Notary basics in Vaud
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In Vaud, a notary (notaire) is a lawyer given public authority by the State to draw up official deeds. Newcomers usually meet one to get a signature certified, but notaries also handle wills, powers of attorney and company founding. This page explains what they do, how fees are set and how to find one. It does not cover buying property or leases.
Key facts
- Only notaries certify signatures in Vaud: "dans le canton de Vaud, la loi accorde uniquement au notaire la compétence pour authentifier une signature" (Association des Notaires Vaudois, ANV).
- Fees follow a cantonal tariff set by the Council of State (Tarif des notaires, TNo, BLV 178.11.2), plus fees for preparatory work (TNo art. 1).
- Signature certification: CHF 20 to 50 per deed (TNo art. 29).
- Free-ish first advice: the ANV runs a walk-in desk in Lausanne, about 15 to 20 minutes for CHF 30, cash only (ANV, Permanence).
1. What a notary does (outside housing)
- Certifying signatures (légalisation de signature): the notary confirms that you are the person who signed. You sign in front of the notary or confirm your signature to them, and you must prove your identity (Vaud notary law, LNo art. 64). Common cases listed by the ANV: commercial register filings, withdrawing pension money (2nd pillar or pillar 3a), and travel consent for minors.
- Certified copies (copie conforme, copie vidimée): a copy certified as matching the original.
- Documents for abroad: after the notary step, the Lausanne prefecture adds an apostille or legalisation. That chain, and notary authentication of translations, is covered in Apostille, legalisation and translation.
- Wills and inheritance (testament, succession): a notary can draw up a public will (testament authentique) or an inheritance pact (pacte successoral), and advise on heirs and the share the law reserves for some of them (réserve) (ANV, Succession).
- Powers of attorney (procuration) and the advance care directive for incapacity (mandat pour cause d'inaptitude). The latter can be handwritten, dated and signed by you, or signed in front of a notary (ANV).
- Founding a company: a limited company (Sàrl) or company limited by shares (SA) is founded by notarial deed. For a Sàrl the ANV states a minimum capital of CHF 20,000, fully paid in at founding (ANV, Sociétés).
- Marriage contracts (contrat de mariage): see Marriage: civil procedure in Vaud for the civil side.
2. Fees: the Vaud notary tariff
A notary charges a fixed-range fee for the deed (émolument) from the tariff, plus fees for work before and after it (honoraires), based on importance, difficulty and result (TNo art. 1).
| Act | Tariff range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Signature certification, visa or attestation on one deed | CHF 20 to 50 for all operations | TNo art. 29 |
| Certified copy, power of attorney, authorisation, life certificate | CHF 20 to 500 | TNo art. 30 |
| Extra copy of a deed | CHF 20 to 200 | TNo art. 31 |
| Public will or inheritance pact | CHF 100 to 2,000 | TNo art. 12 |
| Founding deed of an SA or Sàrl (statutes not included) | CHF 200 to 2,000, plus a per mille charge on the capital (3 ‰ up to CHF 100,000) | TNo art. 26 |
- People without resources can ask the notary for a full or partial fee waiver (TNo).
- The amounts above are from the tariff in force since 1 March 2016 (TNo, BLV 178.11.2); the 2016 revision changed the scale for property transfers (art. 14), not the items in the table.
- To verify: whether VAT is added on top. Ask for an estimate before you book.
3. How to find a notary
- The Association des Notaires Vaudois (ANV), which groups all notaries in the canton, publishes a directory searchable by district (ANV, Trouver un notaire).
- ANV office: Route du Lac 2, 1094 Paudex, 021 310 07 70, Monday to Friday 8:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00 (ANV, Contact).
- Walk-in advice desk (Permanence des notaires): Lausanne, Thursdays 16:30 to 19:30, no appointment, Pont Charles Bessières 3; Yverdon one Tuesday a month by registration. No sessions in school holidays or on public holidays. The desk does not certify signatures or copies (ANV, Permanence).
- The Chambre des notaires is the State's disciplinary authority for notaries, to which the department can delegate supervision (Vaud notary law, LNo art. 89). Complaints about a notary's conduct go there or to the department; it is not a directory service.
- For free or low-cost legal advice beyond notary matters, see Free legal advice for students.