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 60,000 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

• Breakdown of notaire fees
• Transfer duties: the main component
• The notaire’s emoluments
• Fees and disbursements
• Full simulation for a purchase in Paris
• How to reduce notaire fees

Breakdown of notaire fees

The term “notaire fees” is 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.

Notaire fees break down into three broad categories. Transfer duties (DMTO), commonly called “registration fees”, represent approximately 80% of the total. The notaire’s emoluments, set by decree, constitute approximately 15% of the total. Fees and disbursements (planning documents, cadastral extracts, land registry publication) represent the remaining 5%.

For a purchase in older stock, the total falls between 7 and 8% of the sale price. For a new-build purchase (VEFA or less than 5 years old), this total drops to 2-3% thanks to reduced transfer duties.

Transfer duties: the main component

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%.

In total, transfer duties reach 5.807%, rounded to 5.81% in practice. For a purchase at 800,000 euros in the 8th arrondissement, this represents 46,456 euros in non-negotiable taxes.

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.

The notaire’s emoluments

The notaire’s emoluments are calculated according to a proportional scale set by the decree of 26 February 2016, updated in 2021. This scale applies in brackets, similar to the income tax scale.

For the bracket from 0 to 6,500 euros, the rate is 3.870%. From 6,500 to 17,000 euros, the rate is 1.596%. From 17,000 to 60,000 euros, it is 1.064%. Above 60,000 euros, the rate is 0.799%.

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.

Fees and disbursements

Fees and disbursements correspond to sums advanced by the notaire to obtain the documents required for the transaction. 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.

The total amount of disbursements generally falls between 1,000 and 1,500 euros for a standard purchase in Paris. This item is relatively fixed and does not vary significantly according to the purchase price.

Full simulation for a purchase in Paris

Take a typical purchase: a 65 m² apartment in the 11th arrondissement purchased for 650,000 euros in older stock.

Transfer duties amount to 37,765 euros (5.81% x 650,000). The notaire’s emoluments reach 6,948 euros including VAT (according to the bracket-based scale, VAT included). Fees and disbursements represent approximately 1,200 euros. Total notaire fees reach 45,913 euros, or 7.06% of the purchase price.

For an equivalent new-build property, the total would drop to approximately 12,000 euros, or 1.85% of the price.

The total budget for the transaction in older stock therefore stands at 695,913 euros, not counting any renovations or the fees of a property hunter. Factoring in notaire fees from the very start of your search is essential to defining a coherent budget.

How to reduce notaire fees

Several levers can reduce notaire fees, within the bounds of legality.

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 60,000 to 64,000 euros, or 7.5 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.