What is decided before the deed
In Paris, the notaire authenticates the deed, guarantees its regularity and advises both parties with impartiality. What determines your cost and your risk is decided before the deed: the acquisition structure, the negotiation of the preliminary contract, non-resident taxation, the IFI, cross-border succession. The notaire authenticates the deed for both parties. The buyer-side lawyer defends, upstream, the sole interests of the buyer.
The real cost of an acquisition in Paris
Estimate the all-in envelope beyond the headline price.
excluding advisory fees, depending on the engagement
Degressive scale of notary fees
Notary fees calculated in degressive brackets, 20 % VAT included, after a 20 % reduction on the portion above 100,000 € (article A444-174 of the Commercial Code).
IFI, real estate wealth tax
If your net real estate wealth exceeds 1,300,000 € on 1 January (net of borrowings), the IFI applies, with taxation running from 800,000 € in progressive brackets. The non-resident is taxable on French real estate assets only (article 964 of the General Tax Code). This estimate covers acquisition costs, not the IFI, which depends on your net wealth.
Indicative order of magnitude, 2026 scale, non-contractual. Acquisition costs depend on the property type and the department. The notaire establishes the exact statement. Holding and resale taxation is confirmed with the tax adviser.
Excluding advisory fees, depending on the engagement.
Cost and tax summary
Transfer duties, existing property
On existing property, transfer duties in Paris represent 6.3185 % of the price.
New build and VEFA
On new build and VEFA, the land publicity tax applies at 0.715 % of the price.
Notary fees
Notary fees are calculated in degressive brackets : 3.87 % up to 6,500 €, 1.596 % from 6,500 € to 17,000 €, 1.064 % from 17,000 € to 60,000 €, and 0.799 % above. VAT of 20 % is added, and a reduction of 20 % applies to the portion of the fees calculated above 100,000 €.
Disbursements and formalities
The property security contribution represents 0.10 % of the price, to which a fixed disbursement of 1,300 € is added.
IFI, real estate wealth tax
The IFI applies from 1,300,000 € of net real estate wealth on 1 January, with taxation running from 800,000 € in progressive brackets. The non-resident is taxable on French real estate assets only.
Resale capital gain, non-resident
On resale, the capital gain of the non-resident bears income tax of 19 % and social levies of 17.2 %, reduced to the solidarity levy of 7.5 % for a seller covered by a social security scheme of the European Union, the EEA or Switzerland. A surtax of 2 to 6 % applies above 50,000 € of net capital gain. Allowances for holding period lead to income tax exemption at 22 years and social levies exemption at 30 years.
Five zones where a decision engages cost and risk
The preliminary contract binds before the deed
The compromis or the promesse sets the price, the conditions precedent and the deadlines. Once signed, the room to manoeuvre narrows sharply. The review happens before that signature.
The acquisition structure is decided upstream
Own name, SCI, usufruct split. The choice engages governance, transmission and IFI exposure. It is set before the offer, with the tax adviser.
The IFI applies above a threshold
Net taxable real estate wealth above the threshold triggers an annual tax, calculated on the value net of borrowing, including for the non-resident on French assets. To be built into the holding envelope, not only the acquisition cost.
Tax status changes the resale
For the non-resident, a future sale triggers taxation of the capital gain, levies and, above a gain threshold, a surtax, with allowances for the holding period. The acquisition structure directly affects resale taxation.
Cross-border succession is anticipated before the purchase
For the buyer whose wealth spans several countries, the law applicable to the succession and the holding structure are framed upstream.
What PSL Avocat does, on the buyer side
Preliminary contract and conditions
Review and negotiation of the compromis or the promesse, conditions precedent, deposit, clauses, deadlines and remedies.
Acquisition structure
Own name, SCI, usufruct split. Legal comparison, tax and IFI dimension handled with the tax adviser, integrated before signing.
Non-resident taxation and coordination
Reporting obligations, resale capital gain, IFI, in coordination with the tax adviser and the notaire.
Cross-border coordination France Spain
A single point of contact on the buyer side between Paris and Barcelona. Notaire, agent, seller's counsel, tax adviser, broker.
Areas of focus
Paris, centre and west
For whom
International buyers, often American, from the Middle East and Gulf, Italian or internationally francophone, who acquire in central Paris, from the Marais to Saint-Germain, from the 1st, 4th, 6th and 7th to the Ile Saint-Louis and the 16th.
Fifteen years structuring complex operations for international organisations and multinational groups.
Frequently asked questions
Why a buyer-side lawyer if the notaire already secures the sale ?
The notaire authenticates the deed and protects the regularity of the sale for both parties. The buyer-side lawyer steps in upstream, on the negotiation of the preliminary contract, the acquisition structure, non-resident taxation and the IFI, where the decisions engage cost and risk before the deed.
From what amount do you act ?
The practice focuses on premium acquisitions, as an order of magnitude from one million euros, in Paris, in Barcelona and on the Catalan coast.
Do you work in English and Italian directly ?
Yes. The transaction is handled directly in French, English, Spanish and Italian, from the first exchange to signing.
Should one buy in own name or through an SCI ?
Each structure has different effects on governance, transmission and IFI exposure. The choice is set against the project and the tax dimension, handled with the tax adviser, before the offer.
Does the non-resident pay more in acquisition costs ?
No. Acquisition costs, transfer duties and notary fees, are identical regardless of residence status. Status changes reporting obligations, resale taxation and IFI exposure.
Do you also act in Barcelona ?
Yes. The same practice covers Paris and Barcelona, with admission to both Bars.
I do not live in France. How does the property wealth tax apply to my Paris apartment?
A non-resident is liable to the French property wealth tax (impôt sur la fortune immobilière) on French real estate assets alone, held directly or through companies. Liability is assessed on 1 January, once net taxable value exceeds 1,300,000 euros, for residents and non-residents alike. Debts relating to those assets are deductible, subject to anti-abuse rules: notional amortisation of bullet loans, exclusion of certain family loans, and a cap on debts for larger estates. The tax is declared with the annual income tax return.
Direct ownership or a French property company for a Paris purchase?
A French property company (société civile immobilière) leaves the property wealth tax in place: the shares are taxed up to the fraction of their value representing French real estate. Debts owed by the company to the shareholder or to family members are set aside from the valuation in several situations. Financing, the transfer of shares, the position of a non-resident shareholder and the applicable tax treaty complete the analysis. The decision is taken case by case, together with your tax advisers.
Can I choose the law of my own country for my Paris apartment, and what happens to French forced heirship?
Regulation (EU) 650/2012 allows a person to designate by will the law of their nationality to govern the estate, including the Paris property. Where French law governs the succession, forced heirship (réserve héréditaire) reserves a share for the children. Article 913 of the Civil Code further opens to the children a compensatory levy on assets located in France where the applicable foreign law allows no protective reserved-share mechanism, and where the deceased or one of the children is a national of a Union Member State or habitually resides there.
To discuss a specific acquisition in Paris, in the Marais, in Saint-Germain, in the 1st, 4th, 6th, 7th, on the Ile Saint-Louis or in the 16th : discuss your acquisition. First exchange in French, English, Spanish or Italian. No commitment.
Updated 28 July 2026