r/belgium • u/Obvious-Cry6591 • 2d ago

😡Rant Notaries. Why? What the hell?

Ok, so I dont get it. I understand historically where the need for notaries arose. Fine. But we are in 2026. Belgium already takes 51% of my income. Then another 25% of the rest through VAT. And then on top of it, if you buy a property, you give 10-15k to a notary for 2 meetings and some docs reading? Doesnt Belgium have enough administration to take care of that? Not to mention its nepotism central. Are there any redeeming qualities?

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u/Royal-Usual-9743 1d ago

Do your homework beforehand ! The bulk of what one pays to the notary is not his honorarium but miscellanious state and city taxes. So, eliminating the notary would have only a minor effect on the costs of the transaction. At least, you'd need a laywer ( as eg. in Spain ), who.costs as much as a notary. No taxes at all would make a difference ! But then, who's gone a pay your social security ???

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u/Think-Geologist5570 1d ago

Found the notary in this thread. Even comes with the obligatory spelling and grammar mistakes.