Real Estate Registration Cost Calculator

Real estate registration costs refer to all expenses necessary to legally transfer property ownership. As of 2025, the main components are stamp duty, registration fees (paid to the court), and lawyer fees. For a 300 million won apartment, total registration costs are approximately 1-1.5 million won.

Stamp duty is the tax corresponding to revenue stamps attached to registration applications. It varies by property value: 70,000 won for under 100 million won, 150,000 won for 100-500 million won, 350,000 won for 500 million-1 billion won, and 500,000 won for over 1 billion won. As of 2025, the stamp duty law has been revised, reducing the burden compared to before.

Registration fees are costs paid to the court, amounting to 0.2% of property value. A 300 million won apartment costs 600,000 won, 500 million won costs 1 million won, and 1 billion won costs 2 million won. These costs are legally mandated, so they are the same regardless of which lawyer you use.

Lawyer fees are costs paid to lawyers who handle registration work. They are not legally mandated and vary by lawyer, ranging from 300,000 to 1 million won depending on region and office. Generally, higher property values result in higher fees.

Let's examine registration costs by property value as of 2025. For properties under 100 million won: stamp duty 70,000 won, registration fee 200,000 won, lawyer fee 300,000-500,000 won, totaling 570,000-770,000 won. For small properties, registration costs are relatively high as a proportion.

For 100-300 million won: stamp duty 150,000 won, registration fee 200,000-600,000 won, lawyer fee 500,000-700,000 won, totaling 850,000-1,450,000 won. The 200-300 million won range has the most apartments, averaging 1-1.2 million won in registration costs.

For 300-500 million won: stamp duty 150,000 won, registration fee 600,000-1 million won, lawyer fee 700,000-900,000 won, totaling 1,450,000-2,050,000 won. For 400-500 million won apartments, expect around 1.5-1.8 million won in registration costs.

For 500 million-1 billion won: stamp duty 350,000 won, registration fee 1-2 million won, lawyer fee 900,000-1.2 million won, totaling 2,250,000-3,550,000 won. High-value properties over 1 billion won: stamp duty 500,000 won, registration fee over 2 million won, lawyer fee 1.2-1.5 million won, totaling over 3.7 million won.

Regional differences exist. Seoul Gangnam area has higher lawyer fees, while provincial areas are relatively cheaper. For the same 300 million won apartment, Seoul costs 1.2-1.5 million won while provincial areas cost 900,000-1.1 million won, a difference of 300,000-400,000 won.

Lawyer fees are negotiable, not legally mandated. With strategic approach, you can save 20-30%. First, get quotes from multiple law offices. Inquire at least 3 places to choose the cheapest.

Second, use lawyers you find directly, not those introduced by real estate agents. Through agents, introduction fees are paid to agents, increasing fees by 100,000-200,000 won. Finding lawyers through internet search or personal referrals saves money.

Third, get discounts by requesting both registration and loan-related work (mortgage registration) together. Many places discount 200,000-300,000 won when handling ownership transfer and mortgage registration simultaneously. If taking a loan, definitely request quotes together.

Fourth, use local lawyers. Lawyers near the property location often have cheaper fees due to saved transportation costs and time. Even for Seoul properties, you don't need to use Seoul lawyers.

Fifth, use off-season periods. January and August have low real estate transactions, so lawyers offer many discounts. Conversely, March-April and November-December are busy periods with high fees and difficult discounts.

Beyond registration costs, additional expenses occur during real estate transactions. The largest is acquisition tax. Housing is 1-3% of value, officetels and commercial properties are 4.6%. For a 300 million won apartment, acquisition tax is about 3-9 million won, 3-9 times registration costs.

Real estate register issuance costs exist. You'll need to issue them multiple times before and after registration, 1,000 won per copy. Usually 5-10 copies, so 5,000-10,000 won. Electronic registers from the Internet Registration Office are cheaper at 700 won.

Registration certificate application fees also exist. After registration completes, issuing a registration certificate costs 5,000 won. Nowadays, electronic registration is common, so many don't issue certificates.

Transportation and daily allowances must be considered. If lawyers must travel to the site, they may charge separate transportation and daily fees. For distant properties, 100,000-300,000 won in additional costs occur.

If there's a loan, mortgage registration costs are added. Separate from ownership transfer registration, mortgage registration must be done, costing 500,000-1 million won including stamp duty, registration fees, and lawyer fees. Larger loan amounts mean higher costs.

Self-registration without lawyers is possible. You can save 300,000-1 million won in lawyer fees, worth considering if cost burden is high. Online application through the Internet Registration Office is much easier than before.

Advantages of self-registration: First, cost savings. Full lawyer fees are saved, reducing total registration costs by 30-50%. Second, free schedule control. No need to wait for lawyer schedules; apply whenever you want.

Third, directly learning document preparation and procedures increases real estate knowledge. Fourth, privacy is protected by not providing personal information to agents or lawyers.

Disadvantages: First, significant time and effort required. Document preparation, registration office visits, responding to supplementation requests require at least 2-3 days investment. Second, legal knowledge needed. Must accurately know registration document preparation, attachment types, tax calculation, etc.

Third, risk of mistakes. Errors can cause registration rejection or delays. Fourth, complex cases are difficult. Joint names, including loans, share transfers require professional help.

To self-register, access the Internet Registration Office (www.iros.go.kr), log in with certificate, select registration application menu. Scan and attach sales contracts, seal certificates, resident registration, etc., fill out forms accordingly. If the court requests supplementation, correct and resubmit.

Lawyer fees vary considerably by region. Seoul Gangnam area (Gangnam, Seocho, Songpa) is most expensive at 700,000-900,000 won for 300 million won apartments. High property prices and active transactions create high lawyer demand.

Seoul Gangbuk area (Gangbuk, Nowon, Dobong) is 500,000-700,000 won, about 200,000 won cheaper than Gangnam. Lower transaction volume and fierce lawyer competition reduce fees. Yeongdeungpo, Guro, Geumcheon and other southwest areas are similar.

Gyeonggi Province (Suwon, Seongnam, Goyang, Bucheon) is 400,000-600,000 won, 100,000-200,000 won cheaper than Seoul. New cities have more transactions and are somewhat expensive, while old downtowns are cheaper. Paju, Gimpo, Hwaseong and other outskirts are even cheaper.

Busan, Daegu, Gwangju and other provincial metropolitan cities are 300,000-500,000 won. Lower property prices than Seoul and sufficient lawyer numbers create competition and lower prices. Haeundae, Suseong-gu and other upscale residential areas may be somewhat expensive.

Provincial small cities and rural areas are 200,000-400,000 won, cheapest. Low transaction volume makes lawyers accept low fees to secure work. However, few lawyers limit choices, and distant travel fees may be added.

When purchasing housing with a loan, mortgage registration must be done separately from ownership transfer registration. Mortgages establish collateral rights on property to guarantee loan repayment. Mortgage registration costs are 40-60% of ownership transfer costs.

Mortgage registration stamp duty is 0.2% of maximum bond amount (120% of loan amount). For 200 million won loan, maximum bond is 240 million won, stamp duty is 480,000 won. Much more expensive than ownership transfer stamp duty (150,000 won).

Mortgage registration fees are 0.2% of maximum bond amount, same as ownership transfer. 200 million won loan is 480,000 won, 300 million won loan is 720,000 won. Larger loans significantly increase costs.

Lawyer fees add 300,000-500,000 won. Requesting together with ownership transfer often gets discounts to 200,000-300,000 won. Some banks cover costs if proceeding through designated lawyers.

Total mortgage registration costs are 1.2-1.5 million won for 200 million won loan, 1.5-1.8 million won for 300 million won loan. Combined with ownership transfer costs, purchasing 300 million won housing with 200 million won loan means total registration costs of 2.2-3 million won.

Early loan repayment requires mortgage cancellation registration. Cancellation registration is simple: stamp duty 20,000 won, registration fee 6,000 won, lawyer fee 100,000-200,000 won, totaling 120,000-220,000 won. Self-registration saves lawyer fees.

Registration costs vary by property type. General housing (apartments, villas, detached houses) is the most basic case, applying the cost structure explained earlier. About 1-1.5 million won for 300 million won.

Officetels are divided into residential and commercial use. Residential registration is same as housing, but commercial registration has 10-20% higher lawyer fees. Higher complexity and acquisition tax make overall costs higher than housing.

Commercial properties (neighborhood commercial facilities) are 20-30% more expensive than housing. Higher lawyer fees and additional work like tenant status confirmation and rights analysis. 300 million won commercial property is about 1.2-1.8 million won.

Land is cheaper than housing. No buildings make registration simpler and lawyer work less, reducing fees 20-30%. However, farmland requires farmland acquisition certification, adding 100,000-200,000 won more than general land.

Factories, warehouses and other industrial properties are similar to commercial properties. Large complex cases may have higher lawyer fees. Pre-sale rights and occupancy rights are 10-20% cheaper than general properties. Registration procedures are simpler as ownership isn't fully confirmed yet.

Joint names are 100,000-200,000 won more expensive than single names. Share-based calculation and doubled documents increase lawyer fees. Spousal joint names are common but consider higher costs.

Q1. Who pays registration costs? A. Legally, buyer and seller share equally, but practically, buyers pay full amount as custom. Without contract specification, assumed buyer pays.

Q2. When do you pay registration costs? A. Pay lawyer on final payment day. Not paid during deposit or interim payment, settled with receipt after registration completes.

Q3. Can sellers choose lawyers? A. Buyers paying registration costs should choose lawyers. No obligation to use seller-designated lawyers.

Q4. Are registration cost quotes free? A. Most lawyers provide free quotes. Good to request and compare from multiple places.

Q5. Are registration cost discounts possible? A. Lawyer fees are negotiable. Get 10-30% discounts through including mortgage registration, multiple simultaneous requests, referrals, etc.

Q6. Do delays cause additional costs? A. Basically no additional costs, but if buyer document delays not lawyer fault, additional costs may be charged.

Q7. Should you receive registration cost receipt? A. Must receive. Needed for tax filing as necessary expenses and evidence for later disputes.

Q8. Are foreigner registration costs same? A. Basic costs same, but 20-30% higher lawyer fees due to additional work like translated document preparation.

Q9. Are inheritance and gift registration costs different? A. 10-20% cheaper than sales. Lower acquisition tax rates and simpler procedures reduce overall costs.

Q10. When are registers issued after registration? A. Available immediately after registration completion. Usually completes within 1-3 days of application, verifiable on Internet Registration Office.

New apartment pre-sales have different registration cost structures than general sales. No registration at pre-sale contract time; first ownership preservation registration at move-in time. Preservation registration is simpler than transfer registration, 10-20% cheaper.

Preservation registration stamp duty is 0.2% of pre-sale price. 300 million won pre-sale is 600,000 won. However, as of 2025, housing preservation registration is stamp duty exempt, actually 0 won. Transfer registration has no exemption, so new construction is advantageous.

Registration fees are same 0.2% as transfer registration. 300 million won is 600,000 won. Lawyer fees are 300,000-500,000 won, similar or slightly cheaper than transfer registration.

Total preservation registration costs are 900,000-1.1 million won for 300 million won, 100,000-400,000 won cheaper than transfer registration (1-1.5 million won). Stamp duty exemption benefit is large.

However, mid-course pre-sale rights sales add registration costs. Pre-sale rights transfer registration at sale time, then preservation registration at move-in time means double registration costs. Avoiding pre-sale rights sales saves costs.

Group loans (interim loans) require provisional registration at interim payment. Provisional registration costs 300,000-500,000 won, separate from move-in main registration costs. With funds available, avoiding group loans reduces registration costs.

First, choose lawyers directly. Finding yourself rather than agent introductions saves 200,000-300,000 won. Use internet search, referrals, lawyer association websites.

Second, get and compare quotes from at least 3 places. Lawyer fees vary 20-50%, so comparison is essential. Get simple quotes by phone or KakaoTalk.

Third, request mortgage registration together. Requesting ownership transfer and mortgage simultaneously gets 200,000-300,000 won discounts. With loans, definitely request quotes together.

Fourth, target off-seasons. January and August have low real estate transactions, so lawyers offer many discounts. If adjustable, choose off-season final payment timing.

Fifth, use local lawyers. Lawyers near property have cheaper fees without transportation costs. Distant lawyers add 100,000-300,000 won travel fees.

Sixth, utilize online lawyers. Online specialist lawyers are 20-30% cheaper than offline. All procedures can proceed online without visits.

Seventh, consider self-registration for simple cases. Save full 300,000-1 million won lawyer fees. Following Internet Registration Office guidance isn't as hard as you think.

Eighth, pay stamp duty with electronic revenue stamps. More convenient than buying paper stamps at post offices, with discounts. Direct payment possible on Internet Registration Office.

Ninth, reduce unnecessary document issuance. Minimize multiple issuances of registers, land registers, building registers to save 10,000-20,000 won.

Tenth, keep registration cost receipts well. Recognized as necessary expenses for capital gains tax filing to reduce taxes. Hard to reissue later, so definitely keep.