a sound basis for a large project.
- Municipal allocation (délibération): an administrative act generally described as precarious and open to challenge. Convert it into a title or a lease before committing capital.
These descriptions are those commonly given in investor guides. Confirm them, and the exact terms, with a Senegalese notary.
Five checks we run
- Obtain the current land-register extract and the history of transfers, mortgages, liens and disputes.
- Confirm that the seller is the registered owner, or that the agent holds a real mandate from the owner.
- Check zoning at the municipality: flood-prone areas, green spaces and land reserved by the State cannot be built on.
- Compare the surveyor’s plan with the title, and visit the site.
- Pay through a notary or an escrow account, in stages linked to verified milestones.
A steep discount on a plot is rarely a bargain. It usually reflects a legal or zoning problem.
APIX, the national investment agency, also recommends checking for disputes and mortgages, confirming the legal status of the land, consulting the land conservator and using a notary. In March 2026 APIX and GIZ signed an agreement aimed at making the investment land one-stop shop fully operational.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Confirm every point with a Senegalese notary or lawyer before acting.