Basic Concept and Components of Real Estate Registration Costs
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.