An extract for information on ANCPI's ePay costs 20 lei for a property you do not own. Order one for each plot: yours, the road and the developer's.
Under Fiscal Code Art. 474, an urbanism certificate for a plot up to 1,000 m² costs up to 14 lei in urban areas and half that in rural areas.
Under Order 177/C/2024, the minimum fee for a sale deed above 600,001 lei is 6,405 lei plus 0.6% of the excess, plus VAT.
The cost of due diligence: the short answer
The official fees for the core checks on a Romanian property are small. A land book extract for information costs 20 lei online. An urbanism certificate for information costs a few lei to a few dozen lei, depending on the area, under the Fiscal Code. Authorised translations through a notary's office start at 30 lei per page. The two costs that really matter are the independent lawyer, whose fee is negotiated, and the notary, whose minimum fee is set by an official scale.
Against that, the documented cases of buyers who paid advances without these protections ran to hundreds of buyers and millions of euros.
In plain words: the checks cost hundreds of lei and a lawyer's fee. Not doing them has cost buyers their homes and their savings.
This article is about the checks. For the full list of purchase costs, see our guide to property buying costs in Romania.
What each check costs: the official fees
| Check | Who issues it | Official fee | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land book extract for information (one per property: your plot, the road, the developer's plot) | ANCPI, online via ePay | 20 lei for a property you do not own | ANCPI tariff order, as reported for 2026 |
| Urbanism certificate for information | The local authority (primăria) | Urban areas: 5–6 lei up to 150 m², rising to 12–14 lei up to 1,000 m², then 14 lei + 0.01 lei per m² above 1,000 m². Rural areas: 50% of that | Fiscal Code, Art. 474(1) and (2) |
| Authorised translation by a translator employed at a notary's office | Notary's office | At least 30 lei per A4 page for individuals, 15 lei per extra copy | Order 177/C/2024, Annex 4 |
| Notarial legalisation of an authorised translator's signature | Notary | 50 lei | Order 177/C/2024, Annex 1, point 14 |
| Independent lawyer | A lawyer of your choice | No official scale. The fee is agreed between you and the lawyer | Statute of the legal profession |
| Notary for the purchase deed | Notary | Sliding minimum scale: see below | Order 177/C/2024, Annex 2 |
Three notes on the table:
- The Fiscal Code amounts are base values. Local councils set the exact amount within these ranges, so the figure at your primăria may differ slightly.
- The urbanism certificate for information can be requested by anyone. It tells you the planning rules that apply to a property, and it is issued within 10 working days, or within 5 where the local authority has a working IT system (Law 169/2026, Art. 254).
- Independent translators set their own prices. The 30 lei figure is the minimum for translators employed at a notary's office. Ask for a written quote.
The notary's fee: the official minimum scale
For a deed transferring ownership of real estate, Order 177/C/2024 sets minimum fees by bands of the value:
| Value of the property | Minimum notary fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 20,000 lei | 2.2%, but not less than 230 lei |
| 20,001 to 35,000 lei | 440 lei + 1.9% of the amount above 20,001 lei |
| 35,001 to 65,000 lei | 725 lei + 1.6% above 35,001 lei |
| 65,001 to 100,000 lei | 1,205 lei + 1.5% above 65,001 lei |
| 100,001 to 200,000 lei | 1,705 lei + 1.1% above 100,001 lei |
| 200,001 to 600,000 lei | 2,805 lei + 0.9% above 200,001 lei |
| Above 600,001 lei | 6,405 lei + 0.6% above 600,001 lei |
These are minimums, and VAT is added to the notary's fee. For a bilateral preliminary contract, the fee is calculated on the part of the price paid, and if the final contract is signed at the same notary's office, the fee paid for the promise is deducted from the final fee (Order 177/C/2024).
Example, for illustration only: for a price of 1,500,000 lei, the minimum fee is 6,405 lei + 0.6% × 899,999 lei, about 11,805 lei, plus VAT. Who pays it depends on the contract. By default, the buyer bears the costs of concluding the sale (Civil Code, Art. 1666(1)). At Compass on the Lake, the notary's fee is included in the price. Our article on the notary grid explains how the minimum value of the property can affect the calculation.
The checks cost a few hundred lei. The documented losses from skipping them run to millions of euros.
A worked example: the official fees for the checks
Assume you check one villa on a private road, before signing a preliminary contract:
| Item | Calculation | Official fee |
|---|---|---|
| Extracts: your plot, the road, the developer's original plot | 3 × 20 lei | 60 lei |
| A second round of extracts before the main payment | 3 × 20 lei | 60 lei |
| Urbanism certificate for information, plot up to 1,000 m², rural area | 50% of 12–14 lei | 6–7 lei |
| Translation of the extracts and certificate, about 10 pages | 10 × 30 lei | 300 lei |
| Total official fees | about 430 lei |
The lawyer's fee comes on top, agreed in advance. Ask for a written scope: which documents are read, which checks are made, and what you receive in writing. See how to choose a lawyer.
What skipping the checks has cost: three documented cases
Romania, 2024: the Nordis case
On 7 October 2024, the investigative outlet Recorder reported that hundreds of Romanians had bought homes in Nordis projects, often paying in advance on the basis of a promise of sale, and that most of the promised complexes had remained "only on paper and in advertising". In the one finished building, Recorder found solid indications that apartments had been sold several times to different people. The company entered insolvency the same month, and prosecutors opened a criminal case. A promise of sale that is not noted in the land book is invisible to anyone who reads the extract, including the next buyer. The law changed after the scandal: since December 2025, preliminary contracts for future homes are signed only before a notary and noted in the land book. We told the story in the apartment sold twice.
Romania, 2026: an investigation in Iași
On 20 October 2026, police in Iași carried out searches in a case of alleged fraud concerning a residential building, with an estimated loss of about €7 million. According to the police, between 2023 and 2026 some apartments and spaces in the building were promised for sale to at least two different buyers. The developer's company publicly admitted signing several promises for the same properties. The investigation is ongoing, and the charges may change. The lesson for buyers is simple: a fresh extract for your own unit, before every payment, shows whether another promise has already been noted.
Cyprus: buyers who paid in full
According to the Cyprus Mail, thousands of buyers in Cyprus paid in full but could not get title deeds, because developers' bank mortgages remained on the buildings. A borrowers' association quoted in July 2025 put the number at 9,497 buyers, of whom 5,417 were still waiting. A mortgage in Part III of the extract, with no written plan for releasing it, is the warning sign. We explain how to read it in our guide to the land register extract.
Your due diligence, step by step
- Ask the developer for the land book numbers: your unit or plot, the access road, and the original project plot.
- Order the extracts yourself on ANCPI's ePay.
- Request an urbanism certificate for information from the primăria.
- Ask to see the building permit and check that it is noted in the land book.
- Have the key documents translated, and keep the translations with the originals.
- Hire an independent lawyer with a written scope. Our company lawyer represents the company only.
- Order fresh extracts before every significant payment and before the final signing.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a land book extract cost in Romania?
An extract for information ordered online on ANCPI's ePay costs 20 lei for a property you do not own. Owners can get an extract of their own property free of charge through ANCPI's platform for owners.
How much is an urbanism certificate?
Under Article 474 of the Fiscal Code, in urban areas it ranges from 5–6 lei for up to 150 m² to 14 lei plus 0.01 lei per m² above 1,000 m². In rural areas the fee is half. Local councils set the exact amount within the ranges.
Is the notary enough, or do I also need a lawyer?
The notary checks the legal formalities of the deed and is neutral between the parties. A lawyer of your own reads the contract and the documents on your behalf, and can negotiate. The two roles are different.
Are notary fees in Romania fixed?
The Ministry of Justice sets minimum fees (Order 177/C/2024). A notary may charge more, and VAT is added. Ask the notary for the calculation in advance.
The bottom line
The official fees for the checks come to a few hundred lei. The documented losses from skipping them run to millions of euros. That is the whole calculation.
If you want to plan the checks for a property in Romania, with us or with anyone else, book a half-hour call with me. We will draw up the list together, with what each item costs.
Moti Azulay, Compass Group Romania
Sources: Fiscal Code, Law 227/2015, consolidated (legislatie.just.ro), Art. 474 · Order of the Minister of Justice 177/C/2024 on minimum notary fees, Monitorul Oficial no. 70 of 26.01.2024 (text published by the Bucharest Chamber of Notaries) · Law 169/2026, Monitorul Oficial no. 661 of 10.08.2026, Art. 253 and 254 · ANCPI ePay · Civil Code, Law 287/2009 (legislatie.just.ro), Art. 1666 · Recorder, "Schema Nordis", 07.10.2024 · Aktual24, searches in the Iași case, 20.10.2026 · Cyprus Mail, 15.07.2025
This article is for general information only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. The fees are correct as of 22 October 2026, as far as we could verify them; local and professional fees can change. The cases described are based on the published reports cited, and the Iași investigation is ongoing.
Now you know more.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult local professionals before any transaction.
