Notary fees are linked to the business value in a socially acceptable way, so that the capacity of the parties involved determines the costs. Many small transactions are not cost-covering, while larger transactions entail higher fees. In international comparison, German notaries are inexpensive and offer a high level of legal security.

Since fees are charged according to the business value of a contract, there are no hourly rates for advice. This means that advice on a contract is already included in the price of concluding the contract.

Notaries must charge fees in accordance with § 17 Paragraph 1 Sentence 1 BNotO. Other agreements are inadmissible.