Glossary
Notarkosten
Notarkosten: Notarkosten (German for notary fees) are the legally fixed charges for notarizing a property purchase contract in Germany. Together with land-registry fees, they come to about 1.5% to 2.0% of the purchase price.
What are Notarkosten (notary fees)?
Notarkosten (German for notary fees) are the charges that arise when a property purchase contract is notarized. In Germany, a property purchase only becomes legally valid once it has been notarized. This protects both parties from rushed decisions and makes sure the contract is legally sound.
The fees are set uniformly across Germany in the Gerichts- und Notarkostengesetz (GNotKG, the Court and Notary Fees Act). Every notary bills from the same fee table, so comparing prices is pointless, and no notary may charge more or less than the law prescribes.
On top of the notary fees themselves, you pay land-registry fees (Grundbuchkosten) that the Grundbuchamt (land registry office) charges for its entries. Together, notary and land-registry fees come to about 1.5% to 2.0% of the purchase price.
What the notary does in a property purchase
The notary handles three core tasks:
Notarization (Beurkundung): The notary drafts the purchase contract, goes through it with both parties, and reads it out at the notarization appointment. Both sides sign in front of the notary. This work triggers the so-called 2.0 fee (twice the basic fee under Table B of the GNotKG).
Execution (Vollzug): After notarization, the notary handles the processing. They apply for the priority notice (Auflassungsvormerkung) in the land register, obtain waivers of any municipal right of first refusal, and arrange the transfer of ownership. This carries a 0.5 fee.
Supervision (Betreuung): The notary checks that all conditions for paying the purchase price are met and issues the due-date notice (Fälligkeitsmitteilung) to the buyer. A 0.5 fee applies here too.
With a mortgage, registering the land charge (Grundschuldbestellung) is added on top, a 1.0 fee on the loan amount.
Calculating Notarkosten: an example
Purchase price: €300,000, loan amount: €240,000
The basic fee under Table B of the GNotKG (as of 2026) for a transaction value up to €320,000 is €635.
| Fee | Factor | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase contract notarization | 2.0 × €635 | €1,270 |
| Execution fee | 0.5 × €635 | €317.50 |
| Supervision fee | 0.5 × €635 | €317.50 |
| Land charge registration (€240,000, basic fee: €535) | 1.0 × €535 | €535 |
| Notary fees (net) | €2,440 | |
| plus 19% VAT | €463.60 | |
| plus disbursements (approx.) | €50 | |
| Notary fees (gross, approx.) | €2,954 |
On top come the land-registry fees for entering the new owner and the land charge, which together run about €1,000 to €1,200. In this example, the total cost for notary and land registry is roughly €4,000 to €4,200, or about 1.4% of the purchase price.
Good to know
- You choose your notary: Although the fees are the same everywhere, the buyer is free to pick the notary. Since the buyer pays the cost, they also have the right to name the notary.
- Cash purchases save fees: Buying without a bank loan avoids the cost of registering a land charge. That noticeably lowers the notary fees.
- Land charge instead of mortgage: In practice, a land charge (Grundschuld), not a mortgage (Hypothek), is almost always entered as security. The land charge stays in place even after the loan is repaid and can be reused for later financing.
- Watch the VAT: Notary fees carry 19% VAT. Land-registry fees at the local court (Amtsgericht), by contrast, are VAT-free.
Legal basis
The notary fees are governed by the Gerichts- und Notarkostengesetz (GNotKG, the Court and Notary Fees Act), in particular § 34 GNotKG (value-based fees) and Annex 2 (fee Table B). The requirement to notarize land purchase contracts follows from § 311b para. 1 BGB (the German Civil Code). Land-registry fees are set by the GNotKG together with the Grundbuchordnung (GBO, the Land Register Code).
Frequently asked questions
Notarkosten translates to notary fees. They are the charges for notarizing the property purchase contract, a legally required step in every German real estate transaction. The notary drafts and reads out the contract, secures payment, and arranges the land-register entries.
The buyer usually pays the notary fees. The purchase contract almost always states that the buyer covers all notary and land-registry costs. Only the cost of cancelling the seller's existing land charges falls to the seller.
You cannot change the level of the fees, because every notary bills from the same statutory table and negotiation is not possible. You can save when no land charge is registered (for example with a cash purchase) or when an existing lien is taken over instead of being newly entered.
The notary drafts the purchase contract, reads it out and notarizes it, obtains official approvals, arranges the entry of the priority notice (Auflassungsvormerkung), monitors payment of the purchase price, and handles the transfer of ownership in the land register. The notary must stay neutral and advises both sides.