Notary Fees When Buying a Home in Belgium: What Do You Actually Pay?

Why Notary Fees Weigh So Heavily When Buying a Home

Anyone buying a home in Belgium in 2025 quickly discovers that the asking price is only part of the story. On top of the purchase price, you can expect to pay an additional 10 to 15% in costs, a large portion of which falls under the heading of "notary fees". The term is actually misleading: only a small fraction of that total goes to the notary's own fee. The bulk consists of taxes (registration duties or VAT) and administrative charges that the notary collects on behalf of the government.​

Having a clear picture of notary fees when buying a home in 2025 helps you plan your budget properly, avoid surprises, and determine the right loan amount and personal contribution.

What Is Actually Included in "Notary Fees"?

In 2025, four main components are generally distinguished:​

1. Registration duties (or VAT for new builds)
2. The notary's fee (honorarium)
3. Administrative and deed costs
4. Costs related to the mortgage (mortgage registration or mandate)

Together, these make up what is commonly called "notary fees". For a standard purchase with a mortgage, these items can quickly add up to 10 to 15% of the purchase price.​

Registration Duties in 2025: The Biggest Budget Item

Registration duties are a one-off tax levied on the purchase of an existing home or building plot. The rates depend on the region and the type of purchase:​

• Flanders
  • Sole primary residence: 2% of the purchase price
  • Other properties (second home, investment): 12%
• Brussels Capital Region
  • Standard rate: 12.5%
  • Abatement: the first €200,000 is exempt, provided you occupy the property yourself and register within the legal deadline​
• Wallonia
  • Sole primary residence: 3%
  • Other properties: 12.5%​

For most buyers, this is the largest cost within the notary fees when buying a home in 2025. For new builds or off-plan sales, no registration duties apply - instead, 21% VAT is charged on the construction portion. The land element generally remains subject to registration duties, unless specific demolition-and-rebuild schemes apply.​

The Notary's Fee: Set by Law and Degressive

The notary's fee is the remuneration for the notary's work: drafting and executing the deed, providing advice, liaising with the parties, and so on. This fee is set by law, identical for all notaries across Belgium, and calculated on a degressive scale: the higher the purchase price, the lower the percentage applied to each bracket.​

Some useful benchmarks from recent examples:

• For a property worth €200,000, the notary's fee is approximately €2,160 (excl. VAT).​
• For a property worth €250,000 to €300,000, the fee generally comes out at around €2,300 to €3,000 (VAT included).​
• As a general rule, budget around 1% of the purchase price for the notary's fee, plus 21% VAT.​

One important point: if both the buyer and the seller each engage their own notary, both notaries share the same fee. Involving two notaries therefore does not increase the cost.​

Administrative Costs: Certificates, Searches and Registrations

In addition to registration duties and the notary's fee, there are what are known as administrative costs:​

• Requests for extracts and plans
• Town planning and soil certificates
• Cadastral extracts
• Deed transcription costs
• Stamp and drafting costs

In practice, these costs amount to €650 to €1,250, depending on the complexity of the file and the number of requests. Since the reform of the notarial profession, these amounts have been capped, which has noticeably reduced the total notary fees on a purchase.​

Mortgage Deed Costs: Credit Deed and Registration

If you take out a mortgage, a credit deed is drawn up alongside the purchase deed. Notary fees apply here too:​

• Registration duty on the mortgage registration (in practice 1% of the amount borrowed, plus fixed duties)​
• Notary's fee for the credit deed (degressive scale, often 0.3 to 0.5% of the loan, plus VAT)​
• Administrative costs (mortgage registration, extracts, file costs), typically €700 to €1,200​

For a mortgage of €250,000, you should roughly budget €2,500 to €3,000 in additional notary fees linked to the credit deed.​

Worked Example: A Property Worth €300,000 in Flanders

Suppose you buy an existing property in Flanders in 2025 for €300,000 as your sole primary residence, with a mortgage of €270,000.

1. Registration duties
   • 2% of €300,000 = €6,000​
2. Notary's fee for the purchase deed
   • Rough estimate of 1% of €300,000 = €3,000 (VAT included); the degressive scale may bring this down slightly - budget approx. €2,700-€3,000​
3. Administrative costs for the purchase deed
   • File and certificates: approx. €750-€1,000​
4. Mortgage deed costs for a loan of €270,000
   • Mortgage registration (1%): approx. €2,700​
   • Notary's fee for the credit deed: roughly €900-€1,200 (VAT included)​
   • Administrative costs for the credit deed: €700-€1,000​

Estimated total additional costs (excluding any valuation and bank file fees):

• Registration duties: approx. €6,000
• Notary's fee (purchase): approx. €2,800
• Administrative costs (purchase): approx. €900
• Mortgage-related notary costs: approx. €4,300

Total: approximately €14,000 on top of the purchase price.

That is nearly 5% on top of the €300,000, excluding other costs such as a property valuation, bank file fees, home insurance and mortgage protection insurance. Hence the rule of thumb often quoted: total acquisition costs can quickly reach 10 to 15% of the purchase price.​

Regional Differences and Common Misconceptions

A few points that frequently cause confusion in 2025:

• The 2% rate in Flanders applies only to the sole primary residence. For investment properties or second homes, the rate is 12%.​
• In Wallonia, the rate is 3% for a sole primary residence and 12.5% for all other properties. Brussels applies a standard rate of 12.5%, but with a generous abatement on the first €200,000, provided you occupy the property personally.​
• The term "notary fees" implies that the whole amount goes to the notary, whereas in reality more than three quarters goes to the government in the form of taxes and registration charges.​
• Having two notaries - one for the buyer and one for the seller - does not mean double fees: the honorarium is shared between both.​

How to Plan Your Notary Fees Smartly

Although the rates are set by law, you can still optimise your financial planning around notary fees when buying a home in 2025.

1. Simulate all costs in advance
   Use simulators such as those offered by notaris.be, banks or specialist websites to get an accurate estimate.​
2. Factor in mortgage costs
   Do not focus solely on the purchase deed - consider the credit deed too. The costs linked to your mortgage (registration, fee, administration) can add up to several thousand euros.​
3. Calculate your maximum budget including all costs
   Do not work from the purchase price alone - work from your total budget (own funds plus mortgage). Use the loan simulator to see how much room there is for the price plus costs.
4. Use a free valuation for realistic purchase planning
   If you are selling your current property first, a free valuation is the best starting point for knowing how much equity you will have available - and therefore what notary fees you can comfortably absorb.
5. Compare estate agents and notaries in terms of service
   Notary fees are fixed by law, but the approach and quality of service vary. Through comparing estate agents you can find local experts who can refer you to notaries with extensive experience in your type of transaction (new build, inheritance, investment).

Conclusion: Notary Fees Are Predictable, Once You Know the Rules

Notary fees when buying a home in Belgium in 2025 can look like a bewildering mix of percentages and rates at first glance. In essence, though, they come down to four items: registration duties or VAT, the legally fixed notary's fee, administrative costs and any mortgage-related costs. Together they form a budget line that is well worth planning for well in advance.

With an accurate simulation, a solid grasp of regional differences and a well-considered choice of mortgage, you can avoid nasty surprises at the moment of signing. Get guidance from an experienced estate agent and notary, use a loan simulator to assess your total budget, and make your next purchase a financially well-thought-out move.

That way, notary fees become not an unpleasant shock, but a perfectly calculated part of your property plan.