When are notaire fees due for French buyers?

The keys to a flat in Nice may be waiting on the notaire’s desk, but they cannot be released until the money has arrived and cleared. That is why clients often ask, when are notaire fees due? The short answer is: before the final signature, not afterwards. In practice, your notaire will issue a formal request for funds ahead of completion, usually giving enough time for your bank and any currency provider to make the transfer securely.

For buyers coming from the UK, Scandinavia or elsewhere, the timing matters as much as the amount. A delayed international payment can postpone a signing, even when every document is ready.

Notaire fees are due before you sign the acte authentique, the final deed of sale. The notaire normally asks the buyer to transfer the purchase price, the estimated acquisition costs and any other sums due into the notaire’s client account several days before completion.

There is no single statutory number of days that applies to every sale. Your notaire’s funding call sets the deadline. As a working rule, expect to receive it around one to two weeks before signing and aim to have cleared funds in place at least a few working days before the appointment. If money is coming from outside the eurozone, allowing longer is sensible.

At the signing, the notaire confirms that the funds are available, registers the transfer and arranges payment to the seller. Only then can the keys change hands. The buyer does not usually hand over a cheque for notaire fees in the meeting itself.

The phrase “notaire fees” is widely used, but it can be misleading. Most of the sum is not the notaire’s personal fee. It is made up principally of transfer taxes paid to the state and local authorities, together with registration charges, payments to obtain official documents and a regulated element of notarial remuneration.

The funding call will normally show one total rather than asking you to make several separate payments. For a resale property, it generally includes the agreed purchase price and the estimated frais d’acquisition, which are often called frais de notaire. It may also include the notaire’s estimate for mortgage security costs if you are borrowing from a French bank.

For an existing home, buyers often budget around 7 to 8 per cent of the purchase price for acquisition costs, though the correct figure depends on the property, the department, the structure of the sale and current tax rules. For a new-build property subject to VAT, the acquisition costs are normally lower, often around 2 to 3 per cent. A new home can, however, have other costs or payment stages that need separate attention.

The final calculation is made after completion. If the notaire has collected slightly too much to cover taxes and disbursements, the balance is refunded to the buyer once the file has been reconciled. This can take a little time. If the estimate proves insufficient, the notaire may request a modest additional payment.

Your completion statement should also identify any adjustments agreed between buyer and seller. In Nice, these can include a prorated share of taxe foncière and, for a flat, adjustments to condominium charges. They are not notaire fees, but they can appear in the amount required before signing.

The deposit follows a different timetable. Once the compromis de vente or promesse de vente has been signed, the buyer usually pays a deposit of around 5 to 10 per cent of the price into the notaire’s client account or another approved escrow arrangement. The precise timing is stated in the preliminary contract, commonly within a few days of signature.

That deposit is then credited against the price due at completion. It is not an extra charge on top of the purchase price. If the contract is conditional on obtaining a mortgage and that condition is not met properly, the deposit is usually returned. The wording of the contract and the deadlines are important, particularly where a buyer is arranging finance from abroad.

A deposit can be lower, or occasionally not required, if the parties agree. It is not a point to treat casually. A well-drafted preliminary contract protects both sides and makes clear what happens if a condition is not satisfied or a party withdraws without a contractual reason.

Once the acte authentique date is approaching, ask for the notaire’s request for funds as soon as it is available. Check the recipient name, IBAN, reference and total carefully, then follow the notaire’s instructions rather than relying on bank details sent in an unverified email. Property transactions are a target for payment fraud.

International buyers should also speak to their bank early. A large transfer may trigger anti-money-laundering checks, daily payment limits or a request for evidence of the source of funds. A sale statement from your previous property, savings records, investment statements or inheritance documents may be needed. This is routine due diligence, not a sign that there is a problem.

If you are converting sterling, Swedish kronor, Norwegian kroner or Danish kroner into euros, the exchange rate is another practical consideration. The euro sum requested by the notaire is fixed, but the amount it costs in your home currency can move before you buy it. Leaving the conversion to the final day gives you less control and less room to deal with a banking query.

It is also worth keeping a modest euro buffer. The completion statement may change slightly if a final adjustment is made for charges, taxes or loan costs. Your notaire will explain whether an additional transfer is needed.

In the usual French resale transaction, the buyer pays the acquisition costs and the seller receives the agreed sale price after deductions that are the seller’s responsibility. Estate agency fees depend on the terms of the mandate and the advertised price. They may be payable by the seller or stated as payable by the buyer.

This distinction is worth checking early, not merely because it affects your budget. Where agency fees are separately and properly identified as buyer-paid, they may not form part of the taxable property price for transfer-duty purposes. The contractual presentation must be correct from the start. The notaire can confirm how the figures apply to your purchase.

Sellers should not assume that the buyer’s notaire fees reduce their proceeds. The seller may instead have costs such as an existing mortgage discharge, capital gains tax where applicable, diagnostic reports, condominium documents or agreed works. Before a property is marketed, a clear net-proceeds estimate helps avoid surprises later.

A purchase with a French mortgage needs close coordination. The lender must release its funds in time for the notaire, and the notaire may need the bank’s final offer, insurance confirmation and security documents before setting a firm signing date. Your own contribution, including the acquisition costs in most cases, still needs to arrive under the notaire’s instructions.

For an off-plan purchase, known in France as a VEFA sale, payments are made in stages as construction reaches defined milestones. Notaire fees are generally paid at the first notarised signing, while the purchase price is paid progressively thereafter. This is very different from buying a completed pied-à-terre in the Carré d’Or or a villa above Villefranche-sur-Mer.

A sale involving a power of attorney is also common for overseas buyers. It does not change when the funds are due. It simply allows a trusted representative to sign if you cannot be in France. The notaire will need the power prepared and accepted well in advance.

Finally, do not confuse signing the preliminary contract with completion. Between the two, the notaire carries out legal searches, checks planning and pre-emption rights where relevant, and prepares the deed. This period is often around two to three months for a straightforward resale, although finance, probate, a chain of sales or an administrative issue can extend it.

Ask when the exact request for funds will be issued, whether the amount includes all known adjustments, and how many cleared working days are required before completion. If you are borrowing, also ask whether the bank’s funds have been formally scheduled.

For a buyer who is transferring money internationally, one further question is valuable: what proof of source of funds should be supplied, and when? Providing it early can prevent an avoidable pause just before the signing.

Buying on the Côte d’Azur should leave room for the enjoyable parts too: a first coffee near the Cours Saleya, a walk through ochre lanes and baroque squares, or planning how you will use a terrace in the evening. Put the money timetable in place early, and the final appointment at the notaire can be the calm, satisfying end of the purchase it ought to be.