Notarial fees in the Philippines: what's normal, what's gouging, what's actually free

Two readers in the same week asked us the same question, in different words. One said: "I went to a notary in BGC and they charged me PHP 1,500 for a one-page affidavit. Is that normal?" The other said: "There's a notary near our office charging PHP 80. Is it real?"

Both prices were technically legal. Neither was unreasonable in their specific context.

This is what makes notarial fees in the Philippines so confusing. There is no nationwide fixed price. There is no posted menu. The same document can cost PHP 100 in a barangay outside Lucena and PHP 2,000 in a law office in Makati.

Let's go through what you should actually expect.

Why pricing is the way it is

The Supreme Court has not published a national schedule of notarial fees. The 2004 Rules on Notarial Practice — even with the 2025 amendments — leave fee-setting to the individual notary. The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) publishes chapter-level suggested rates, and these vary by city. Beyond those suggestions, notaries set their own prices.

The rule that does exist is this: fees must be reasonable. Courts have consistently disciplined notaries for charging "exploitative" or "unconscionable" amounts. A 2022 case is the often-cited one — a Manila notary was suspended for charging PHP 10,000 for a single Acknowledgment. The court called the fee "unconscionable" and held that it brought disrepute on the profession.

So there's no ceiling on the books. But there's a real ceiling in practice, and any notary who blows past it is risking their commission.

The 2026 range

Based on our own surveys and partner-notary data across the country, here is what we observe:

Affidavits (one signer, one page)

• Neighborhood notary in a small town: PHP 80 to PHP 200
• Notary in a city office or near government windows: PHP 100 to PHP 300
• Notary in a shopping mall or law office: PHP 200 to PHP 500
• Notary in a high-rise law firm in Makati or BGC: PHP 500 to PHP 1,500

Special Power of Attorney (one signer, one specific act)

• Neighborhood notary: PHP 200 to PHP 500
• City office or mall: PHP 300 to PHP 800
• Law office: PHP 1,000 to PHP 3,000, often higher if they also drafted it for you

Deed of Absolute Sale (vehicle, simple)

• Neighborhood notary: PHP 300 to PHP 800
• Mall or law office: PHP 500 to PHP 1,500
• Some notaries calculate as a percentage (often 1%) of the declared price; this is one reason a deed for a PHP 500,000 vehicle can hit PHP 5,000

Deed of Absolute Sale (real property)

• Almost always at a law office or with a partner notary handling other documents
• PHP 1,500 to PHP 6,000 for a simple residential lot transfer, more for complex commercial deals

Acknowledgments (no document drafting)

• Same ranges as affidavits, often slightly lower

Jurat-only (witnessing your oath on a self-drafted document)

• PHP 50 to PHP 200 at the lower end, more if the notary reviewed the document

What you're actually paying for

Three layers of cost go into a notarial fee.

The notarial act itself. This is the time the notary spends checking your ID, witnessing the signing, applying the seal, and entering the document into their notarial register. The act is short — usually five to fifteen minutes — but it carries the notary's professional liability.

Drafting or review. If the notary wrote your document for you (or even just gave it a careful look), that's a separate service. Drafting can add PHP 200 to PHP 1,000 depending on complexity. Some notaries include a quick review in the base fee; others itemize it.

Office overhead. A notary in a BGC tower is paying ten times the rent of one in a barangay. Their fees reflect that. They are also, on average, more careful with documentation and faster with turnaround. You're paying for both.

The fee that's actually free

Buried in the March 2025 amendments to the Notarial Rules is a line that's worth knowing about. Notaries are required to email PDF copies of their monthly notarial records to the clerk of court within the first ten days of the following month. And explicitly: no fee may be collected for this digitization or transmittal.

If a notary tries to add a "digitization fee" or "records-handling fee" to your bill, that's not a real charge. Politely decline.

How to know if you're being overcharged

A few rules of thumb that have served us well.

• A simple affidavit should not exceed PHP 1,500 at any reasonable notary. If it does, ask for the fee breakdown.
• An SPA should not exceed PHP 3,000 unless the notary also drafted it (in which case PHP 3,000 to PHP 5,000 is reasonable for a complex SPA).
• A vehicle Deed of Sale should not exceed 1% of the declared price, capped at around PHP 3,000.
• If the notary refuses to give you a receipt, that's a separate red flag. They are required to issue one.
• If they charge "for the office" plus a separate fee "for the notary", those are not two services. That's one service with markup theater.

What we charge

For transparency: getnotaryo's fee schedule for partner notarizations in 2026 is published here. A simple affidavit through us is PHP 299. An SPA is PHP 599. A vehicle Deed of Sale is PHP 799 plus 0.5% of the declared price (capped at PHP 1,999). All in pesos, all inclusive, no hidden add-ons.

We can be more expensive than a barangay notary. We are usually less expensive than a law office. The difference is that we handle the drafting, the booking, the payment verification, and the delivery — and you don't have to leave wherever you are.

Common questions

Why is there no fixed price for notarial services? The Supreme Court has not set a nationwide schedule of fees. Each Integrated Bar of the Philippines chapter publishes suggested rates that vary by city. Beyond that, individual notaries set their own prices, subject to the rule that fees must be reasonable and not exploitative.

What is the maximum a notary can charge for an affidavit? There is no formal maximum. But in 2022 the Supreme Court suspended a notary for charging PHP 10,000 for a simple acknowledgment, calling the fee exploitative. As a practical ceiling, anything above PHP 1,500 for a one-signer affidavit is unusual.

Are there any notarial services that should be free? Yes. The 2025 amendments to the notarial rules prohibit notaries from charging for digitizing or transmitting their monthly notarial records to the court clerk. If a notary tries to add a charge for "digitization," refuse it.

What to do next

If you'd like the certainty of an upfront, all-inclusive price for your notarization, see our 2026 pricing. You'll know the total before you book.

If you suspect you've been overcharged in the past, you can report it to your local IBP chapter or to the Office of the Bar Confidant. The complaint process is real, and it sometimes leads to sanctions.