Notaire fees for property purchases: 2026 guide

Notaire fees represent 7 to 8% of the purchase price for older properties and 2 to 3% for new builds. For a Parisian apartment at 800,000 euros, this means between 56,000 and 64,000 euros in additional costs for older stock. These fees break down into three categories: transfer duties (taxes paid to the State and the department), the notaire’s emoluments and miscellaneous fees.

Introduction

In 2026, notaire fees remain the most significant item after the purchase price and any renovations. If poorly anticipated, they can cause a financing plan to fail or significantly reduce your purchasing capacity. On a budget of 700,000 euros, notaire fees for older stock absorb approximately 52,000 euros that you cannot devote to the acquisition itself. This guide details each component, offers a realistic simulation for a purchase in Paris and identifies existing ways to reduce them. It complements our guide on the steps of a property purchase and our article on the acte authentique.

Table of contents

• How do notaire fees break down?
• How much are transfer duties in Paris?
• How are the notaire’s emoluments calculated?
• What do fees and disbursements cover?
• How much are notaire fees on a 650,000-euro purchase in Paris?
• How can you reduce notaire fees?

How do notaire fees break down?

Notaire fees break down into three items: transfer duties (DMTO), which account for roughly 80% of the total, the notaire’s emoluments (about 15%) and fees and disbursements (about 5%). On older stock the whole comes to 7 to 8% of the sale price; on a new build (VEFA or a property less than 5 years old) it drops to 2 to 3% thanks to reduced transfer duties.

The term “notaire fees” is therefore misleading: the notaire’s actual remuneration represents only about 15% of the total amount. The rest consists of taxes collected by the notaire on behalf of the State, the department and the municipality.

In detail, transfer duties, commonly called “registration fees”, are paid to the department, the municipality and the State. The notaire’s emoluments are set by decree. Fees and disbursements cover planning documents, cadastral extracts and land registry publication.

How much are transfer duties in Paris?

Transfer duties reach 5.81% of the sale price in Paris, or 46,456 euros on a purchase at 800,000 euros in the 8th arrondissement. They are taxes: this item, which accounts for roughly 80% of notaire fees, cannot be reduced.

In detail, transfer duties themselves comprise several taxes. The departmental tax is set at 4.50% in virtually all French departments, including Paris and the Île-de-France departments. The municipal tax amounts to 1.20% of the sale price. The levy for assessment and collection costs, paid to the State, reaches 2.37% of the departmental tax, or approximately 0.107%. The sum comes to 5.807%, rounded to 5.81% in practice.

For new builds, the reduced land registration tax applies: 0.715% instead of 5.81%. For the same amount of 800,000 euros, transfer duties amount to only 5,720 euros. This difference of more than 40,000 euros partly explains the fiscal attractiveness of new builds.

How are the notaire’s emoluments calculated?

The notaire’s emoluments follow a proportional bracket scale set by decree, from 3.870% below 6,500 euros to 0.799% above 60,000 euros. On a purchase at 800,000 euros they come to 6,789.25 euros excluding tax, or 8,147.10 euros including VAT: around 15% of notaire fees.

That scale is set by the decree of 26 February 2016, updated in 2021. It applies in brackets, similar to the income tax scale.

Price bracket	Rate	Emoluments on the bracket	Cumulative at bottom of bracket
0 to 6,500 €	3.870%	€251.55	€251.55
6,500 to 17,000 €	1.596%	€167.58	€419.13
17,000 to 60,000 €	1.064%	€457.52	€876.65
Above 60,000 €	0.799%	0.799% of the excess	€876.65 + 0.799% × (price - 60,000)

Applied to a purchase of 800,000 euros, the calculation gives the following results. First bracket: 6,500 x 3.870% = 251.55 euros. Second bracket: 10,500 x 1.596% = 167.58 euros. Third bracket: 43,000 x 1.064% = 457.52 euros. Fourth bracket: 740,000 x 0.799% = 5,912.60 euros. Total emoluments excluding tax: 6,789.25 euros. With 20% VAT, the emoluments including tax reach 8,147.10 euros.

Since 2021, the notaire may grant a discount of up to 20% on their emoluments for the portion of the price exceeding 100,000 euros. This discount, if granted, reduces the emoluments by approximately 1,100 euros for a purchase at 800,000 euros.

What do fees and disbursements cover?

Fees and disbursements are the sums advanced by the notaire to obtain the documents required for the transaction: between 1,000 and 1,500 euros for a standard purchase in Paris. They account for about 5% of notaire fees and barely vary with the purchase price.

They include the cost of registration with the Land Registry Service (approximately 0.10% of the price, or 800 euros for a purchase at 800,000 euros), mortgage status requests, cadastral extracts and planning documents.

This item is relatively fixed and does not vary significantly according to the purchase price.

How much are notaire fees on a 650,000-euro purchase in Paris?

For a 65 m² apartment bought at 650,000 euros in older stock in Paris, notaire fees reach 45,674 euros, or approximately 7% of the price, at the bottom of the 7 to 8% range. The breakdown: 37,765 euros of transfer duties (5.81% x 650,000), 6,709 euros of emoluments including VAT and approximately 1,200 euros of fees and disbursements.

Take that typical purchase, an apartment in the 11th arrondissement, to follow the calculation item by item.

The table below applies the same calculation to a range of Paris budgets, in older stock, with 1,200 euros of fees and disbursements on every line.

Purchase price	Transfer duties (5.81%)	Emoluments incl. VAT	Fees and disbursements	Total fees	Share of price
€400,000	€23,240	€4,312	€1,200	€28,752	7.19%
€500,000	€29,050	€5,271	€1,200	€35,521	7.10%
€650,000	€37,765	€6,709	€1,200	€45,674	7.03%
€800,000	€46,480	€8,147	€1,200	€55,827	6.98%
€1,000,000	€58,100	€10,065	€1,200	€69,365	6.94%
€1,500,000	€87,150	€14,859	€1,200	€103,209	6.88%

The relative share falls slightly as the price rises: emoluments follow a degressive scale and disbursements are almost fixed. Only transfer duties stay strictly proportional. That is why the 7 to 8% rule of thumb is conservative on larger budgets, where the total sits closer to 7%.

For an equivalent new-build property, transfer duties drop to 0.715%, or 4,648 euros instead of 37,765 euros. The total then falls to around 12,600 euros, to which some developments add ancillary costs that bring the bill into the 2 to 3% range commonly quoted.

The total budget for the transaction in older stock therefore stands at 695,674 euros, not counting any renovations or the fees of a property hunter in Paris. Factoring in notaire fees from the very start of your search is essential to defining a coherent budget.

How can you reduce notaire fees?

Three legal levers exist: deducting the value of moveable items from the price used as the tax base (750 to 1,900 euros saved on a 650,000-euro purchase), buying new-build or a property less than 5 years old (transfer duties at 0.715% instead of 5.81%), and asking for the 20% discount on emoluments above 100,000 euros. Transfer duties themselves, roughly 80% of the total, are not negotiable: they are taxes.

Deducting the value of moveable items is the most common lever. If the apartment is sold with furniture or fittings (fitted kitchen, light fixtures, blinds), their value can be deducted from the price used as the basis for calculating transfer duties. In practice, this deduction represents between 2% and 5% of the total price, or savings of 750 to 1,900 euros in transfer duties for a purchase at 650,000 euros. The valuation must remain realistic: the notaire and the tax authorities check for consistency.

Buying off-plan (VEFA) or a property less than 5 years old benefits from reduced transfer duties at 0.715%. For a budget of 650,000 euros, the saving exceeds 33,000 euros compared to older stock.

Negotiating a discount on emoluments is possible but rarely offered spontaneously. You can ask the notaire to apply the 20% discount on the portion above 100,000 euros. This approach is more readily accepted for high-value transactions.

See our guide on mortgages in 2026 to integrate notaire fees into your overall financing plan.

FAQ

What is the exact amount of notaire fees for a purchase at 800,000 euros in older stock in Paris?

For a purchase at 800,000 euros in older stock in Paris, notaire fees amount to approximately 56,000 to 64,000 euros, or 7 to 8% of the price. This amount includes transfer duties (5.81%), the notaire’s emoluments (approximately 8,000 euros) and miscellaneous fees (approximately 1,500 euros).

Are notaire fees negotiable?

Transfer duties (which represent the bulk) are not negotiable as they are taxes. The notaire’s emoluments are set by decree with a possible 20% discount on the portion above 100,000 euros. This discount is granted at the notaire’s discretion.

Can notaire fees be included in the mortgage?

Yes, banks can finance notaire fees through a 110% loan. However, this type of financing without a deposit has become rare in 2026 and generally entails an interest rate premium of 0.1 to 0.3 percentage points.

Are notaire fees different for a first purchase?

No, there is no reduction in notaire fees for first-time buyers in older stock. However, for a new-build purchase (VEFA), the reduced transfer duties (0.7% instead of 5.81%) apply to all buyers, bringing total fees to 2-3%.

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Preparing a purchase in Paris and want to anticipate all costs? Our property hunters factor notaire fees and renovations into the budget from the very first meeting. Contact us for a personalised estimate.