The Grundbuch, explained: you own German property only when it says so.
// Short answer
The Grundbuch is Germany's land register, kept by the local courts acting as land registry offices. In Germany you become owner only when you are entered in it: not on signing, not on paying. The notary drives every step, from reading it before the contract to the priority notice that protects you and the final application for your entry.
Rules and rates as of September 2026. Transfer tax is set by each state and property tax by each municipality, so check your state and city. Every figure links to its source.
On this page
What is the Grundbuch?
The Grundbuch is the German land register. It is kept by the local courts (Amtsgerichte), acting as land registry offices (Grundbuchämter), under § 1 of the Land Register Code. Ownership, priority notices and land charges over a property are all entered in it, and the notary checks it before drafting any purchase contract.
If a mortgage is involved, the lender's land charge (Grundschuld) is recorded by the notary as part of the same purchase.
Why does entry in the Grundbuch make you the owner?
Because German law transfers ownership of land only through two things together: the parties' agreement and entry in the Grundbuch (§ 873 BGB). Until you are entered, the seller is still the legal owner, whatever you have signed or paid. That is why the notary controls the order in which money and paperwork move.
The notary makes sure neither side pays or transfers anything before it is secured.
What is the Auflassung?
The Auflassung is the agreement that ownership of the land passes from seller to buyer. Both parties must declare it at the same time before a competent authority, and every notary is competent to receive it (§ 925 BGB). In practice, buyers and sellers declare it in front of the notary.
The purchase contract itself must also be notarised; an un-notarised contract is void unless it is cured by Auflassung plus registration (§ 311b(1) BGB).
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What is an Auflassungsvormerkung and why does it protect the buyer?
It is a priority notice entered in the Grundbuch to secure the buyer's claim to the property. Once it is there, any later disposal by the seller that would defeat your claim is ineffective against you, including enforcement by the seller's creditors or an insolvency administrator (§ 883 BGB). The notary applies for it and monitors it.
The notary only tells you the price is due, through the Fälligkeitsmitteilung, once the Vormerkung is in place and the other conditions are met.
What has to happen before the buyer is entered in the Grundbuch?
The transfer tax must be paid or secured. The buyer can be registered only after the tax office issues a clearance certificate, the Unbedenklichkeitsbescheinigung (§ 22 GrEStG). The notary reports the contract to the tax office, which sends you the tax assessment. Once price and tax are paid, the notary applies for your entry.
Before that, the notary also collects the municipality's waiver of its pre-emption rights and the seller's bank release for any existing land charges. The tax rates by state: Germany property buying costs.
What do the notary and land registry cost?
Notary and land registry fees are set by statute, the GNotKG, and are not negotiated. Published estimates put them at about 1.5% to 2.0% of the price in total, or about 1.3% to 1.5% without a mortgage. They are paid on top of the price, alongside the state's transfer tax and any broker's commission.
These are published estimates, not a statutory percentage. The notary's bill follows the statute, not a negotiation.
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// Buying in Germany?
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See the $499 report, page by pageFrequently Asked Questions
What does Grundbuch mean in English?
Am I the owner after signing at the notary in Germany?
Why is my Grundbuch entry waiting on the tax office?
Who applies for the Grundbuch entry?
Header photo: 2197494, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. All credits: image credits.