Location Certificates Around the World: Quebec, France, Belgium & More

Every country has its own system for documenting property boundaries, structures, and land ownership. Whether it is called a certificat de localisation, a property survey, or a plan de bornage, the fundamental goal is the same: to establish a clear, legally recognized record of what exists on a piece of land and where the boundaries lie. This guide compares how seven countries and regions handle property surveying.

Quebec (Canada): Certificat de Localisation

In Quebec, the certificat de localisation is a legally required document for most real estate transactions. It is prepared exclusively by a licensed arpenteur-géomètre (land surveyor), a profession regulated by the Ordre des arpenteurs-géomètres du Québec.

The certificate includes a detailed plan showing property boundaries, all structures on the lot, setback distances, easements (servitudes), and encroachments. It also includes a written report describing the legal status of the property and any irregularities. The document is typically valid for 10 years, though a new one is recommended whenever significant changes are made to the property.

Costs for a certificat de localisation in Quebec typically range from $1,500 to $3,000 CAD, depending on the complexity of the property and the region.

France: Plan de Bornage & Document d'Arpentage

In France, property boundary matters are handled by the géomètre-expert, a licensed professional regulated by the Ordre des Géomètres-Experts. France uses two main types of boundary documents:

• Plan de bornage — A boundary survey that definitively establishes the limits between neighboring properties. Bornage can be amicable (agreed upon by both parties) or judicial (ordered by a court). Once signed by all parties, it becomes legally binding and permanent.
• Document d'arpentage — Required when subdividing a parcel. This document is filed with the cadastre (land registry) to update the official records with the new boundaries.

A bornage survey in France typically costs between €1,000 and €3,000, depending on the size of the property and the number of boundary points. Unlike Quebec, there is no expiration date — a bornage is valid indefinitely once established.

Belgium: Plan de Mesurage

Belgium uses the plan de mesurage (measurement plan) for property transactions. This document is prepared by a géomètre-expert and is mandatory for the sale of any built property since 2022. The plan de mesurage shows the precise floor areas, building dimensions, and land boundaries.

For boundary establishment specifically, Belgium follows a system similar to France with a bornage procedure. The géomètre-expert measures the property, places boundary markers, and prepares a plan that becomes part of the official property records.

Costs range from €500 to €2,000 depending on the property size and complexity. The plan de mesurage has no formal expiration but should be updated if significant modifications are made to the property.

Switzerland: Plan de Situation

Switzerland uses the plan de situation (site plan) for building permit applications and property documentation. Boundary surveys are conducted by an ingénieur-géomètre (surveyor-engineer), a highly regulated profession in the Swiss system.

Switzerland maintains one of the most precise cadastral systems in the world. The mensuration officielle (official cadastral survey) provides centimeter-level accuracy for all property boundaries. When buying property or applying for a building permit, the plan de situation shows the property boundaries, existing and proposed structures, setbacks, access roads, and connections to public utilities.

Costs typically range from CHF 2,000 to CHF 5,000 (approximately €2,100 to €5,200), reflecting the high precision standards. Plans are linked to the federal cadastral system and are continuously maintained.

United States: Property Survey & ALTA Survey

The United States has a decentralized system where property surveying is regulated at the state level. Licensed surveyors (Professional Land Surveyors or PLS) conduct boundary surveys, but requirements and standards vary significantly by state.

Two main types of surveys are common:

• Boundary survey — Establishes property lines and corners. Required by most lenders for residential transactions, though some states accept title insurance without a survey.
• ALTA/NSPS survey — A standardized survey type developed by the American Land Title Association. Required for most commercial real estate transactions and some residential transactions. It includes boundary lines, improvements, easements, rights-of-way, and detailed title information. ALTA surveys follow a uniform set of minimum standards regardless of which state the property is in.

Costs vary enormously across the US. A simple residential boundary survey can cost $300 to $800 in rural areas and $1,000 to $3,000 in urban areas. An ALTA survey for a commercial property can cost $2,000 to $6,000 or more. Surveys generally do not expire, but lenders may require a recent survey (within 5-10 years) for transactions.

United Kingdom: Land Registry Plan

The United Kingdom has a unique system compared to other countries. HM Land Registry maintains title plans for all registered properties, but these plans are based on Ordnance Survey maps and show general boundaries only — they do not define the exact position of boundary lines to surveying precision.

When precise boundary information is needed, property owners commission a chartered surveyor who is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The surveyor can produce a boundary determination report, but unlike in other countries, this does not automatically become a legally binding boundary definition. Boundary disputes in the UK are often resolved through the Land Registry's boundary determination service or through the courts.

A RICS boundary survey costs between £500 and £2,000. The Land Registry title plan itself is inexpensive to obtain (around £3 online) but provides only approximate boundaries suitable for identification purposes, not precise measurement.

Australia: Survey Plan & Title Plan

Australia operates under a Torrens title system in most states, where property boundaries are defined by registered survey plans. Licensed surveyors (also called registered surveyors or cadastral surveyors) are responsible for establishing and marking boundaries.

Key documents include:

• Survey plan (or plan of subdivision) — Created when land is subdivided or when boundaries need to be re-established. Filed with the state's land titles office.
• Title plan — The official plan attached to the certificate of title, showing the property's boundaries and dimensions.
• Identification survey — A survey to mark existing boundaries on the ground, typically requested by property owners before building or fencing.

Costs range from AUD 500 to AUD 1,500 for an identification survey and AUD 2,000 to AUD 5,000+ for a full boundary survey or subdivision plan. Survey plans in Australia do not expire — they remain valid as long as the boundaries are unchanged.

Comparison Table

Common Elements Across All Countries

Despite the differences in terminology, legal frameworks, and professional titles, property survey documents around the world share several fundamental elements:

• Boundary definition — Every system aims to establish where one property ends and another begins
• Professional certification — All countries require a licensed or chartered professional to prepare official boundary documents
• Dimensional accuracy — Precise measurements of boundary lengths, angles, and areas are universal requirements
• Structure location — Most surveys show the position of buildings relative to property lines
• Easements and encumbrances — Rights-of-way, utility corridors, and other restrictions that affect the property are documented
• Legal authority — Survey documents carry legal weight and can be used as evidence in boundary disputes
• Graphical representation — A scaled plan or map is always included, showing boundaries, structures, and measurements visually

How LotScan Works Across Borders

LotScan was originally designed to analyze Quebec certificats de localisation, but the underlying AI technology works with property survey documents from any country. The segmentation models have been trained to recognize universal elements — lot lines, structures, dimensions, pools, and easements — regardless of the specific notation style or language used.

Whether you have a French plan de bornage, an American ALTA survey, or an Australian title plan, LotScan can:

• Identify and trace property boundaries automatically
• Detect building footprints and other structures
• Extract numerical measurements using multi-pass OCR
• Generate a clean, editable digital site plan

The OCR engine handles both decimal point notation (15.24) used in English-speaking countries and decimal comma notation (15,24) used in French-speaking countries and much of Europe, ensuring accurate measurement extraction regardless of the document's origin.