Relinquishing land: Legal insights

Questioner

Hello, As an owner, can I relinquish a piece of land without anyone being able to derive any rights from it?

Lawyer

No, because that would mean that the land no longer has an owner. In that case, article 5:24 of the Civil Code applies: 'Immovable property that has no other owner belongs to the State'. In the Netherlands, land always has an owner. But that article mainly concerns land that is reclaimed from the sea and such special circumstances. You can only give up a piece of land by delivering it to someone else and that must be done through a notary, who registers the transfer and delivery in the public registers.