Having your own notaire costs nothing extra: the rule foreign buyers never hear

A foreign buyer almost always meets the notaire the same way: it is the one the agent named, the office is local, it drafts the deed, and the matter seems settled. Except that notaire was chosen by the seller, and nobody thought to tell the buyer they could have one too.

What happens when there are two notaires?

They work together on the same deed. One drafts, the other reviews, checks and also signs. Both put their professional liability on the line, and they divide the tasks and the paperwork according to a well-worn practice that is in no way exceptional: it is a common arrangement in French transactions.

There are not two deeds, two procedures or two timetables. There is one deed, with two professionals each answering to one party.

Why does it cost nothing extra?

Because the notaire’s émolument is not one person’s remuneration: it is a fee attached to the deed, set by a scale. When two offices are involved, that same fee is split between them.

In other words the total you pay is identical, whether you are alone with the seller’s notaire or accompanied by your own. What changes is the split between the two offices, and that is not your concern.

The rule surprises people because it contradicts the ordinary economic intuition that two professionals cost more than one. It also explains why nobody has a particular interest in telling you about it.

What does it actually change for you?

A notaire who answers your questions with no competing interest to weigh.

The seller’s notaire is bound to impartiality, and the vast majority of offices observe it scrupulously. But impartiality is not the same thing as support. An impartial notaire will tell you what the deed contains; yours will tell you what ought to be added to it, and what you would be well advised to ask for before signing.

On a non-resident file, the difference falls on specific subjects: how the conditions are drafted when the financing comes from abroad, the matrimonial regime and civil status that decide how you will own the property, the tax treatment of a future sale, passing the property on, and anticipating the documents the office will ask for.

How do you choose one when you live abroad?

On three criteria, in this order.

The actual working language, not a language listed on a website. The question is simple: who, in the office, will explain the deed to me in my language, and will they be available on the day of signing?

International practice: an office that regularly handles non-resident buyers knows the file’s pitfalls long before they arise, particularly on the source of funds.

Availability, lastly. A named contact who answers emails beats a reputation. You can test that before committing, by asking a precise question and watching how long the answer takes.

When should one be appointed?

As early as possible, and at the latest before the preliminary contract is signed. That is where the conditions, the timescales and the long-stop date are fixed, which is to say everything that will protect you afterwards. A notaire who arrives after the preliminary contract inherits a framework they did not negotiate.

In practice, it is enough to give their details to the agent or to the seller’s notaire: the two offices then make contact without you.

Are there cases where one is enough?

Yes, and it should be said honestly. On a simple transaction, between a resident buyer and a resident seller, with conventional French financing, a single notaire does the job perfectly well and the question hardly arises.

It is the international configuration that changes the arithmetic: as soon as a foreign civil status, funds from elsewhere, a two-country tax position or a language other than French come into play, the second notaire stops being a comfort and becomes a precaution. And since it is not paid for, the only reason to go without it is not knowing it exists.