Buying a house in France: the notaire arranges almost everything — these are the three differences

Yes, as a Dutch citizen you buy a house in France without restriction. Of all destinations it works most like what you're used to. The notaire (the French notary) collects the taxes and registers the transfer, and you walk out as owner.

Three things to know beforehand:

• The costs. The "frais de notaire" on an existing home are mostly tax: the transfer duties alone run up to 5.81% of the price, plus 0.10% for the property register. Since 1 April 2025 departments may add another half a point.
• The cooling-off. After the preliminary contract you as buyer have ten calendar days of statutory cooling-off, without reason and without penalty. That is a right, but those ten days are gone in no time.
• The yearly tax. After that the taxe foncière comes every year, the French tax for owners of property.

In your first year you don't buy. You rent, you get to know the area, and only then do you decide — why that order is fixed. This article is for the moment you are that far.

Who handles the purchase?

In Spain you still have to go round three counters yourself after the deed. In France the notaire is the whole process:

• At the deed they receive the transfer duties that Impots.gouv (the French tax authority) lists, and pay them over.
• They take care of the publicité foncière, the registration of your ownership in the property register.

Deed signed at the notaire therefore means: tax paid, ownership registered, done. No separate forms, no deadlines of your own to watch.

What does buying a house in France cost on top of the price?

The name misleads. The vast majority of the "frais de notaire" (notary costs) isn't a fee for the notary, but tax they collect. Impots.gouv lists the droits de mutation, the transfer duties, on an existing property like this:

Item for an existing property	Rate
departmental duty	1.20 to 4.50% of the price; 4.50% is the rule
municipal surcharge	1.20% of the price
collection costs for the state	2.37% of the departmental duty
together, at most	5.81% of the price
contribution de sécurité immobilière	0.10% of the price
increase departments may choose since 1 April 2025	+0.5 point, up to 5% departmental, until 30 April 2028
cooling-off after compromis or promesse	10 calendar days
new-build: exemption from taxe foncière	2 years, provided completion is reported within 90 days

On top come the notary's tariff and the advances for requests to registers. For new-build you instead pay mainly VAT in the price, with reduced registration duties. Ask your notaire for a cost estimate before the compromis.