How are notary fees calculated in Switzerland?

• What exactly do “notary fees” cover in Switzerland?
• Notary fees: calculation and factors that change the bill
• Concrete examples by canton: Vaud, Geneva, Zurich, Bern
• Visual comparison of notary fees by canton
• Which cantons calculate “in the same way”?
• How to reduce your notary fees (without nasty surprises)

What exactly do notary fees cover in Switzerland?

In practice, many households use the term “notary fees” to refer to everything paid at signing: the deed of sale, formalities, registration in the land registry, sometimes transfer taxes, etc. However, even institutional stakeholders point out that this wording can be misleading, because not everything corresponds to the notary’s remuneration.

What you pay the notary (in the strict sense)

Depending on the canton, the “notary” invoice in the strict sense generally includes:

• Fees / honoraria linked to the deed of sale (drafting, authentication, checks, coordination).
• VAT on the “notarial service” portion when it is subject to VAT (common in many cantons).
• Disbursements (copies, extracts, administrative fees, mailings): often modest, but real.

What I do not include here (but what you will often see in other calculators/articles):

• Transfer duties / transfer tax (when it exists).
• Land registry fees for the land registry (registration of the change of owner).
  These items often appear in “general public” explanations of acquisition costs.

Notary fees: calculation and factors that change the bill

In the field, the calculation of notary fees almost always follows the logic “transaction value → tariff”, but the form of the tariff varies:

• Simple / highly standardised percentage (often in cantons with state notaries or very tightly regulated for certain deeds).
• Sliding (degressive) tariff by brackets (the higher the price, the lower the average percentage).
• Regulated tariff (ranges) adjusted for effort, risk and complexity.

Practical method for “how to calculate notary fees”

To obtain a usable estimate, proceed as follows:

1. Set the base : purchase price (or the decisive value used by the canton if it differs).
2. Identify the nature of the deed : purchase (deed of sale) vs mortgage note (often billed separately).
3. Apply the cantonal tariff (fixed percentage, degressive brackets, or grid/range).
4. Add VAT if the notarial service is subject to it.
5. Add disbursements (small line items) if you want a realistic estimate.

Methodological note (important): this chart represents notary fees only (in the strict sense), not the full acquisition costs.

The parameters that really change the amount

Even with the same purchase price, your notary fees can vary depending on:

• The legal complexity (condominium ownership, easements, pre-emption rights, conditions precedent, split ownership, etc.).
• The number of stakeholders (banks, co-ownerships, estates).
• Whether, in addition to the deed of sale, there is a deed related to the financing (e.g. a mortgage note), which often generates additional (but separate) fees.

Concrete examples by canton: Vaud, Geneva, Zurich, Bern

Below, I take 4 cantons and explain their calculation logic, then I provide numerical examples. The goal is to help you understand how notary fees are calculated, not just to read a total.

Important note: the rates/orders of magnitude below refer to the deed of sale and to notary fees in the strict sense (excluding the land registry and transfer duties).

Cantons with a simple or highly standardised percentage: Zurich (ZH)

In Zurich, the logic for the deed of sale is particularly straightforward: the Beurkundung (authentication) is billed on a proportional basis (often expressed in ‰). Public-facing sources and cantonal explanations typically mention 1 ‰ (0.1%) for the authentication of the contract (VAT extra), while the land registry has its own separate line item.
It is also worth noting that there has been no Handänderungssteuer (transfer tax) in the canton for years, which helps explain why “ancillary costs” often look lower there for the same overall budget.

Example (Zurich, purchase CHF 1’000’000)

• Notary fees (authentication): 0.10% × 1’000’000 = CHF 1’000
• VAT 7.7% (on CHF 1’000): CHF 77
• Estimated “notary” total (excluding disbursements): CHF 1’077

Cantons with a degressive tariff (often expressed as a %): Geneva (GE) and Vaud (VD)

In Geneva, official sources remind readers that the “fees” component follows a degressive logic: the more expensive the property, the lower the average percentage. As an indication, it is mentioned that a purchase deed is around 0.5% for an object between roughly CHF 800’000 and CHF 1’000’000 (order of magnitude).

In the canton of Vaud, French-speaking public sources often cite notary remuneration in the region of 0.5% to 0.7% (variable depending on the file), clearly distinguishing these fees from other costs (transfer duties, land registry).

Example (Geneva, purchase CHF 1’000’000 – order of magnitude)

• Notary fees (deed): 0.50% × 1’000’000 = CHF 5’000
• VAT (if applicable to the notarial service): 7.7% × 5’000 = CHF 385
• Estimated “notary” total (excluding disbursements): CHF 5’385

Example (Vaud, purchase CHF 1’000’000 – median scenario)

• Notary fees (deed): 0.60% × 1’000’000 = CHF 6’000
• VAT (if applicable): 7.7% × 6’000 = CHF 462
• Estimated “notary” total (excluding disbursements): CHF 6’462

These examples are consistent with the idea that the “notary” portion (in the strict sense) often remains below 1% of the price in the vast majority of cases, even if the total amount “at the notary” (including land registry + taxes) can be much higher depending on the canton.

Canton with a regulated and adjustable tariff: Bern (BE)

In Bern, the fees are set by a legal/tariff framework (cantonal ordinance), with a logic that can be less “one single percentage” and more “grid/range”. Public-facing estimates give, for a property at CHF 1’000’000, an order of magnitude around 0.35% to 0.56% in notary fees (in the strict sense).

Example (Bern, purchase CHF 1’000’000 – median scenario)

• Notary fees (deed): 0.45% × 1’000’000 = CHF 4’500
• VAT (if applicable): 7.7% × 4’500 = CHF 347
• Estimated “notary” total (excluding disbursements): CHF 4’847

Visual comparison of notary fees by canton

Methodological note (important): this chart represents notary fees only (in the strict sense), not the full acquisition costs.

Which cantons calculate “in the same way”?

Without claiming an exhaustive legal classification, you can keep in mind the pragmatic, operational reading below:

1. Highly standardised calculation (clear percentage) : cantons where the deed looks like a straightforward proportion (e.g. Zurich, often cited at 0.1% for contract authentication).
2. Degressive tariff (often summarised as a %) : cantons where people readily talk about a percentage range for the deed (e.g. Geneva with examples of degressive average rates; Vaud often presented with notary remuneration ~0.5–0.7% depending on the file).
3. Regulated tariff with adjustment : cantons where the law sets a framework and the result depends more on how the file is classified within the grid (e.g. Bern via a cantonal ordinance).

How to reduce your notary fees (without nasty surprises)

You won’t be able to “optimise” notary fees like a mortgage rate, but you can avoid unnecessary extra costs:

• Clarify what is included in the quote: “notary in the strict sense” vs land registry vs taxes.
• Gather the information (civil status, financing, land-registry extract, condominium documents) to avoid back-and-forth and additional services.
• In cantons where competition plays a bigger role, compare (like for like) and ask for a detailed quote. In other cantons, the room for manoeuvre is more limited because the tariff is tightly regulated.