Ireland · Folios · October 24, 2026

What Is a Folio Number in Ireland? How to Find One

A folio is the Land Registry record for registered land in Ireland. What the folio number means, what its three parts show, and how to find one free.

When land in Ireland is registered in the Land Registry, a folio is opened for it. The folio is the record of title: it says what the property is, who owns it and what burdens affect it. The folio number is how the Land Registry, solicitors and banks refer to it. If you are researching family land, buying a site or checking a boundary, the folio number is the key that opens the record.

The three parts of a folio

• Part 1: the property. A description of the land and a reference to the Land Registry map, sometimes with appurtenant rights such as a right of way over neighbouring land.
• Part 2: ownership. The registered owner (or owners) and the class of title, such as absolute title.
• Part 3: burdens. Charges (mortgages), rights of way over the land, leases, judgment mortgages and other interests that affect it.

The title shown on a folio is guaranteed by the State. If someone suffers loss because of a Land Registry mistake, the State is bound to compensate them. That guarantee is a big reason registration of title replaced the older deeds system.

Reading a folio number

A folio number starts with letters for the county, then a number. It can end with F for freehold or L for leasehold.

Common county codes include DN (Dublin), CK (Cork), KY (Kerry), GY (Galway), MH (Meath), WX (Wexford) and DL (Donegal). The examples above show the format only; they are not real folios.

Leasehold folios are common in Dublin and other cities, especially for apartments and older houses held on long leases. A property can have both a freehold folio (for the landlord's interest) and a leasehold folio (for the long lease).

How to find a folio number free

1. Open landdirect.ie and choose Proceed as Guest.
2. Search by address or place, or pan and zoom on the map.
3. Zoom in until registered plots appear.
4. Click the plot. The folio number is shown free.

landdirect.ie

Our landdirect.ie guest map search guide goes through it step by step.

What it costs to see the folio itself

Folio vs title plan

The folio is the written record. The title plan is the map that shows the property outlined, based on the Land Registry's maps. If you want both, order the certified copy of the folio with map (€40).

Registry maps generally show boundaries that are not conclusive: they identify the property but don't settle the precise legal boundary. For boundary disputes, other evidence (the ground, older deeds and maps, and a surveyor's report) matters.

By province

• Leinster. Dublin and the east, with the largest number of urban and leasehold folios, including apartments.
• Munster. Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford and Clare.
• Connacht. The west. Much rural land across Ireland was registered when farms were bought out by tenants under the Land Purchase Acts, which is one reason farmland is so widely registered.
• Ulster (Republic). Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan. The six Northern Ireland counties use a different registry.

When there is no folio

About 90% of the land in Ireland is registered, representing about 85% of titles, according to Tailte Éireann. The rest is unregistered: it has no folio and is dealt with through the Registry of Deeds. Unregistered property is most often older urban property that hasn't been sold in a long time. If the registry map shows a gap, the title may be unregistered, and a solicitor will need to search the Registry of Deeds. See our Registry of Deeds vs Land Registry guide.

A folio in practice

• Buying. Your solicitor will check the folio to make sure the seller is the registered owner and to see what burdens need to be cleared.
• Inheriting. After a death, the folio needs to be updated to show the new owner. Until then, the deceased person may still appear as owner.
• Family history. A folio can show when land passed from one generation to the next, and older folios may show land bought out under the Land Acts.

Reading the burdens in Part 3

Part 3 is where problems show up. Common entries:

• Charges. Mortgages to a bank. A charge should be discharged (removed) when the loan is paid off. An old charge that was never removed is a common issue on sales.
• Rights of way. A right for someone else to cross the land, or, in Part 1, a right for the owner to cross someone else's land.
• Judgment mortgages. A creditor's charge registered after a court judgment.
• Leases. Long leases registered against the freehold.
• Cautions and inhibitions. Entries that restrict dealings until a condition is met.

If you see an entry you don't understand, ask a solicitor. A €5 plain copy is enough to spot most issues, but a solicitor will read the certified copy before any purchase.

Folios for apartments

Apartments in Ireland are usually held on long leases, so each apartment typically has a leasehold folio, while the management company or developer holds the freehold. If you're buying an apartment, expect to see a leasehold folio and to hear about the management company, which owns or manages the common areas.

Older folios and the Land Commission

Some rural folios still show the Irish Land Commission, which was involved in transferring land to tenant farmers. An old entry like this is common and usually historical, but a solicitor will check whether anything needs to be cleared.

How to use a folio number

• To order copies. If you know the folio number, you can buy a plain copy (€5) or certified copy (€40) directly.
• In correspondence. Solicitors, banks and Tailte Éireann all refer to property by folio number.
• To check for changes. Comparing a new copy with an old one shows whether new burdens have been registered.

Common questions

Is a folio the same as a deed? No. The folio is the Land Registry's record of title. Deeds are the documents used to transfer land, and for unregistered land they remain the evidence of title.

What does the F at the end mean? Freehold. L means leasehold.

Is the folio number free? Yes, from the landdirect.ie map. A plain copy of the folio costs €5.

Can a property have more than one folio? Yes, for example a freehold folio and a leasehold folio, or a farm made up of several folios.

Related guides

• landdirect.ie map search as a guest
• Buying land in Ireland from the US
• Northern Ireland land registry search
• All Ireland parcel map pages

Sources

• Tailte Éireann: Land Registry FAQs (folio parts, fees, registered share).
• Tailte Éireann: Registry of Deeds FAQs (State guarantee).
• Citizens Information: property deeds.