The notary market - France (2025)

1.2 Global and European markets

The notary's office is not a global activity: it is a profession specific to countries with a Latin legal tradition, mainly found in continental Europe and South America. In these regions, the notary plays a central role in securing transactions and authenticating deeds, whereas in many other countries, particularly those with an Anglo-Saxon tradition, this model does not exist or does not have the same legal scope.

In Europe, the notarial profession is particularly well structured: in ****, the ** European Union member states affiliated to the Council of the Notariats of the European Union (***) and employ nearly ***,*** staff, ensuring a high level of legal security and actively contributing to the management of civil, estate and real estate matters on a continental scale.

Evolution of notarial effects Europe, ****-****, in thousands Source: ****

1.3 Domestic market

There is a divergence between the trend in sales (***). This probably reflects increased competition between notaries in a slowing market, mainly due to the decline in real estate activity. The stability of ancillary offices shows that geographic coverage remains unchanged despite these economic trends.

Between **** and **** in France, the number of notary offices will increase slightly, from **** to ****, despite an intermediate drop to **** in ****. At the same time, the number of ancillary offices has remained relatively stable, hovering around **** units over the period. This indicates a divergence between the downward trend in sales and the upward trend in the number of offices. This suggests an increase in competition between notaries in a slowing market, mainly due to the downturn in real estate activity. However, the stability of branch offices indicates that the geographic coverage of the notarial profession has not been affected by these economic changes.

Number of notary's offices and branch offices France, ****-****, in units Source: ****

Between **** and ****, sales in the notary sector in France rose from *.* billion euros in **** to * billion euros in ****. The compound annual growth rate (***) over this period was around *.**%, signifying moderate average annual growth. However, this growth was uneven, with a significant rise of ...

2.1 Demand trends and breakdown

Between **** and ****, the number of notarized deeds issued in France rose by **.*%, from *.** to *.** million, driven by the post-Covid recovery. In ****, the volume peaks at *.** million, marking **.*% growth on ****. from **** onwards, the trend reverses, with a *.*% drop, followed by a more pronounced **.*% fall in ****, bringing the total down to * million acts. This decline is largely due to the slowdown in the real estate market, which is strongly correlated with notarial activity. Despite this overall decline, family law deeds (***) offer partial stability of activity against a backdrop of market contraction.

Number of notarial acts issued France, ****-****, in millions Source: ****

In ****, the breakdown of notarized acts shows a clear dominance of real estate-related acts, with sales excluding VEFA accounting for **.*% of the total. Family deeds such as PACS (***), mainly due to the contraction of the real estate market. On the other hand, family law deeds, although numerically modest, have limited the total collapse in activity, as their volume varies less strongly with economic conditions. This confirms that, in the face of a declining real estate market, non-real estate notarial missions play a cushioning role for law firms.

Average annual breakdown of notarized acts France, ****, in source : CSN

2.2 Customer profile

The market for notaries' offices is a hybrid one, with both BtoB and BtoC sectors. Notaries assist private individuals with everyday transactions such as marriages, divorces, inheritances and donations, while also working with professionals, particularly in the real estate sector. Notarial activity is strictly regulated by the State, which defines the missions, conditions of practice and fees for most notarial acts. In addition to drafting deeds, notaries also provide mediation and legal advice, in accordance with a strict code of ethics.

According to an IFOP study, notaries play a crucial role in the French legal system, with **% of citizens having already called on their services, including**% on more than one occasion. These figures indicate frequent use of notarial services, particularly for major life events such as marriage, inheritance and property transactions. However, **% of French people have never used these services, suggesting the possibility of widening access to them. The use of notary services is more widespread among the elderly, who are more likely to be involved in transactions requiring notary fees.

Have you ever used the services of a notary? France, ****, in Source: ****

According to an IFOP study, notaries play a crucial role in the French legal system, with **% of citizens ...

2.3 Demand drivers

Since ****, the gradual rise in interest rates has had a profound impact on the French real estate market. This increase in the cost of credit has reduced households' borrowing capacity, leading to a significant drop in the volume of real estate transactions. Between **** and ****, sales of existing homes fell by **.*%. This has had a direct impact on the notary's business, which derives a large part of its revenue from real estate-related deeds, with a **.*% drop in sales over the same period. Fewer transactions mean fewer deeds to draw up, resulting in lower fees for notaries. As a result, rising interest rates, by limiting access to property ownership, act as a stifling factor for the real estate market and, by extension, for the economy of notaries' offices.

Trend in the number of sales of older homes France, **** - ****, in numbers Source: ****

During the period ****-****, the number of marriages in France remained relatively stable, with an annual average of ***,*** to ***,***. At the same time, the number of PACS showed an upward trend, increasing from around ***,*** in **** to over ***,*** in ****, with a significant rebound after ****. These statistics show that, despite fluctuations, couples' legal commitments, such as marriage and PACS, remain commonplace, ensuring constant ...

3.1 Value chain and workforce

The notary's activity is part of a structured chain in which the upstream part corresponds to the emergence of a legal need, often generated by life events or projects (***). This phase involves various players, such as real estate agents, bankers or asset managers, who refer customers to the notary. The heart of the notary's activity lies in drafting, authenticating and legally securing deeds. Downstream, the notary deposits, safeguards and transmits the deeds to the authorities, with immediate legal and tax effects for customers.the notary's clerks help prepare the files, the formalists manage the administrative procedures, and the accountants deal with the financial and tax aspects. Each step ensures legal certainty, with the notary at the center guaranteeing the validity and official transmission of deeds.

Between **** and ****, the number of notaries in France will increase by *.*%, as access to the notarial public service expands. At the same time, the number of offices increased slightly by *.*% in five years, from *,*** to *,*** in ****. The number of branch offices has remained stable at around *,***, reflecting a desire to maintain territorial coverage without massive expansion. In ****, a slight decrease in the number of notaries was observed (***), probably in response to the fall in the volume ...

3.2 Breakdown of activities

The map reveals a marked territorial heterogeneity in the distribution of notary's offices, with more than ** offices per ***,*** inhabitants in several rural departments in the South-West, Occitania and Corsica. conversely, some departments in Île-de-France, central France and the French overseas territories have low rates, often below **. This disparity does not reflect population density, but rather the historical and structural location of notaries' offices. What's more, despite moderate growth in the number of notaries in France (***), this expansion does not appear to be correcting territorial imbalances. This is likely to exacerbate inequalities in access to the law, particularly in areas under demographic pressure or undergoing strong real estate development. Distribution of self-employed notaries per ***,*** inhabitants by location France, April ** ****, in density

source : Autorité de la Concurence

3.3 Pooling and outsourcing

Pooling, used by **% of independent notaries, mainly within their own structures(***) to be optimized. This internal organization helps to control costs and improve efficiency, thereby meeting the challenges posed by the **.*% fall in the volume of deeds between **** and ****. In conjunction with increasing digitalization, which facilitates archiving and digitization, pooling helps to modernize offices, while freeing up time for higher value-added activities such as advice andmediation. This strategy supports the stabilization of headcount despite a difficult economic climate and a shrinking real estate market. In this way, pooling is part of an overall drive to adapt and innovate within the notarial profession.

Source: ****

In addition to pooling, subcontracting is another way in which notaries' offices can adapt: **% of self-employed notaries use subcontracting, either permanently (***) are also outsourced. This optimization strategy follows the same logic as that of mutualization: to gain in efficiency and flexibility in the face of declining activity linked to the downturn in the real estate market. It strengthens the ability of offices to maintain a high level of service, while keeping costs under control and adapting to structural changes in the profession.

Source: ****

4.1 Characterization of the offer

The products offered by notaries are divided between acts subject to tariffs (***). These fees take into account the costs involved in executing the deed and the notion of reasonable remuneration, ensuring a certain degree of national uniformity. At the same time, fees are free for advisory and support services, such as family law and asset management. This positioning enables notaries to combine a regulated legal activity with a personalized, competitive service offering.

This pricing distinction is all the more important given the **.*% decline in the volume of notarized acts since ****, which has had a direct impact on the proportion of business generated by fees. Against this backdrop, many notaries are seeking to develop their non-priced activities, such as advice and mediation, to diversify their sources of income. For example, judicial or conventional mediation in civil matters is becoming a strategic lever, enhancing the notary's role as a regulator and peacemaker. This repositioning is part of a logic of added value and adaptation to a declining real estate market. Combined with the stabilization of the workforce since ****, this shows that the profession is changing, taking advantage of new, highly expert missions.

4.2 Costs and prices

Notary's fees are set by an official scale proportional to the amount of the deed, with decreasing rates per bracket: *.***% up to €*,***, *.***% from €*,*** to €**,***, *.***% up to €**,***, and *.***% above that. This pricing structure guarantees a controlled progression of costs for users, while ensuring reasonable remuneration for notaries. Notary fees, often misunderstood by the public, include these emoluments as well as duties and taxes collected for the State, and disbursements (***). In addition, services not covered by the fee structure - such as asset management advice, mediation or legal audits - are invoiced on a " free-fee" basis, by prior agreement. This enables the notary to offer tailor-made services, reinforcing his added value outside the scope of regulated acts.

source : Légifrance

Against a backdrop of falling deed volumes (***) and a slowdown in the real estate market, this duality of fees becomes strategic. Emoluments, which depend on property prices, are mechanically affected by the contraction in sales and stagnation in prices. At the same time, the rise in free fees represents an opportunity for offices to adapt their economics. This is part of the broader diversification strategy mentioned above, notably through the development of activities such as judicial or conventional mediation, or family law advice. ...

4.3 Supply trends

At the same time, the notarial profession is continuing its digital transformation, with the widespread use of electronic deeds and the partial automation of certain procedures. This digitalization not only enhances efficiency, but also enables us to better meet our customers' expectations in terms of speed and simplicity. It is also taking place against a backdrop of increasing environmental demands, with dematerialization helping to reduce the ecological footprint of offices. This technological shift goes hand in hand with the diversification mentioned above, by facilitating access to new services such as remote advice and online mediation. In this way, digitalization and the expansion of missions together strengthen the resilience of the notarial model in the face of current economic and regulatory pressures

At the same time, the economic outlook as perceived by liberal notaries reflects a climate of uncertainty: **% anticipate a decline in their office's activity, **% of them markedly, while **% expect stability and only *% an improvement. The main reasons put forward are the deterioration in the national economic context (***). This majority feeling of decline or stagnation reinforces the urgent need for notaries to adapt, in particular by diversifying their missions, digitizing their services, and adopting innovative approaches such as mediation. In this ...

5.1 Current legislation

Regulatory texts and sources

Ordinance no. **-**** of November *, **** is the founding text of the notarial profession, defining the status, missions and obligations of notaries. [***]

Decree no. ****-**** of December **, **** establishes the Code of Ethics for notaries, governing their professional duties and discipline. [***]

The decree of January **, **** approves the new professional rules relating to practice, advertising, asset management and property management. [***]

Law n°****-*** of August *, ****, known as the Macron law, facilitates access to the profession, reforms installation and authorizes interprofessional collaboration with other regulated professions. [***]

Law no. ****-**** of December **, **** strengthens ethical rules, creates disciplinary jurisdictions and improves conciliation procedures. [***]

Access to and practice of the profession

Notaries are appointed to a specific office by decree of the Minister of Justice. Before taking up their duties, notaries must take an oath before a court of law.

Notaries may work individually, in partnerships or as salaried employees, but only within the office to which they have been appointed.

Notarial companies can adopt a variety of legal forms, with the exception of those conferring merchant status.

Duties and obligations of the notary

The notary's duty is to provide impartial, neutral and informed advice. They are bound by professional secrecy, protecting all information ...

6.1 Player segmentation