A notarial fee is fixed by law and is small — ₹35 to attest a signature, ₹35 to take an affidavit, ₹10 a page for a true copy. What actually costs money is the stamp duty (a government charge, set by the Gujarat Stamp Act) and the drafting (professional work). Anyone quoting you one lump sum without breaking it into those three is not being straight with you.
1. The notarial fee — fixed by Rule 10
Rule 10(1) of the Notaries Rules, 1956 opens with the words "Every notary may charge fees not exceeding the rates mentioned below". These are ceilings. A notary may charge less. He may not charge more, for a notarial act.
The figures below are the ones currently in force under Rule 10(1), and they are checked against the Rules as published by government sources rather than copied from another website. This matters, because a great many notary websites and property portals in India still quote older figures — you will see "₹10" and "₹15 for attestation" reproduced widely, and both are long superseded.
A note on citation, because we would rather be precise than confident: the consolidated copies of the Notaries Rules published by different government departments agree on these figures but cite different notification numbers and dates for the substitution of Rule 10. We therefore cite the Rule rather than a notification number. If you need the exact notification for a formal purpose, ask us and we will give you the copy we hold at the counter.
| Notarial act | Maximum fee | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Verifying, authenticating, certifying or attesting the execution of any instrument | ₹35 | 10(1)(e) |
| Administering an oath to, or taking an affidavit from, any person | ₹35 | 10(1)(g) |
| Certifying copies of documents as true copies of the original | ₹10 per page minimum ₹20 | 10(1)(l) |
| Translating and verifying the translation of a document from one language to another | ₹100 | 10(1)(j) |
| Preparing an instrument intended to take effect outside India | ₹200 | 10(1)(h) |
| Attesting or authenticating an instrument intended to take effect outside India | ₹200 | 10(1)(i) |
| Presenting a promissory note, hundi or bill of exchange for acceptance or payment, or demanding better security | ₹50 | 10(1)(f) |
| Recording a declaration of payment for honour | ₹100 | 10(1)(c) |
| Noting and drawing up a ship's protest, boat protest or demurrage protest | ₹200 | 10(1)(k) |
| Noting an instrument — not exceeding ₹10,000 ₹10,000–25,000 ₹25,000–50,000 above ₹50,000 | ₹50 ₹100 ₹150 ₹200 | 10(1)(a) |
| Protesting an instrument — not exceeding ₹10,000 ₹10,000–25,000 ₹25,000–1,00,000 above ₹1,00,000 | ₹50 ₹100 ₹150 ₹200 | 10(1)(b) |
| Duplicate protest | Half the original charge | 10(1)(d) |
| Travelling allowance where the notary attends at your address, by road or rail | ₹20 per km | 10(3) |
Source: Rule 10, The Notaries Rules, 1956 (as amended), Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law & Justice. Consolidated copies circulating online carry inconsistent notification numbers for the substitution of this rule, and many still reproduce superseded figures — the amounts above are the rates currently in force, and Rule 10(2) requires them to be displayed at our counter, where you can also see them.
Rule 10(2): "The rate of fees to be charged by a notary shall be displayed by him in
conspicuous place inside as well as outside his chamber or office." If a notary's rates are nowhere
on display, that is a rule being ignored.
Rule 11(9): "Every notary shall grant a receipt for the fees and charge realized by him and
maintain a register showing all the fees and charges realized." You are entitled to a receipt. Ask for
one, everywhere, not only here.
2. Stamp duty — a government charge, not our fee
Stamp duty is levied under the Gujarat Stamp Act, 1958. It is not a service charge and no part of it stays with us. As a Government authorised e-Stamping centre (CSC ID 136237240013) we issue the e-stamp certificate at face value, against your document, with a certificate number that anyone can verify online.
How much duty applies depends on which article of the Schedule your document falls under, and for property transactions on consideration or Jantri market value, whichever is higher.
The Gujarat Stamp (Amendment) Act, 2025 restructured several articles — leases and leave-and-licence were rewritten, mortgage duty became a flat figure, loan and debt agreements moved to a tiered structure, and penalties for deficient stamping were raised substantially. Any rate list published before that is unreliable. A list published today will go stale at the next amendment, and somebody will act on it and lose money. We confirm the current duty for your specific document at the counter, which takes a minute and is right.
Be sceptical of any Vadodara website that shows you a confident stamp duty table without a date on it.
3. Drafting and typing — professional work, charged separately
Rule 10 governs the notarial act. It says nothing about drafting, because drafting is not a notarial act — it is professional legal work, and it is the part where skill actually changes the outcome of your document.
What a document costs to draft depends on what it is. An affidavit on a settled point is quick. A banakhat where possession is passing, a partition deed among five heirs, a partnership deed with an exit mechanism, or a will with a life interest — those take real time, and they are the documents where paying for care is cheapest in the long run.
Our drafting charges
| Document | Our drafting charge | Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Standard affidavit name change, one-and-same-person, address, income, character | ₹ ___ | Stamp duty + ₹35 notarial fee |
| Rent agreement — residential, 11 months | ₹ ___ | Stamp duty + ₹35 notarial fee |
| Rent agreement — commercial | ₹ ___ | Stamp duty + ₹35 notarial fee |
| Landlord NOC / consent letter (GST, gas, Gumasta) | ₹ ___ | Stamp duty + ₹35 notarial fee |
| Indemnity bond | ₹ ___ | Stamp duty + ₹35 notarial fee |
| Power of attorney — special / general | ₹ ___ | Stamp duty + ₹35 notarial fee (+ registration where required) |
| Will (વસિયતનામું) | ₹ ___ | No stamp duty on a will. Registration optional. |
| Partnership deed | ₹ ___ | Stamp duty + ₹35 notarial fee |
| Banakhat / satakhat | ₹ ___ | Stamp duty + Sub-Registrar registration |
| Sale deed, gift deed, relinquishment, partition | Quoted on the facts | Stamp duty + Sub-Registrar registration |
| Certified translation — Gujarati ⇄ English | ₹ ___ per page | ₹100 notarial verification fee |
| Legal notice (cheque bounce, rent, recovery) | ₹ ___ | Postage |
Drafting charges are indicative for straightforward matters and are confirmed before work starts. Complex or multi-party documents are quoted on the facts. Stamp duty is a government charge collected at face value. Notarial fees are the statutory maximums above.
Putting it together — what an affidavit actually costs
Take the most common transaction at this counter, a name change affidavit:
- Stamp duty — as currently prescribed for an affidavit under the Gujarat Stamp Act, 1958. Collected at face value; we issue the e-stamp here.
- Drafting — our professional charge for preparing it correctly.
- Notarial fee — ₹35, the statutory maximum under Rule 10(1)(g) for administering the oath and taking the affidavit.
Three lines, three figures, one receipt. That is how it should be quoted, here or anywhere.
1. What is the stamp duty and what is your fee — separately?
2. Are your rates displayed, as Rule 10(2) requires?
3. Will I get a receipt, as Rule 11(9) requires?
Three fair questions. A straight answer to all three tells you most of what you need to know.