French notary fees on a garage or parking space: when small prices cost a lot
On a small price, the fixed items make the bill.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy
Buying a parking space, a garage or a cellar in France follows the same rules as a flat: the département’s transfer tax, the notary’s emoluments, the flat formalities fee, the land registry contribution and disbursements. But on a price of a few thousand or a few tens of thousands of euros, the fixed items change everything. Emoluments are subject to a €90 minimum excluding VAT and capped at 10 % of the property’s value; the formalities fee, €339.58 excluding VAT, and the disbursements do not fall with the price. For a €20,000 space in Paris, fees reach €2,732, 13.7 % of the price, against under 8% for a flat. Buying the parking space in the same deed as the home avoids paying the fixed items twice.
Estimated notary fees · Paris
€2,732
13.66 % of the price · Overall transfer tax rate 6.319 %
| Transfer tax · 5.00 %, rate raised to 5% (2025-2028 increase) | €1,264 |
| Notary emoluments (incl. VAT) | €541 |
| Formalities (incl. VAT) | €408 |
| Land registry contribution (CSI) · 0.10 % | €20 |
| Disbursements | €500 |
| Total | €2,732 |
First-time buyer: €102 less transfer tax.
The share of fees by price
| Price | Transfer tax | Emoluments and formalities incl. VAT | Total | Share of price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €3,000 | €190 | €547 | €1,251 | 41.7 % |
| €8,000 | €505 | €738 | €1,759 | 22.0 % |
| €15,000 | €948 | €872 | €2,335 | 15.6 % |
| €25,000 | €1,580 | €1,013 | €3,117 | 12.5 % |
| €40,000 | €2,527 | €1,204 | €4,272 | 10.7 % |
Minimum and cap: how they work
The proportional scale would give barely more than €100 excluding VAT of emoluments for a €3,000 garage. The 10 % cap limits them to €300 excluding VAT, which changes nothing here, and the €90 minimum is not reached. For a cellar sold for €600, though, the scale would give €23 and the cap €60 excluding VAT, below the €90 minimum. Notaires de France presents the cap as the protection for low-value sales: the calculator applies it in this case and shows it on the emoluments line. For a sale this small, ask the notary to confirm the amount.
Cutting the bill
The most effective lever is bundling: a parking space bought with the flat, two lots bought together, a cellar included in the main sale. Disbursements can also be kept down on a small file: a co-ownership lot whose managing agent supplies documents quickly costs less to document. Finally, the département’s rate applies as for a home: the same space costs slightly less tax in a département still at 4.50%.