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Guide · Notary and land registry

Notary and land registry when selling a house in Zurich

Which notary office handles your house, what notarisation and the land register cost, and why the sale is only complete once you file the registration.

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With the official tariff, a worked example and all 44 notary offices · As of 15 October 2026 · Dominik Devaja

On this page
  1. What does the notary office do when you sell a house in Zurich?
  2. When does the buyer own the house: at notarisation or at registration?
  3. How does the sale work at the notary office, step by step?
  4. What information does the notary office need for the contract?
  5. What do the notary and the land register cost when selling?
  6. Who pays the fees, the buyer or the seller?
  7. Is there still a property transfer tax in the Canton of Zurich?
  8. What does the mortgage note have to do with the notary office?
  9. How do you get a land register extract, and what does it cost?
  10. To be honest
  11. Frequently asked questions

Suppose the price is agreed: 1.3 million francs for the house in Uster. The buyer asks: «Which notary shall we use?» Your brother-in-law knows a good one in Zug. Your neighbour swears by her notary in the city.

In the Canton of Zurich, this question does not arise. Exactly one notary office is responsible for each property, set by the Cantonal Council. It notarises the contract and also keeps the land register. And it charges an official tariff that you can recalculate to the franc today.

On this page you will find your notary office with address and phone number. You will see what it costs and who pays. And you will learn at which point the house is really sold. That point lies with you, not with the buyer.

Which of the 44 notary offices is responsible for your house?

Finder · 160 municipalities, 44 notary offices

Which notary office is responsible for your municipality?

The responsible office is always the one where the property is located, not where you live. In the city of Zurich and in Winterthur, the district decides.

Checked on 15.10.2026. The authoritative source is notariate-zh.ch.

All 44 notary offices and their municipalities

The role

What does the notary office do when you sell a house in Zurich?

In the Canton of Zurich, the notary office (Notariat) is a cantonal public office. It combines three offices: notary, land registry and bankruptcy office.1 Its fees go to the cantonal treasury.1

In a sale it has two tasks. First, it notarises the purchase contract. Without this public deed, a contract for the sale of land is invalid, and so is a preliminary contract.4 Second, as land registry it receives the registration and enters the new owner.7

Which office is responsible depends on where the property is located.1 The canton is divided into 44 notarial districts.2 A district usually covers several municipalities. The cities of Zurich and Winterthur are split by neighbourhood among several offices. Some municipalities belong to a city office, such as Regensdorf to Höngg or Zollikon to Riesbach.2

What this means for you: you do not need to search for a notary. You will find yours in the finder above, with its phone number.

The decisive moment

When does the buyer own the house: at notarisation or at registration?

Not at notarisation. Once you sign at the notary office, you and the buyer are bound by the contract. But you remain the owner.6

Ownership only passes once the land register application has been filed.6 The law is clear: land ownership is acquired by entry in the land register.5 The application is a written declaration by the owner.5 In the Canton of Zurich, the seller must file it, which means you.6

Notarisation and transfer can take place at the same appointment. They can also be days or weeks apart.6 Until the application is filed, you remain the owner in the land register. If the buyer finances with a new mortgage note, the bank usually releases the money only after the pledge has been registered.12

A common mistake is to think the notary office handles everything automatically after notarisation. The registration is a separate step.

What this means for you: plan the day of transfer as carefully as the notarisation. The whole path is shown in the selling process.

At the notary office

How does the sale work at the notary office, step by step?

  1. Send the details

    With the form «Vertragsangaben» you send the notary office the key data on the parties, price and dates.7 8

  2. Personal meeting

    The notary office goes through the contract with you and clarifies open points.7

  3. Finalise the draft

    You receive a draft. Only once it is finalised is the appointment set.7

  4. Notarisation

    Buyer and seller sign before the notary. From now on, both are bound.4 6

  5. Land register application

    You file the application. With it, the buyer becomes the owner. This can be the same day or later.6

  6. The buyer's mortgage note

    If the buyer finances with a new mortgage note, a pledge contract is notarised and registered. The bank receives an interim certificate and usually pays on that basis.12

  7. Pay the invoice

    Fees are due within 30 days. After a reminder, late payment costs 5 percent interest.9

What the notary office needs

What information does the notary office need for the contract?

The form «Vertragsangaben» shows what matters.8 It asks about your civil status and marital property regime. It asks whether the house is the family home and whether it is a new build, meaning less than two years old.

Then it is about money. It asks about existing mortgages and the lender. Will the mortgage be repaid, or will the buyer take it over?8 It also asks how the property gains tax will be secured.

The form also asks for the date of transfer and of handover. It wants to know whether you give a warranty for defects and whether the house is let. Then come the last inspection of the electrical installations and the insurance policies.8 Finally, you tick who pays the fees.

What this means for you: you know most answers yourself. But mortgage, tax and warranty should be settled before the meeting. Which papers to prepare is shown on the page about documents for the sale.

The costs

What do the notary and the land register cost when selling?

The tariff is official and the same for all 44 notary offices. Notarising the purchase contract costs 1 per mille of the market value of the property, at least 100 francs.9 The land register entry costs another 1 per mille, also at least 100 francs.9

VAT applies only to the notarisation. The land register fee is exempt from VAT.10 The standard rate is 8.1 percent.

The basis is the market value, usually the purchase price. If the parties state it obviously too low, the notary office sets it itself.9 A notarisation on a weekday after 6.30 pm, at the weekend or on a public holiday costs 100 francs more.9

No property transfer tax is added. The Canton of Zurich abolished it in 2005.13

What this means for you: at 1.3 million francs and an equal split, you pay around 1,350 francs as seller. The calculation follows directly below. What remains after mortgage and tax is shown by the net proceeds calculator.

Worked example

Worked example: a sale for 1,300,000 francs

Assumption: purchase price equals market value, one property, notarisation during opening hours, costs split equally under § 29 NotG. Without a mortgage note for the buyer and without expenses.

Notarisation of the contract (1 per mille)
CHF 1,300.00
VAT 8.1 percent on the notarisation
CHF 105.30
Land register entry (1 per mille, no VAT)
CHF 1,300.00
Total notary and land register
CHF 2,705.30
Your half as seller
CHF 1,352.65
Own calculation under NotGebV annex no. 1.1.1 and 2.2.1 and § 29 NotG, VAT according to the notary offices' fee calculator · estimate without guarantee

Who pays

Who pays the fees, the buyer or the seller?

The Notarial Act sets the default. For a change of ownership, both parties owe the fees in equal shares.1 In the contract you may agree otherwise.1 The form therefore offers three options: half each, all by the seller or all by the buyer.8

Towards the office, both sides are jointly and severally liable.1 So the notary office can claim the whole invoice from you, even if the buyer owes half. For the fees of a new mortgage note, the bank is liable as well.1

A different rule applies to the mortgage note itself. Its fees are owed by whoever requests the official act.1 That is usually the buyer who is financing.

If the contract does not go ahead, the person who gave the instruction is liable for fees and expenses already incurred.8

What this means for you: the split is a matter for negotiation. Put it in the contract and include your share in your net proceeds.

The fees are the smallest item. I will assess with you what reaches you after mortgage and property gains tax. In writing and free of charge.

Free assessmentFree and without obligation · Personal reply from Dominik Devaja
Calculate net proceeds

Prefer to talk? +41 76 325 11 95 – you speak directly with Dominik Devaja.

Tax

Is there still a property transfer tax in the Canton of Zurich?

No. Since 1 January 2005, the Canton of Zurich no longer levies a property transfer tax (Handänderungssteuer).13 14 Sections 227 to 233 of the Tax Act are repealed.13 The law abolishing it is dated 30 November 2003. The Government Council brought it into force at the start of 2005.13 14

Many people confuse it with the property gains tax. That tax still exists. It is charged on your gain, not on the price. How much it is depends on the purchase price, investments and how long you have owned the property.

Something else changed in 2005. Since then, federal law leaves it to the cantons whether to publish changes of ownership.5 The Canton of Zurich no longer publishes them.16 So your sale will not appear in any official gazette.

What this means for you: besides the fees, the property gains tax is the big item. Work it out with the calculator for the Canton of Zurich before you name a price.

Mortgage and pledge

What does the mortgage note have to do with the notary office?

The mortgage note (Schuldbrief) is the pledge with which a bank secures its mortgage on the house. If the buyer needs a new one, this also goes through the notary office. First a pledge contract is notarised, usually prepared by the bank. Then the owner registers the pledge with the land register.12

The land registry confirms the registration to the bank with an interim certificate. On that basis, the bank usually releases the money.12 That is why the pledge and the purchase price are linked on the day of transfer.

The costs follow the same logic: 1 per mille of the pledge amount each for notarisation and land register, at least 100 francs each.9 11 VAT is added to the notarisation. A paper mortgage note costs an extra 50 francs per property, at least 200 francs.9 With a register mortgage note, this does not apply.9

What this means for you: your own mortgage is repaid on sale or taken over by the buyer.8 Clarify this early with your bank.

Before the sale

How do you get a land register extract, and what does it cost?

You order the extract from the responsible notary office, using an online form.15 It costs 30 francs for the first page.9 Each further page up to the tenth costs 10 francs, from the eleventh 5 francs.9

If you are not the owner yourself, you need a power of attorney or a credible interest.15 Without either, you only get the basic data. This includes the owner, date of acquisition, easements and certain annotations.16 Short oral information of up to 30 minutes is free of charge.16

Read the extract before you advertise. It shows easements such as a right of way and registered rights of first refusal. A contractual right of first refusal lasts at most 25 years.4 By law, co-owners have one when a share goes to a third party.5 Allocation to an heir in the division of an estate and a forced auction do not trigger it.4 17

What this means for you: an extract from 30 francs prevents surprises at the notary appointment.

To be honest

What does no tariff settle, and where does a conversation help?

To be honest: the tariff is the simplest part of a sale. No tariff sets how long it takes from the form to the appointment. Ask your notary office early about dates. For the fees, the legal default of half each applies unless you agree otherwise.

The notary office notarises what you agree. It does not tell you whether the price is right, whether excluding the warranty is wise or which transfer day suits your move. These questions decide far more money than the fees.

This page explains the role, process and tariff of the Zurich notary offices as of 15 October 2026. We checked addresses and responsibilities against the originals on that day; notariate-zh.ch is authoritative. The page does not replace advice from the notary office, tax office or a lawyer. We accept no liability for completeness or accuracy.

For daughters and sons

Are you handling the sale for your parents?

Then sooner or later you will need the land register extract. Without a power of attorney from your parents, you only get the basic data. Ask for the power of attorney before the questions come. Look up the notary office in the finder above and save the phone number. And work out the share of the fees together with your parents. Then everyone knows the figure before the buyer asks.

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Read on

What helps you with the next step?

What else do sellers ask about the notary office?

Can I choose the notary office freely in the Canton of Zurich?

No. The notary office of the district where the property is located is responsible. The districts are set by a decision of the Cantonal Council. The office notarises the contract and also receives the land register application.

What percentage do notary and land register cost?

Together 2 per mille of the market value, i.e. 0.2 percent: 1 per mille each for notarisation and land register, at least 100 francs each. Add 8.1 percent VAT on the notarisation. By law, buyer and seller each pay half.

By when do I have to pay the notary office's invoice?

Within 30 days. After a reminder, default interest of 5 percent is added.

Does a notarisation in the evening or on Saturday cost more?

Yes. On weekdays after 6.30 pm and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, the notarisation fee rises by 100 francs.

What does the land register entry cost after an inheritance?

Registering the heirs costs 50 francs per property, at least 100 and at most 300 francs. If one heir later takes over the house alone, the tariff provides for 1 per mille of the share of value concerned, at least 100 francs. The notary office confirms the amount in your case.

Will my house sale in the Canton of Zurich be published?

No. Federal law leaves publication of changes of ownership to the cantons. The Canton of Zurich does not publish them.

Sources

  1. Notarial Act of the Canton of Zurich (NotG, LS 242), §§ 1, 2, 4, 24 and 29 · Supplement 95, as of 1.1.2017, read in the original on 15.10.2026
  2. Cantonal Council decision on notarial districts and the seats of the notary offices (LS 242.5) · Supplement 119, as of 1.1.2023, read in the original on 15.10.2026
  3. Notary offices of the Canton of Zurich: Ihr Notariat (addresses and responsibilities of all 44 offices) · accessed 15.10.2026
  4. Swiss Code of Obligations (OR), Art. 216, 216a and 216c (SR 220) · as of 1 October 2026
  5. Swiss Civil Code (ZGB), Art. 656, 657, 682, 963, 970 and 970a (SR 210) · as of 1 July 2026
  6. Notary offices of the Canton of Zurich: transfer of ownership and possession · accessed 15.10.2026
  7. Notary offices of the Canton of Zurich: purchase contracts · accessed 15.10.2026
  8. Notary offices of the Canton of Zurich: form «Vertragsangaben» (PDF) · accessed 15.10.2026
  9. Notarial Fees Ordinance of the Canton of Zurich (NotGebV, LS 243), §§ 2, 6, 8, 8a, 15 and annex · Supplement 123, as of 1.1.2024, read in the original on 15.10.2026
  10. Notary offices of the Canton of Zurich: fees for purchase contracts (fee calculator) · accessed 15.10.2026
  11. Notary offices of the Canton of Zurich: fees for mortgage rights · accessed 15.10.2026
  12. Notary offices of the Canton of Zurich: creating or increasing a mortgage note · accessed 15.10.2026
  13. Tax Act of the Canton of Zurich (StG, LS 631.1), §§ 227–233 repealed (footnote 35) · Supplement 132, read in the original on 15.10.2026
  14. Canton of Zurich, Government Council press release: abolition of the property transfer tax as of 1 January 2005 · dated 12.12.2003, accessed 15.10.2026
  15. Notary offices of the Canton of Zurich: ordering a land register extract · accessed 15.10.2026
  16. Notary offices of the Canton of Zurich: access to the land register · accessed 15.10.2026
  17. Notary offices of the Canton of Zurich: right of first refusal · accessed 15.10.2026

General information without guarantee, not individual advice. The law, the tax assessment and advice from professionals for your situation are what count. Terms of use

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