Buying on the French Riviera means budgeting for more than the asking price. The costs known in France as frais de notaire achat immobilier are added on top of the purchase price and are paid by the buyer on the day of signature. Most of that money is not the notary’s pay, it is tax collected on behalf of the State and the department.
Understanding how these acquisition costs are built, and how they differ between an existing apartment and an off plan purchase, is one of the simplest ways to avoid a surprise at completion. This guide breaks down each component, gives worked figures and shows where to run an official estimate. Updated 2026.
Frais de Notaire Achat Immobilier – 2026 Buyer Guide
Reading time: ~10 min
- What the Term Frais de Notaire Actually Covers
- How Much Are Notary Fees in France in 2026
- The Four Building Blocks of Your Acquisition Costs
- Existing Property, New Build and VEFA
- Did French Notary Fees Increase in 2025 and 2026
- Can a First-Time Buyer Pay Less
- Worked Examples on a 250,000 Euro Purchase
- Who Pays, and What Is Not Included
- The Calculation Base and the Question of Furniture
- How to Estimate Your Costs Online
- Planning Your Riviera Purchase With Confidence
- Frequently Asked Questions
What the Term Frais de Notaire Actually Covers
The French expression frais de notaire is misleading when translated literally as notary fees. In reality it designates the full package of frais d’acquisition, the acquisition costs attached to the transfer of ownership. These costs group together several elements: the droits de mutation à titre onéreux, which are the transfer taxes and droits d’enregistrement paid to the department and the State, the taxe de publicité foncière linked to land registration, the émoluments réglementés which form the notary’s regulated remuneration, the débours advanced by the notary for administrative formalities, and the contribution de sécurité immobilière due for the publication of the deed.
The notary collects the whole sum, then redistributes it. Only a minority share stays with the office. For a buyer coming from the United States, the closest mental model is a combination of transfer tax, recording fees and title work, bundled into one payment made at the signature of the acte authentique.
The notary is a public officer, not a party representative, and their role is the sécurisation juridique de la transaction, verifying title, servitudes, planning constraints, co-ownership documents and mandatory diagnostics before ownership changes hands.
How Much Are Notary Fees in France in 2026
Typical notary fee percentages in 2026
The broad orders of magnitude used by French professionals in 2026 are around 7 to 8.5 percent of the price for a logement ancien, and around 2 to 3 percent for a qualifying logement neuf, including a purchase in vente en l’état futur d’achèvement. The gap comes almost entirely from taxation, since the taxe de publicité foncière applicable to new build sales under the régime de TVA immobilière is far lower, commonly presented at around 0.715 percent.
| Criterion | Existing property (ancien) | New build or VEFA |
|---|---|---|
| Typical total acquisition costs | About 7 to 8.5 percent of the price | About 2 to 3 percent of the price |
| Main tax component | Droits de mutation à titre onéreux | Reduced taxe de publicité foncière, sale subject to VAT |
| Variation by department | Significant, departmental rate applies | Limited |
| Indicative amount on a 250,000 euro purchase | Around 18,600 to 19,900 euros depending on the rate applied | Around 5,510 euros, roughly 2.2 percent |
These percentages are indicative ranges published by French property and simulation sources, not fixed rates. The final figure depends on the department, the legal regime of the sale and the specific formalities in the file. On a higher value purchase between Nice and Monaco, the percentage tends to move slightly downward because the barème progressif des émoluments reduces the relative weight of the notary’s remuneration as the price rises, even though the absolute amount increases.
The Four Building Blocks of Your Acquisition Costs
1. Transfer tax
The first and largest block is the transfer tax. In an existing property sale, the droits de mutation represent the bulk of the total. They are calculated on the declared price and paid over to the department and the State by the notary.
2. Regulated emoluments
The second block is the émoluments réglementés. These follow a national scale set by regulation, applied in successive brackets, so the rate falls as the price climbs through each tier. Because the scale is regulated, this element does not vary from one notary’s office to another for the same transaction.
3. Disbursements (débours)
The third block covers the débours. These are sums the notary advances to obtain documents and complete formalités administratives notariales, for example land registry extracts, town hall planning certificates, co-ownership statements or surveyor input. They vary with the complexity of the file, which is why they cannot be reduced to a clean percentage.
4. Real estate security contribution
The fourth block is the contribution de sécurité immobilière, due for the registration and publication of the transfer. Professional calculators present it separately from both the transfer tax and the notary’s emoluments.
Good to know
The ventilation des frais d’acquisition appears in the settlement statement prepared by the notary. You may ask for that breakdown before signature so you can see exactly what is tax, what is regulated remuneration and what is disbursement.
Existing Property, New Build and VEFA
The distinction between ancien and neuf is a tax distinction, not a marketing one. A property advertised as new, recently renovated or never occupied does not automatically fall under the reduced regime. What matters is whether the sale is subject to the régime de TVA immobilière, which is typically the case for a VEFA purchase from a developer or a first sale within five years of completion. If it is, the land registration tax is charged at the reduced rate and your total acquisition costs drop substantially. If it is not, the standard droits de mutation apply.
On the Riviera, this question comes up regularly with new residences in Nice, Villefranche or Beaulieu sold off plan alongside resale apartments in the same neighbourhood. Two units at a similar price can carry very different closing costs. We always ask the notary to confirm the applicable regime in writing before a client commits, because the difference on a seven figure purchase is material.
Did French Notary Fees Increase in 2025 and 2026
Yes, in most of the country. The loi de finances pour 2025 authorised departments to raise their share of the droits de mutation from 4.50 percent to 5 percent, for deeds signed between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2028, where a délibération départementale provides for it. This taux majoré temporaire is therefore neither automatic nor permanent.
According to data published in 2026, the large majority of departments had adopted the increased rate, while a limited number kept the 4.5 percent taux départemental. A few territories retained a lower rate, with published sources citing Indre and Mayotte at 3.8 percent. The practical consequence is simple. There is no single national percentage for notary fees in France, and the rate that applies to you depends on where the property is located and on the date the acte authentique is signed.
Important
If your signature date is close to a rate change or to the end of the temporary period in March 2028, ask the notary which rate will apply to your deed, since the applicable rate is determined at signature, not at the offer stage.
Can a First-Time Buyer Pay Less
French rules allow for differentiated treatment of primo-accédants in certain cases, and simulators do show a lower total for an eligible first-time buyer compared with a standard purchaser on the same price. However, no reduction should be assumed automatically. Eligibility generally depends on whether the property will be your résidence principale, whether you meet the applicable definition of primo-accédant, whether the operation satisfies the regulatory conditions, and whether the department has adopted specific rules.
For most international buyers acquiring a second home between Nice and Monaco, these conditions will not be met, and the standard rate applies. Only the notary can confirm your position.
Worked Examples on a 250,000 Euro Purchase
Published simulations give a useful sense of scale. For an existing property bought at 250,000 euros in a department applying the increased rate, the acquisition costs can reach roughly 19,900 euros, close to 7.97 percent of the price. In a department applying a lower rate, or for a buyer eligible for a reduction, the same purchase can come out nearer 18,600 euros. For a qualifying new build or VEFA acquisition at the same price, one published estimate gives around 5,510 euros, approximately 2.2 percent.
Applied proportionally, a resale apartment at 1,200,000 euros would generate acquisition costs in the region of 90,000 euros or slightly less, while an equivalent VEFA purchase would sit closer to 30,000 euros. These are orders of magnitude for budgeting purposes only. The definitive amount is calculated by the notary when the deed is prepared.
Who Pays, and What Is Not Included
Separating purchase price, fees and financing costs
In a French sale, the buyer pays the acquisition costs, and the funds are transferred to the notary’s account before signature. It is worth separating clearly the different lines of a purchase budget, because several of them are often confused with notary fees.
Here are the cost lines to keep distinct in your planning:
- The price paid to the seller, which is the sum the vendor actually receives.
- The frais d’acquisition paid to the notary, covering taxes, regulated emoluments, disbursements and the security contribution.
- The honoraires d’agence immobilière, payable by the seller or the buyer depending on the mandate, an arrangement governed by the loi Hoguet.
- The financing costs, including bank arrangement fees and frais de garantie bancaire such as a mortgage registration or a lender guarantee, which are never part of notary fees.
Agency fees deserve attention because they can affect the base de calcul des droits de mutation when the deed provides that they are borne by the buyer. This point should be checked with both the agency and the notary before the compromis is signed.
The Calculation Base and the Question of Furniture
Acquisition costs are calculated on the declared property price. Where furniture is sold with the property, the mobilier séparé du prix immobilier can, under conditions, be excluded from the taxable base. This requires a genuine, itemised and justified valuation supported by invoices or a credible inventory.
It must never be used to artificially reduce the declared property price, which exposes both parties to reassessment. For furnished Riviera apartments sold with their contents, this is a legitimate but closely documented exercise, and the notary decides what is acceptable.
How to Estimate Your Costs Online
Using the French notary fee simulators
The French administration publishes an official simulateur officiel frais de notaire on Service-Public.fr, accessible through the reference pages R54267 and R16181. It estimates acquisition costs based on the type of purchase, whether the property is existing or new, the department and the price. The Conseil Supérieur du Notariat and the Direction Générale des Finances Publiques are the authoritative references for the underlying scales and tax rates.
Before running a simulation, gather the following information so the result is meaningful:
- The purchase price excluding fees.
- The department and commune.
- The status of the property as ancien, neuf or VEFA.
- The intended use as main or second home.
- Any first-time buyer status.
- The value of any furniture included.
- Who bears the agency fees.
- The expected signature date.
A simulator result remains an estimate. The binding figure comes from the notary’s settlement statement.
Planning Your Riviera Purchase With Confidence
Bringing your Riviera budget together
Acquisition costs in France are predictable once you know three things: the tax status of the property, the departmental rate and the structure of the deal. Between an existing apartment and a qualifying off plan purchase, the difference can exceed five percent of the price, which is rarely a detail on the Riviera.
At Riviera King, we help English speaking buyers read these figures before they commit, coordinate with the notary and check that every line of the budget has been anticipated. You can find our buyer support approach on our website. This article is general information and does not constitute legal or tax advice. Your notary provides the definitive calculation applicable to your transaction.
Frequently Asked Questions
When exactly do I pay the acquisition costs?
The full amount is transferred to the notary’s account shortly before the signature of the acte authentique, together with the balance of the price. Funds must be cleared in advance, which matters for international transfers from a United States bank.
Are acquisition costs refundable if the sale falls through?
Sums held by the notary that have not yet been spent on formalities are returned. Disbursements already advanced for searches and documents may be retained. The deposit paid at the compromis stage follows separate contractual rules.
Can I add the acquisition costs to my mortgage?
French lenders traditionally expect these costs to be covered by the buyer’s own funds, although practice varies by bank and profile. This should be discussed with your broker or lender at the earliest stage of the financing plan.
Do I pay the same costs if I buy through a French company structure?
The applicable regime can differ depending on the structure used and the nature of the assets acquired. Buying property through a company raises separate tax and succession questions that should be examined with a notary before signature.
Does the notary charge extra for an English speaking client?
The regulated emoluments do not change. Additional costs may arise for a sworn interpreter at signature or for certified translations, which are treated as separate expenses in the file.