Notary Fees

Notary costs (fees and expenses) are governed by the German Act on Court Fees and Notary Fees (Gerichts- und Notarkostengesetz - GNotKG).

In accordance with Sec. 17 para. 1 sent. 1 of the Federal Regulation on Notaries (Bundesnotarordnung - BNotO), German notaries are obliged to charge the legally prescribed fees for their services. They are not allowed to charge more or less notary fees than the statutory fees and expenses.

The amount of the notary fees depends on the importance and commercial value of the notarial matter (Geschäftswert). For each matter, the German Act on Court Fees and Notary Fees provides for a certain fee rate (Gebührensatz). Starting from the respective fee rate, the actual fee is calculated according to the fee scale depending on the value of the matter. The notarization fee includes comprehensive advice from the notary, drafting (regardless of the complexity and effort) as well as notarization in the narrower sense.

In areas where rigid fee rates can lead to disproportionate fees, especially in the remuneration of the notary's drafting and advisory activities, sliding-scale fees (Rahmengebühren) provide the necessary flexibility.

In each individual case, the notary is strictly and exclusively bound by the provisions of the German Act on Court Fees and Notary Fees when calculating notary fees. Therefore, the same notarial activity should lead to identical notary fees, no matter where the notarial services are rendered in Germany!

In case of ambiguities or differences with regard to a notary’s cost calculation that cannot be sorted out in a conversation with the notary, the debtor may initiate legal proceedings to examine the cost calculation.

We will be happy to prepare a cost estimate in advance for your notarial matter.

The amount of the notary fees can be determined with the help of a fee calculator created by the Federal Chamber of Notaries (Bundesnotarkammer). We assume no liability for the correctness of the calculations.