What it costs to buy property in Saint Martin
A foreign buyer should budget roughly 9.0%–10.0% of the purchase price on top of the price itself. No licence or permit is required.
What you pay
- Registration duties (droits d'enregistrement)8.0% of the price$40,000
- Notaire's emoluments and formalities1.0%–2.0% of the price$5,000–$10,000
| On a purchase of | $250,000 | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration duties (droits d'enregistrement) | $20,000 | $40,000 | $80,000 |
| Notaire's emoluments and formalities | $2,500 – $5,000 | $5,000 – $10,000 | $10,000 – $20,000 |
| Total on top of the price | 9.0%–10.0% | 9.0%–10.0% | 9.0%–10.0% |
Can you buy as a foreigner?
No licence required
French territory, so there is no licence, permit or nationality test — a foreign buyer acquires on the same terms as a resident. The sale completes before a notaire, a public officer whose fees follow a national scale rather than negotiation, and the deed is registered with the Collectivité's own tax service rather than the French state's.
No approval to wait for
With no permission to obtain, the timeline is set by conveyancing rather than by a government queue.
Take it with you
These figures as a PDF, worked out at the price you enter, with every source and the date it was checked.
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Nearby markets compared
What a foreign buyer pays on top of a $500,000 price, here and in the markets around it nearest in cost.
- SabaNo licence7.1%–8.1%
- Saint MartinNo licence9.0%–10.0%
- Antigua and BarbudaLicence needed9.5%–10.0%
- MontserratLicence needed9.8%–10.3%
- AnguillaLicence needed10.1%–17.6%
An estimate for budgeting, not legal or tax advice. These rates are traced to published sources but have not been reviewed by a practitioner in this jurisdiction. Confirm the current position with an attorney before you commit.
The 8% duty is from the Collectivité's own tax service. The notaire's range is worked from the national emoluments scale rather than a published Saint-Martin figure. Together they come to 9–10% of price — more than Guadeloupe's 7–8% and far more than the 5–6% across the border in Sint Maarten.