Legally it is not mandatory, but it is highly recommended. When you finish paying the mortgage, the bank gives you the certificate of zero debt, but the mortgage remains registered in the Property Registry with all its legal effects until it is formally canceled.
Consequences of not canceling it:
- When selling the property, the buyer will see the mortgage in the Registry and will demand its prior cancellation (or retention of the price to cancel it)
- It is impossible to apply for a new mortgage on that property without canceling the previous one
- In general, any operation on the property becomes complicated
When does the mortgage prescribe? Mortgages prescribe after 20 years from the due date of the last amortization installment, if the enforcement action has not been exercised. But this period is very long to wait.