Notary fees in Belgium: what you need to know in 2026
When you buy a home in Belgium, you pay a notary's bill on top of the price. Most of it is tax, and only a small part is the notary's own fee. How much you pay depends above all on the region where the property is and on whether it becomes your only own home.
Below you can read what the bill is made of, which rates apply in 2026, what a mortgage adds and what to expect for a home of 250,000 euros. Further down you will also find what the notary does for that money and which costs fall to the seller.
What does the notary's bill consist of?
When you buy an existing home you pay registration duties, the notary's fee, administrative costs, expenses the notary pays to third parties on your behalf, a few fixed duties and VAT. Registration duties are a regional tax and by far the largest item. The fee, the administrative costs and the third-party expenses carry 21% VAT; the registration duties do not.
According to notaris.be, the purchase costs for an only own family home in Flanders average around 4% of the price. Only about 18% of that goes to the notary. The rest is tax that the notary collects and passes on to the government.
If you borrow to buy the home, you also sign a mortgage deed. That comes with separate costs, which are explained further down in this article.
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Compare agents →If you buy a new build from a developer, you pay 21% VAT on the building instead of registration duties. The land share usually still carries registration duties.
Registration duties by region in 2026
| Region | Only own home | Other purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Flanders | 2% of the full price | 12% |
| Wallonia | 3% of the full price | 12.5% |
| Brussels | 12.5%, but the first 200,000 euros are exempt if the price is no higher than 600,000 euros | 12.5% |
The rate follows the date of the notarial deed. The taxable base is the price, or the market value if that is higher. Each region attaches conditions to the low rate.
Flanders
The 2% rate applies when you, as a private individual, buy a home that becomes your only own home. On the date of the deed you may not wholly own another home or building plot in full ownership, unless you commit in the deed to sell it within two years. You must register your address there within three years and stay registered for at least one uninterrupted year. If a company is one of the buyers, nobody gets the reduced rate. Building land always pays 12%. If you do not meet the conditions, you pay the difference with 12% plus a 20% tax surcharge.
If the market value is no higher than 220,000 euros, or 240,000 euros in the central cities (kernsteden) and the municipalities of the Flemish Rim (Vlaamse Rand) around Brussels, another 1,867 euros comes off the registration duties. Duty portability (meeneembaarheid), which let you offset duties paid on a previous home, no longer exists for purchases from 1 January 2024.
Wallonia
In Wallonia you pay 3% on your only own home, including building land and homes bought off plan. You may not wholly own another home in full ownership, unless you sell it within three years of the new deed. A garage, a plot of land or a share held jointly with a third party does not count. You must move in within three years (five for building land) and stay three years. Otherwise you pay the difference with 12.5%.
Brussels
In Brussels the rate is 12.5%, but for your only own home the first 200,000 euros are exempt. That saves up to 25,000 euros. The exemption only applies if the taxable base is no higher than 600,000 euros and disappears entirely above that. On the date of the preliminary sale agreement you may not wholly own another home in full ownership. You must make it your main residence within three years and keep it for five uninterrupted years. For building land there is an exemption of 100,000 euros if the price is no higher than 300,000 euros.
For more detail per region, see our guides on registration duties in Flanders, registration duties in Wallonia and registration duties in Brussels.
The notary's fee
The fee for a purchase deed is set by law. It is a decreasing percentage of the price: the higher the price, the lower the percentage on each higher bracket. The scale applies throughout Belgium, so every notary charges the same fee for the same deed and may not give a discount.
Since 1 January 2023 you pay less if you buy your only home as a private individual, live in it yourself and the price is no higher than 850,000 euros. The fee for the purchase deed is then about 10% lower on average, and the fee for the mortgage deed 20% lower. For a home between 100,000 and 350,000 euros, notaris.be puts the saving at around 1,000 euros on average for purchase and mortgage together. Your notary applies the lower scale if you meet the conditions.
The buyer and the seller may each choose their own notary. The fee is then shared between the two offices, without you paying more.
Administrative costs and third-party expenses
To prepare the deed, the notary requests certificates and information, for example planning information from the municipality, land registry data and a mortgage certificate. What the notary pays third parties for this is passed on as third-party expenses, which differ from file to file. The office also charges administrative costs for work not covered by the fee. The deed also carries fixed transfer registration costs and a 100 euro documents duty (recht op geschriften).
Extra costs if you take out a mortgage
For the mortgage deed you pay a 1% registration duty and a 0.30% mortgage duty on the amount for which the mortgage is registered. On top of that come a registration fee, the notary's fee for the mortgage deed, fixed administrative costs and VAT. Banks often have the mortgage registered for the loan amount plus around 10% for ancillary costs. That is banking practice, not a legal rule.
For example, if you borrow 250,000 euros and the bank registers the mortgage for 275,000 euros, the registration duty and the mortgage duty together already come to 3,575 euros. The notary's fee, fixed costs and VAT for the mortgage deed come on top. The calculator on notaris.be gives the full amount for your situation.
Worked example: a home of 250,000 euros
Notaris.be works out the example of a family home of 250,000 euros in Flanders, bought as the only own home and without a mortgage.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Registration duties (2%) | 5,000 euros |
| Notary's fee | 2,159 euros |
| Administrative costs | 813 euros |
| VAT | 709 euros |
| Third-party expenses (estimate) | 304 euros |
| Transfer registration costs | 285 euros |
| Documents duty | 100 euros |
| Total purchase costs | 9,370 euros |
If you buy the same home as your only own home in Wallonia, you pay 7,500 euros in registration duties instead of 5,000 euros, and the purchase costs come to around 11,900 euros. In Brussels the first 200,000 euros are exempt: you pay 12.5% on 50,000 euros, or 6,250 euros, for a total of around 10,600 euros.
If it is not your only own home, for example a second home or a rental investment, the registration duties alone come to 30,000 euros in Flanders and 31,250 euros in Wallonia or Brussels. The lower scale for the notary's fee does not apply either.
If you borrow, the costs of the mortgage deed come on top. For a loan of 250,000 euros registered for 275,000 euros, you pay 3,575 euros in registration and mortgage duty alone, plus the fee, fixed costs and VAT for that deed.
What does the notary do for that money?
The notary checks that the seller owns the property and whether any mortgages or seizures are registered against it. The notary requests the mandatory certificates and information, drafts the authentic deed and has it registered and transcribed. Only after that transcription can the sale be enforced against third parties. The notary also makes sure that any mortgage the seller still has is paid off from the sale price before the balance is paid to the seller.
What does this mean if you are selling?
Registration duties and the fee for the purchase deed are paid by the buyer. They still matter in the negotiation: a buyer who does not qualify for the low rate has to budget tens of thousands of euros more and often offers less. As a seller you mainly pay for the mandatory certificates, such as the EPC and the electrical inspection report, and, if applicable, the release of your mortgage. If you repay your mortgage early, the bank may charge a reinvestment fee of at most three months' interest. Read more in our article on notary fees when selling.
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Frequently asked questions
How much are notary costs when buying a home in Belgium?
For an only own home of 250,000 euros in Flanders, notaris.be puts the purchase costs at 9,370 euros: 5,000 euros in registration duties and the rest for the notary's fee, costs and VAT. In Wallonia (3%) and Brussels (12.5% with the first 200,000 euros exempt) the registration duties are higher. If you borrow, the costs of the mortgage deed come on top.
Who pays the notary costs, the buyer or the seller?
The buyer pays the registration duties and the costs of the purchase deed. The seller pays for the mandatory certificates, the release of their mortgage if there is one, and their estate agent's commission.
Can I negotiate the notary's fee?
No. The fee is set by law, it is the same at every notary and discounts are not allowed. If you buy your only home as a private individual, live in it yourself and the price is no higher than 850,000 euros, a lower scale has applied since 2023.
Do I pay more if the buyer and the seller each choose their own notary?
No. The fee is then shared between the two notaries, at no extra cost to you.
When do I pay the notary costs?
You transfer the registration duties, the fee and the costs to the notary's account before the purchase deed is signed. Most banks do not finance these costs, so you usually pay them from your own savings.
What does the mortgage deed cost if I borrow?
You pay a 1% registration duty and a 0.30% mortgage duty on the amount for which the mortgage is registered, plus a registration fee, the notary's fee for the mortgage deed, administrative costs and VAT. If you borrow 250,000 euros and the mortgage is registered for 275,000 euros, those two duties alone come to 3,575 euros. The calculator on notaris.be works out the full amount.
Is there an extra reduction in Flanders for a lower-priced home?
Yes. If the market value of your only own home is no higher than 220,000 euros, or 240,000 euros in the central cities (kernsteden) and the Flemish Rim (Vlaamse Rand), another 1,867 euros comes off the 2% registration duties.
Does duty portability (meeneembaarheid) still exist in Flanders?
No. For purchases from 1 January 2024 you can no longer offset registration duties paid on a previous home. You pay 2% on your new only own home if you meet the conditions.
How much registration duty do I pay on building land?
In Flanders always 12%, because the 2% rate does not apply to building land. In Wallonia 3% applies if you move in within five years, otherwise 12.5%. In Brussels you pay 12.5%, with the first 100,000 euros exempt if the price is no higher than 300,000 euros.
What if two people buy a home together?
In Flanders the conditions are assessed per buyer and per share. A buyer who already owns another home and does not commit to selling it within two years pays 12% on their share. If a company is one of the buyers, nobody gets the reduced rate. Raise your situation with your notary early.
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