Land Sketch Kerala: FMB, Location and Resurvey Sketches
which one you need, and how to get it online or at the office
Every land transaction in Kerala eventually asks for a sketch, and the wrong one costs weeks. Here is how the FMB sketch, the location sketch and certificate, and the digital resurvey sketch differ, and where each comes from.
A land sketch Kerala offices accept comes in three forms. The FMB sketch (field measurement book) is the Survey Department’s record of a survey number, downloaded from e-Rekha (erekha.kerala.gov.in) after free registration at the per-page rate on the portal, or issued as a certified copy by the Taluk Survey Office. The location sketch and location certificate come from the Village Officer through e-District or an Akshaya centre, and are what bank loans, Form 6 land conversion and building permit files usually need. In digitally resurveyed villages the new sketch, with extent in ares, is published on the Ente Bhoomi portal; Bhunaksha gives a free map view.
Reviewed 19 September 2026 by J Group Consultancy, Ernakulam. Government portals, fees and timelines change — confirm the current position before you rely on it.
FMB sketch Kerala, location sketch Kerala, resurvey sketch: what each one is
FMB sketch (field measurement book)
The Survey Department’s measured drawing of a survey number, kept at the Taluk Survey Office under the Survey and Boundaries Act. It shows the base lines, offsets and ladder measurements that fix every corner, the sub-divisions inside the field and the adjoining survey numbers. Sold as a certified copy through e-Rekha (often searched as e rekha or fmp sketch) or at the Taluk Survey Office.
Location sketch and location certificate
A Village Office product. The certificate states the village, desam, ward, survey number, sub division and extent and the road the plot fronts; the sketch drawn with it places the plot among neighbouring survey numbers and landmarks. Applied for through e-District or an Akshaya centre and signed by the Village Officer after a field check.
Digital resurvey sketch (Ente Bhoomi)
Where the drone and GNSS resurvey is complete, the new parcel sketch, its block and survey number and its extent in ares are published on entebhoomi.kerala.gov.in. The Village Office and Sub Registrar now work from this sketch, and after registration it updates the thandaper automatically; see /services/real-estate/digital-resurvey.
Bhunaksha map view
The Survey Department’s public viewer (eMaps Kerala, often typed bhu naksha) shows resurvey plot outlines by district, taluk, village, block and survey number with a printable plot report. Free and useful for orientation, but not a certified document, and only for villages whose online resurvey is finished.
Which land sketch each purpose needs
| Purpose | Sketch usually asked for | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sale or purchase | FMB or resurvey sketch checked against the deed schedule; pre-mutation sketch in resurveyed villages | e-Rekha / Taluk Survey Office; Ente Bhoomi |
| Land conversion (Form 6, Form 7) | Location sketch and location certificate, with possession certificate and thandaper extract | Village Office via e-District or Akshaya |
| Building permit | Site plan by a licensed engineer or surveyor; possession and location certificates where the local body asks | Private surveyor; Village Office |
| Bank or housing loan | Location sketch and certificate, possession certificate, latest tax receipt | Village Office via e-District |
| Boundary dispute or partition | FMB with ladder measurements, resurvey sketch, licensed surveyor’s demarcation | e-Rekha; Ente Bhoomi; surveyor |
A digital pre-mutation sketch on Ente Bhoomi is mandatory before registration in digitally resurveyed villages notified after 30 September 2024 (Transfer of Registry (Amendment) Rules, 2025).
How to download an FMB sketch from e-Rekha
- 01
Register on erekha.kerala.gov.in
Sign-up is free: a name, an e-mail address that becomes your user name, and a password. Registration is needed to download, not to browse the record catalogue.
- 02
Open File Search and pick the record type
Old Survey Records for the original FMB, litho map or settlement register; Resurvey Records for the resurvey FMB, block map or land register; District Maps for whole-taluk and district sheets.
- 03
Select district, taluk, village, block and survey number
The Record Catalogue lists which villages and blocks have FMB data online; use Show Survey Numbers to confirm yours exists before paying. Old and resurvey numbers differ, so use the one that matches the record type.
- 04
Preview, check out and pay
At the time of writing the resurvey FMB and measurement plan are listed at ₹750 per page, litho maps at ₹1,000 and land or settlement registers at ₹1,400; the figure shown at checkout is the fee that applies.
- 05
Download and keep the reference
The certified PDF is available immediately and again from your login history. If the number is not in the catalogue, apply in writing with ID proof at the Taluk Survey Office for a certified copy.
Location certificate Kerala: applying through e-District or the Village Office
- Where to apply. Log in to edistrict.kerala.gov.in (one-time Aadhaar-linked registration), open the Revenue certificate services, choose Location Certificate, enter village, taluk, survey number and sub division, upload the documents and pay. An Akshaya centre can file it for you, or hand a written application with a court-fee stamp to the Village Office.
- Documents. Aadhaar, voter ID, the latest land tax receipt and the registered deed as proof of ownership. The Village Officer may inspect the site before signing.
- Fee and time. The Akshaya listing shows a ₹7 government fee plus ₹18 centre charge and ₹3 per page (SC/ST ₹10 plus ₹2 per page; BPL ₹20), with the certificate due in five days. A direct e-District filing carries the fee shown on the portal at the time of application, and the sketch plan has its own prescribed charge under the 2007 order.
- Ente Bhoomi option. In resurveyed villages the location sketch is also among the integrated services on the Ente Bhoomi portal, delivered to your login.
- Download and verify. The digitally signed certificate appears under your e-District login once approved, and its number can be checked on the portal’s certificate verification page.
How to read a sketch: survey number, sub division and ares
The survey number is the number the original survey gave to a whole field; the sub division, written after a slash or in brackets, is the portion carved out by later sales and partitions. A resurveyed village replaces both with a block number and a new survey number, and the correlation statement on e-Rekha or the Ente Bhoomi record maps old to new. On an FMB the long lines through the field are base lines, the ladder of figures beside each boundary gives the measured distances, and the neighbouring survey numbers sit outside each side.
Extent is where readers go wrong. Old survey records and most deeds are in acres and cents; every resurvey record, the thandaper and the basic tax receipt are in hectares, ares and square metres. One are is 2.4711 cents, so 10.12 ares is 25 cents and 40.47 ares is an acre; /tools/ares-to-cent converts exactly. Rounding of a few square metres is normal. A difference of a full cent, or a sub-division line in the wrong place, is a record error to object to before it hardens into the thandaper.
How to find survey number in Kerala from the deed, thandaper or tax receipt
- Deed schedule. The schedule of property at the end of every registered deed gives village, desam, survey number, sub division, extent and boundaries. Older deeds may quote a number since sub-divided.
- Tax receipt and thandaper. The basic tax receipt prints the thandaper number, the survey and sub-division numbers and the extent in ares of every parcel in the account; the thandaper extract lists them all. See /guides/thandaper-number-certificate-kerala.
- ReLIS Verify Land and Ente Bhoomi. The Revenue portal’s public search finds a parcel by district, taluk, village and survey number without a login. In resurveyed villages, Ente Bhoomi search by holder name or old survey number returns the new block and survey number and the sketch.
- Village Office. Where the portals disagree or the record is not yet online, the Village Officer’s register is the authority; take the deed and the last tax receipt.
Questions about land sketches, FMB and location certificates in Kerala
What is a land sketch in Kerala, and which office issues it?
Three documents go by that name. The FMB sketch (field measurement book) is the Survey Department’s record, sold through e-Rekha or the Taluk Survey Office. The location sketch is drawn by the Village Office and usually issued with a location certificate through e-District. The digital resurvey sketch is published on the Ente Bhoomi portal for villages whose resurvey is complete. All three show the survey number, sub division and extent.
How do I download an FMB sketch in Kerala?
Register free on erekha.kerala.gov.in, open File Search, choose Old Survey or Resurvey Records, select district, taluk, village, block and survey number, preview and pay online. The certified PDF downloads at once. At the time of writing the resurvey FMB is listed at ₹750 per page; the rate shown at checkout is the fee that applies.
What is the difference between a location sketch and a location certificate in Kerala?
The location certificate is the Village Officer’s statement that a survey number lies in a named village, desam and ward, with its extent and access road. The location sketch is the drawing issued with it, placing the plot among neighbouring survey numbers and landmarks. Banks, local bodies and the Revenue eServices portal usually want both, and Akshaya centres list the certificate as a five-day service.
How to find survey number in Kerala if I only have the deed?
The schedule at the end of the deed names the village, survey number, sub division, extent and boundaries. Match it with the latest land tax receipt, which prints the thandaper number, survey number and extent in ares. In a resurveyed village, search Ente Bhoomi by the old number or the holder’s name for the new block and survey number; the Village Office confirms the mapping where the record is not yet online.
Which sketch do I need for a Form 6 land conversion or a building permit?
A Form 6 file on the Revenue eServices portal takes the location sketch and certificate from the Village Office with the possession certificate, thandaper extract and tax receipt; see /blog/form-6-land-conversion-kerala. A Panchayat or Municipality permit is filed with a site plan by a licensed engineer or surveyor, and many local bodies also ask for the possession and location certificates.
Can I see a land sketch online free?
Viewing is free: Bhunaksha (eMaps Kerala) shows the resurvey plot outline by district, taluk, village, block and survey number, and Ente Bhoomi shows the digital sketch after a mobile-number login. Certified copies are paid: the e-Rekha rate card runs from ₹550 to ₹1,400 per page depending on the record, and a Village Office sketch carries the small government fee plus any Akshaya charge.
Can J Group obtain the sketches for an NRI owner?
Yes. We pull the e-Rekha FMB, the Bhunaksha view and the Ente Bhoomi resurvey sketch, apply for the location certificate and sketch through e-District or the Village Office, and reconcile them with the deed and thandaper for clients in Kerala and NRIs abroad, through a Power of Attorney where a signature or appearance is needed.
Need the right sketch, checked against your deed?
Send us the survey number and a photo of the deed schedule. We pull the FMB, the Bhunaksha view and the Ente Bhoomi record, obtain the location certificate and sketch, and tell you whether they agree before you file anything.