Three very unequal components

What are commonly called “notary fees” (frais de notaire) are more accurately described as “purchase costs” (frais d’acquisition). This sum, paid to the office on the day of signing, breaks down into three parts.

  1. Duties and taxes. These are the transfer duties (also called registration duties) paid over to the State, the département and the municipality, together with the land registration contribution collected when the deed is published. For the purchase of an existing home, this is by far the largest part.
  2. Disbursements. These are the sums advanced by the notary on your behalf to obtain the documents needed for the deed: land registry extracts, mortgage search, planning documents, co-ownership documents, a surveyor where required.
  3. The notary’s regulated fees. This is the office’s remuneration for drafting the deed and completing the formalities. It is set by a regulated tariff, identical throughout France and whichever notary you choose.

As a rough guide, for the purchase of an existing home, duties and taxes generally account for the vast majority of the purchase costs, with regulated fees and disbursements making up a much smaller share. For new builds, the duties are lower, which explains the so-called “reduced costs”.

What the office actually receives

The regulated fees are calculated on a sliding scale by bands of the sale price, set by ministerial order under the French Commercial Code. The notary can neither increase them nor, in principle, reduce them, except for a discount regulated by law on the highest price bands. In addition to these proportional fees, there are formality fees, also set by the tariff, for each step taken (requests for documents, publication, notifications).

These regulated fees are subject to VAT. They cover all of the office’s work: checks on the property and the parties, drafting the deeds, receiving the funds, paying the seller, registering the sale with the land registry and keeping the deed.

The specific case of freely agreed fees

Some services are not covered by the regulated tariff: legal consultations unrelated to a deed, property negotiation, drafting specific agreements. For these, the notary proposes freely agreed fees (honoraires), which must be agreed in writing before any work begins. In a standard sale, there are in principle no freely agreed fees.

How can you anticipate them?

  • Ask the office, as soon as you plan to buy, for a detailed estimate of the costs: it is based on the price, the type of property (existing or new) and whether a loan needs to be secured.
  • Allow for the fact that the costs of securing the loan (contractual mortgage or lender’s statutory special mortgage, known in French as hypothèque légale spéciale du prêteur de deniers) are added to the purchase costs when the bank requires it.
  • The payment on account of costs made at signing is adjusted once the formalities are complete: a final statement is sent to you and any overpayment is refunded.
  • The purchase costs simulator of the Paris Chamber of Notaries gives a first estimate, which is indicative only: purchase costs calculator (in French).

If the buyer chooses a second notary, the costs do not increase: the regulated fees are then shared between the two offices.

In summary

“Notary fees” are above all taxes collected by the notary on behalf of the State and local authorities. The office’s remuneration, regulated and transparent, represents only a fraction of them. A detailed statement is given to you before signing, and the office remains available to explain it line by line.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. The rules change over time: each situation is reviewed during an appointment with the notary. Further reading: Real estate law, Fees, Frequently asked questions.