B
BalearicImmobilien auf den Balearen
← Alle Ratgeber
Buyers at any price point · 7 Min. Lesezeit

The true cost of buying — taxes, fees, and the 10–15% rule

Your headline price is not your all-in cost. Between transfer tax, notary, registry, and legal fees, budget 10–15% on top. Here's the exact breakdown for 2026.

Wichtige Fakten
  • Resale properties: 8–13% ITP (transfer tax), progressive by price band
  • New build: 10% IVA (VAT) + 1.5–2% AJD (stamp duty)
  • Notary + registry + gestoría: €1,500–€4,000 combined
  • Lawyer fees: typically 1% of purchase price (higher for complex AFO cases)
  • Annual IBI: €320 (apartment) to €2,500+ (luxury villa)

Transfer tax — the biggest line item (resale)

Balearic ITP (Impuesto sobre Transmisiones Patrimoniales) is progressive, meaning you pay different rates on different slices of the price.

  • Up to €400,000 — 8%
  • €400,000 to €600,000 — 9% on the portion above €400K
  • €600,000 to €1,000,000 — 10% on the portion above €600K
  • €1,000,000 to €2,000,000 — 12% on the portion above €1M
  • Above €2,000,000 — 13% on the portion above €2M

Worked example — €950,000 resale

€400,000 × 8% = €32,000

€200,000 × 9% = €18,000

€350,000 × 10% = €35,000

Total ITP = €85,000 (about 8.9% effective)

New-build properties pay VAT instead

New builds from a developer pay 10% IVA (value-added tax) plus AJD (stamp duty). AJD is 1.5% up to €1M and 2% above. The combined burden is typically a bit lower than ITP at high price points — worth modelling both if you're choosing between a resale and a new-build in the same band.

Transaction costs that are easy to forget

Beyond the tax, budget for:

  • Notary — €600–€2,500 depending on complexity
  • Land registry — €400–€1,500
  • Gestoría (deals with paperwork) — €300–€1,000
  • Lawyer (your own) — ~1% of purchase price, with minimum ~€2,500
  • Survey / structural (optional but recommended) — €500–€1,500
  • Power of attorney (if buying remotely) — €200–€500

Annual ownership costs

Once you own, the recurring costs are:

  • IBI (property tax) — 0.4–1.1% of cadastral value per year. A €1M apartment in Palma might pay €600–€1,200.
  • Basura (waste collection) — €80–€250 per year
  • Community fees (apartments/townhouses) — €60–€400/month depending on amenities
  • Non-resident income tax — 24% on imputed rent (1.1% of cadastral value) if you don't rent the property out, or on actual rental income if you do
  • Home insurance — €300–€1,000 per year
  • Wealth tax (impuesto sobre el patrimonio) — kicks in above €700K of net Spanish assets; rates 0.28–3.45%

Optimising the tax bill

A few legal structures that mid-to-high-budget buyers regularly use:

  • Spanish SL (limited company) ownership — reduces wealth tax exposure but adds annual compliance (~€1,500/yr) and limits access to personal-use deductions
  • Double-taxation treaty planning — confirm with a cross-border tax adviser before closing, especially if you also own property in the US, UK, or Germany
  • Title in a family trust — rarely used in Spain, generally a net negative for Spanish tax purposes
Nächster Schritt

Bereit zu sehen, was auf dem Markt ist?

Durchsuchen Sie Angebote, die zu dem passen, was Sie gerade gelesen haben.

Search listings in your budget →
Verwandte Ratgeber
Non-resident mortgages — what Spanish banks actually want
Spanish banks lend to non-residents, but the paperwork is heavier and the LTV lower than you'd get at home. Here's exactly what they ask for and the brokers who know the drill.
NIE + gestoría — the first two things every foreign buyer needs
You can't sign a purchase contract, open a bank account, or apply for a mortgage without an NIE. And you can't navigate Spanish bureaucracy without a gestoría. Here's how to get both — fast.
AFO — turning a grey-title finca into a clean buy
A rural Mallorca finca built before 2006 is often technically 'outside planning' — but there's a legal process to regularise it. Here's when AFO works, when it doesn't, and what it costs.