Closing Costs When Buying Property in Spain: Every Fee Explained

The single largest closing cost is the transfer tax or VAT. For a resale property in Andalucía, you pay Impuesto de Transmisiones Patrimoniales (ITP) at a flat 7% of the purchase price declared in the escritura. For a new-build property purchased directly from a developer, you pay IVA (VAT) at 10% plus Actos Jurídicos Documentados (AJD, Stamp Duty) at 1.2%, totalling 11.2%. On a €1.5M property: ITP resale = €105,000; IVA+AJD new build = €168,000. The difference is €63,000.

These rates are specific to Andalucía. Other autonomous communities have different ITP rates (ranging from 6% in Madrid to 11% in Cataluña), so if you are comparing properties across Spain, the tax landscape varies significantly. Within the Costa del Sol, you are always in Andalucía, so the 7% ITP / 11.2% IVA+AJD rates apply uniformly.

The notary (notario) charges a regulated fee based on the purchase price for preparing and witnessing the escritura pública. For a €1.5M property, expect approximately €1,200–1,500. The notary fee is set by a government-regulated tariff, so there is minimal variation between notaries. You can choose any notary in the province. It does not have to be in the same municipality as the property.

The Land Registry (Registro de la Propiedad) charges a separate regulated fee for inscribing the property in your name. This is typically 0.3–0.5% of the purchase price, or approximately €4,500–7,500 on a €1.5M property. Registration is not instantaneous. It typically takes 2–4 months for the registro to process the inscription, though you are the legal owner from the moment the escritura is signed at the notary. Your lawyer handles the registro submission.

A good independent lawyer specialising in Spanish property conveyancing for international buyers charges 1–1.5% of the purchase price plus 21% IVA. For a €1.5M property at 1.2%, that is €18,000 plus €3,780 IVA = €21,780. This is not a cost to economise on. Your lawyer handles: due diligence (nota simple, planning verification, community debt checks, catastral matching), arras contract negotiation, completion at the notary, post-completion registration, tax filings, utility transfers, and ongoing annual Modelo 210 returns.

Beware of agents who recommend lawyers charging 0.5% or less. At that fee level, the firm is processing volume and cutting corners on due diligence. We have seen buyers represented by cut-price lawyers discover post-completion that their property had an outstanding community debt of €15,000, an unregistered extension, or an expired licence of first occupation. The cost of remedying these issues dwarfs the saving on legal fees.

If you are taking a Spanish mortgage, add the following to your closing costs: a property valuation (tasación) at €300–600, a mortgage arrangement fee of 0.5–1% of the loan amount (some banks have reduced or eliminated this), and the mortgage deed notary and registro fees. Under the 2019 Spanish mortgage law, the bank pays the AJD on the mortgage deed, the valuation fee, and the gestoría fees for the mortgage registration. The buyer pays only the property valuation and any arrangement fee agreed with the bank.

For a €1M mortgage on a €1.5M property: valuation €500, arrangement fee 0.5% = €5,000. Total mortgage-specific costs: approximately €5,500. This is significantly less than pre-2019 when the buyer bore all mortgage-related costs. Shop 2–3 banks simultaneously, arrangement fees and interest rates vary significantly, and Spanish banks are negotiable on both.

Resale villa €1,500,000: ITP 7% = €105,000 | Notary = €1,300 | Land Registry 0.4% = €6,000 | Legal 1.2% + IVA = €21,780 | Gestoría = €500 | Bank transfer fees = €300 | NIE (via PoA) = €700 | Total additional costs = €135,580 | Total cost = €1,635,580 | Closing costs as % of price = 9.0%.

New-build apartment €1,500,000: IVA 10% = €150,000 | AJD 1.2% = €18,000 | Notary = €1,300 | Land Registry 0.4% = €6,000 | Legal 1.2% + IVA = €21,780 | Gestoría = €500 | Bank transfer fees = €300 | NIE (via PoA) = €700 | Total additional costs = €198,580 | Total cost = €1,698,580 | Closing costs as % of price = 13.2%. The €63,000 difference between resale and new build at the €1.5M price point is entirely driven by the tax differential (11.2% vs 7%).

Currency conversion costs are invisible but significant. If you are converting Sterling, dollars, or Scandinavian kroner to euros, your bank will add a 2–4% margin to the exchange rate. On €1.5M, that is €30,000–60,000 in hidden costs. Use a specialist currency broker (Currencies Direct, Wise, OFX) operating on 0.3–0.8% margins to save €15,000–45,000.

A structural survey (peritaje) for a resale property costs €500–1,500 and is optional but strongly recommended for any property built before 2000. This is different from the bank’s tasación (which is a valuation, not a condition survey) and can reveal issues like damp, structural cracking, roof condition, and electrical safety that the tasación will not cover. Finally, be aware of the plusvalía municipal: a tax on the increase in land value that the seller pays on completion. While this is not your cost, it can affect negotiations, sellers sometimes try to pass it on, which your lawyer should reject.