On-chain and off-chain recordal: documents to prepare
Recording a tokenised right accurately means updating two records at once: the on-chain ledger entry and the off-chain register the underlying asset already sits in. Before either update starts, the holder must gather proof of title, a description of the token standard used, and confirmation from the register that already holds the asset. Missing one document stalls both sides.
The point of the exercise is provenance. The task is to show that the right appearing on-chain is the same right that already existed off-chain, with no unexplained gap in the chain of title between the two. Every document collected before recordal exists to close that gap, not to satisfy a formality.
The file assembled for this purpose follows the same discipline as any evidence file we build for a client. For background on how that discipline works day to day, see How a report is produced, dated and cross-checked in our reports section.
What changes once recordal starts
Off-chain registers can usually correct an entry through their own amendment procedure if a mistake is found later. On-chain entries cannot. Once a transfer instruction receives enough network confirmations, it is final, and no register operator, court, or platform can reverse it. That asymmetry is the reason documents are checked before the on-chain step, not after.
Practically, this pushes almost all the verification work to the front of the process. The off-chain side has to be settled, cross-checked, and confirmed as closed before anyone instructs the on-chain transfer. Doing the steps in the wrong order does not save time; it simply removes the last point where an error can still be fixed.
Provenance sits at the centre of that front-loaded work. A register operator confirms what its own books show today. It does not, as a rule, reconstruct the full history behind that entry. Closing any gap in that history, so the on-chain record inherits a continuous provenance rather than a fresh and unsupported claim, is work the holder and adviser have to do themselves.
Documents to prepare
The table below lists what each stage needs, who is expected to produce it, and how long that stage typically takes once the file is otherwise complete.
| Stage | Document | Prepared by | Typical timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off-chain confirmation | Register extract or ownership certificate | Existing register operator | Days to two weeks |
| Identity and authority | Power of attorney, corporate excerpt, identity check | Holder or client | Days |
| Provenance statement | Chronological summary of prior transfers, each dated and matched to an off-chain entry | Client and adviser | A day to a week, depending on history length |
| Technical matching | Token standard description, wallet address confirmation | Platform operator and client | A day |
| Reconciliation | Note comparing names, identifiers and amounts across both records | Adviser or counsel | Hours to a day |
| On-chain execution | Signed transfer instruction | Platform operator | Minutes, irreversible once confirmed |
In practice, prepare the file in this order:
- Client collects proof of the existing off-chain title and any identity checks the register operator asks for.
- Adviser builds the provenance statement, matching every prior transfer to a dated off-chain entry, and flags any gap.
- Register operator confirms the current entry and issues an extract dated to the day of the check.
- Platform operator matches the extract against the token standard and prepares the transfer instruction.
- Adviser reconciles both records line by line before anyone signs anything.
- Platform operator executes the on-chain entry only once the off-chain side is confirmed closed.
Who confirms the entry
Two different bodies confirm two different things, and neither can stand in for the other. The off-chain register operator confirms the paper or database entry under its own internal procedure, on its own timetable. The on-chain side is confirmed by the network's own consensus rules, not by any single office, so its timing depends on network conditions rather than office hours.
Neither body confirms provenance as such. The register operator will confirm that its own entry is correct today; it will not certify that the chain of title behind that entry has no gaps going back to issuance. That check is the holder's and the adviser's responsibility, and it needs to be finished before the extract is treated as final.
If the tokenised right in question required a notice to a supervisor before issuance, that step needs to be closed first. See Notification to the supervisor for the stages and deadlines that apply before a transfer can be recorded on top of an existing issuance.
Common scenarios
- If the off-chain title is clean, undisputed, and the provenance statement shows no gap, the file can move through all six stages in one pass without waiting periods.
- If the off-chain register shows an open charge or a pending dispute, hold the on-chain step. Fixing a mistake off-chain is routine; fixing one on-chain is not possible once confirmed.
- If the provenance trail has a gap, for example an old paper transfer with no matching digital record, close that gap with affidavits or other secondary evidence before recordal, not afterwards.
- If the person holding the token differs from the off-chain owner, for example where a custodian holds on the owner's behalf, gather the custody agreement and the owner's instruction before either record moves.
Limits
This page covers the documents needed to move a right from an off-chain register onto a chain, or the reverse, and the order in which to prepare them. It does not cover how the underlying asset is valued, how a wrongly recorded transfer is challenged once it has already been confirmed on-chain, or how a dispute between a token holder and a third party is resolved after recordal has taken place. Those questions belong to a different stage of the file.
Sources and further checks
Off-chain confirmation often depends on facts that sit outside the register itself, such as whether the asset is already pledged or claimed in another jurisdiction. A due-diligence report on the asset side, for example Asset in Sweden and its limits, sets out what can and cannot be confirmed before a transfer proceeds.
A parallel check on the counterparty covers the same question from the other side of the transaction. Debtor in Switzerland and its limits is one example of that kind of check, run before the documents are finalised rather than after the on-chain step is irreversible.
This page was last checked against current procedural practice in March 2025. It reflects internal working notes rather than a citation to any particular statute, consistent with the procedural scope of this material.
Related reading
If recordal already happened and the other side is not cooperating, the next set of documents is different from the ones described above. See How enforcement against a holder tokenised rights documents to prepare for that later stage.
FAQ
How long does on-chain and off-chain recordal take in practice?
Off-chain confirmation usually takes from a few days to two weeks, depending on the register operator's own queue and how complete the provenance statement already is. The on-chain step, once instructed, is normally final within minutes to hours. The whole process rarely moves faster than the slower of the two records allows, so it is worth starting the off-chain side first.
Which documents are needed to start?
An extract or certificate from the existing off-chain register, evidence of the holder's identity and authority to instruct a transfer, a provenance statement covering prior transfers, and a technical description of the token standard used on the chain side. Without all four, the platform operator has nothing to match against the register entry.
What happens if the other side does not respond?
The off-chain register operator applies its own procedure for a non-responsive party; usually the request lapses after a set period rather than proceeding by default. On-chain, nothing happens without the required signatures, so the entry simply does not occur until the missing party is replaced or an administrative or court decision compels the register operator to act.