How much does title transfer cost in the Philippines?

Transferring a land title in the Philippines costs roughly 8 to 10 percent of the property’s value in taxes and fees. The main components are capital gains tax at 6 percent, documentary stamp tax at 1.5 percent, local transfer tax of up to 0.5 percent in provinces or 0.75 percent in Metro Manila, registration fees of about 0.25 percent under the Registry of Deeds’ graduated schedule, plus notarial and processing costs. Each tax is computed on the selling price, the BIR zonal value, or the fair market value, whichever is highest.

By Jose Dante Almeda Jr., PRC Licensed Real Estate Appraiser No. 11261 & Licensed Real Estate Broker No. 33179 · Last updated July 2026

The full cost breakdown

• Capital gains tax (CGT): 6%. Computed on the highest of the selling price, zonal value, or fair market value. By law and custom this falls on the seller, though parties sometimes negotiate otherwise in the deed.
• Documentary stamp tax (DST): 1.5%. Same tax base as the CGT. Usually shouldered by the buyer.
• Local transfer tax: up to 0.5% in provinces, up to 0.75% in Metro Manila cities. Paid to the city or municipal treasurer where the property sits. Typically the buyer’s.
• Registration fee: about 0.25%. Paid to the Registry of Deeds under its graduated schedule.
• Notarial fee. Commonly quoted at 1 to 2 percent of the property value, though this is negotiable and sometimes fixed.
• Processing or service fee. If you hire someone to walk the papers through the BIR, treasurer, Registry, and assessor, published rates commonly run in the twenty to thirty thousand peso range depending on location and complexity.

A worked example

Take a ₱3,000,000 sale in Cavite where the selling price is also the highest value: CGT is ₱180,000, DST is ₱45,000, the provincial transfer tax is up to ₱15,000, and registration runs around ₱7,500. Before notarial and processing costs, that is roughly ₱247,500, a little over 8 percent. This is why the tax base matters: if the zonal value were higher than your selling price, every one of those figures would rise with it. Our guide to zonal value vs fair market value explains that mechanism.

The deadlines that bite

The CGT must be paid within 30 days of notarizing the deed, and the DST return is filed early in the month after signing. Miss these and the BIR adds surcharges and interest that grow with time. Real property tax (amilyar) must also be current before the treasurer will issue a tax clearance. Only after the BIR issues the eCAR can the Registry of Deeds issue the new title, and the final step is a new tax declaration at the assessor’s office.

Inherited property is a different route

If the property is being transferred because the owner passed away, there is no CGT. The estate pays estate tax at 6 percent of the net estate instead, and the process runs through an estate settlement first. We cover that in our guide to appraisal for extrajudicial settlement.

Our title transfer service handles the entire chain, from computation to the new tax declaration, and because the firm is run by a licensed real estate appraiser in the Philippines and broker, the valuations behind the taxes are done right the first time. Book a free consultation for a computation on your exact property.