French Notary Fees Calculator

What are French notary fees?

Despite the name, most of the “notary fees” are taxes. The notaire collects them on behalf of the State and local authorities when the sale completes. For an existing home, roughly four-fifths of the total is tax; the notaire’s own regulated fee is a small part.

• Transfer taxes (droits de mutation) for an existing home: the départemental tax, the communal tax (1.2%) and a collection fee of 2.37% calculated on the départemental tax. The départemental rate is 5% in 88 départements, 4.5% in 11 and 3.8% in the Indre (rates at 1 June 2026) — about 6.32% of the price in total at 5%, 5.81% at 4.5% and 5.09% at 3.8%.
• New builds sold subject to VAT pay a reduced land-registry tax of about 0.715% instead, calculated on the price excluding VAT.
• The notaire’s emoluments, set by law on a sliding scale: 3.870% up to €6,500, 1.596% from €6,500 to €17,000, 1.064% from €17,000 to €60,000 and 0.799% above, plus 20% VAT.
• The property security contribution (contribution de sécurité immobilière): 0.1% of the price, minimum €15.
• Disbursements and formalities: sums the notaire pays on your behalf for land-registry extracts, planning documents and similar. The calculator uses a typical estimate of €1,200; the real amount depends on the file.

The 2025 increase and the first-time buyer exception

The 2025 finance law allowed départements to raise their transfer-tax rate from 4.5% to 5% for deeds signed from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2028, and 88 of them have done so. First-time buyers of their main residence (people who have not owned their main home in the previous two years) are exempt from the increase and pay the département’s former rate — usually 4.5%, but 4% in Savoie and 3.8% in the Indre. The increase does not apply to new builds. If in doubt, ask the notaire which rate applies to you.

Ways the fees can sometimes be reduced

• If the agency mandate puts the estate agency fees on the buyer, they are not subject to transfer taxes — make sure they appear separately in the deed.
• Removable furniture and free-standing appliances sold with the property can be listed separately at a realistic, justifiable value and are not subject to transfer taxes. Fixtures that form part of the property (often including fitted kitchens) usually remain taxable.
• For a price above €150,000, the notaire may grant a discount of up to 20% on their emoluments for the part of the price above that amount. It is worth asking.

Fees are only part of the budget. See what you might borrow with our non-resident mortgage calculator, or read the full guide to buying property in France as a foreigner.