What is the notary fee for a purchase in Wallonia?

The “notary fee” (frais de notaire) is not one figure but a bundle: the notary’s honoraria, set by a legally fixed degressive national scale, plus the registration duties, plus disbursements such as searches and mortgage registration. The honoraria are identical for every notary in Belgium and are not negotiable. Source: Notaire.be.

Buyers often ask for “the notary fee” as if it were a single number, but in Belgium it is a composite, and understanding the parts is more useful than any invented total. The three components are distinct.

First, the notary’s honoraria. These are set by a legally fixed, degressive scale (barème) that is the same for every notary in the country, so you cannot shop around for a cheaper one and there is nothing to negotiate. Degressive means the percentage falls as the price rises. Second, the registration duties, the property-purchase tax collected through the deed: 3% for an own and sole home in Wallonia since 1 January 2025, or 12.5% for other purchases. Source: Lydian 2025. Third, the disbursements: the real costs the notary advances on your behalf, such as legal searches, obtaining the certificates and registering any mortgage.

The counter-intuitive shift for 2025 onward: the 3% reform changed the shape of the bill. Under the old 12.5% regime the registration duties dominated the total; now, for an owner-occupier, that tax slice is much smaller, and the honoraria and disbursements weigh relatively more. Source: Notaire.be. The overall bill for an own home is therefore lower than it once was, though it still depends on the price.

Because the honoraria scale is national and the duty rate is regional, the same price attracts a different total in Flanders (own home 2%) or Brussels (12.5% with allowance) than in Wallonia.

At a glance