Scottish owners and long-term tenants of land or property may need to submit an entry to a new register designed to provide clarity or risk a £5,000 fine.
The Scottish government said the move aims to improve transparency over who controls land in Scotland.
Individuals and organisations are being urged to check if they are legally required to submit to the register before the deadline of 1 April 2024.
If a submission is not made, they could risk being fined up to £5,000.
Launched in 2022, the Register of Persons Holding a Controlled Interest in Land (RCI) exists to provide clarity about land.
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Mairi Gougeon, said who owns and controls Scotland’s land and property matters.
“The Register was designed to provide greater transparency over who has control over decision making in relation to land and property and the two-year transitional period to make an entry is now coming to an end.
“Non-compliance will become a criminal offence as of 1 April 2024 which means those in scope who should be on the Register but have not met the deadline could risk a fine of up to £5000.
“The regulations are not intended to capture those who own their own home where there is no one with significant influence or control over them," she said.
Improving transparency was a key aim of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016, which the RCI aims to do by offering a free to search register of persons with influence or control over land or assets.
The RCI was introduced in April 2022, following cross-party support for the regulations that provided for them.
Keeper of the Registers of Scotland, Jennifer Henderson, said the register offers insight into the transparency of land and property ownership nationwide.
"The data within the Register of Persons Holding a Controlled Interest in Land is already becoming a valuable asset for the people and economy of Scotland."
