KOROR, Palau — Nearly 26% of land in Palau remains unregistered with the Land Court, totaling 93,430,061 square meters. However, a legal issue has stalled the land claim process, preventing progress unless the law is amended.
The process of land claims involves filing claims, identifying claimants, marking boundaries (monumentation), surveying, and mapping. But under the current law, RPPL 11-25, critical responsibilities were not properly assigned, creating a bottleneck in the system, according to Chief Justice Oldiais Ngiraikelau.
In a 2024 letter to Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK), Palau’s legislature, Ngiraikelau urged lawmakers to amend the law to resolve the legal issue hindering Land Court operations. Under RPPL 11-25, Land Registration Officers (LROs) were moved from the Bureau of Lands and Surveys back to the Land Court, but the law failed to transfer their core duties—such as issuing notices and filing claims—leaving a crucial step in the process unfulfilled.
Without these responsibilities formally assigned, the LROs are unable to process new claims. The backlog includes 4,568 land claims transferred from the Bureau of Lands and Surveys in 2022, which still require additional work before they can be adjudicated. Since the transition, no new claims have been processed due to the LROs’ inability to issue official notices or conduct monumentation.
Chief Justice Ngiraikelau also recommended that states with a high number of pending claims assist claimants in locating their lands and marking boundaries, as the three LROs currently lack the capacity to do so.
According to a Land Court report, 425 total land cases were handled in 2024, with 123 cases resolved and 131 lots registered. However, 296 cases remain pending as of December 31, 2024, while six cases have been referred to the Trial Division.
The backlog spans 13 states: Peleliu, Koror, Aimeliik, Ngatpang, Ngarchelong, Ngeremlengui, Airai, Hatohobei, Ngiwal, Ngardmau, Ngchesar, Melekeok, and Ngaraard.
With land registration at a standstill, pressure is mounting to address the legal oversight and allow the LROs to resume processing claims. (By: L.N. Reklai)