Buying a piece of land or splitting a parcel

Two routes: survey first or transfer first

Selling part of a parcel creates a new boundary. Kadaster describes two routes. You can have the boundary recorded first with Splitsen van percelen (splitting parcels). The new boundary must then be visible on the ground, you must be the owner or authorised, and you must be able to wait at least 20 working days for the transfer. A surveyor records the boundary and you receive the new parcel numbers. You then arrange the sale with a notary.

In all other cases you arrange the transfer with the notary first and Kadaster records the boundary afterwards. The same steps apply if the municipality sells you a small piece of municipal land. The municipality decides on the sale itself.

The splitting fee is €510 times the net increase in parcels: the number of new parcels minus the number of old parcels (2026 fee). Splitting one parcel into two therefore costs €510. For a part smaller than 100 m² and worth less than €6,500, Kadaster refers you to a notary.

Kadaster — Stuk grond (ver)kopen · Kadaster — Splitsen van percelen · Kadaster — Splitsen perceel in 5 stappen

The notary and the deed of transfer

Ownership passes only with a notarial deed of transfer, followed by its registration in the public registers. The new boundary must be shown with the deed. Often the notary first draws a provisional cadastral boundary, which creates new parcel numbers straight away. Otherwise a drawing is registered with the deed. As a private individual you may not draw provisional boundaries yourself.

If there is a mortgage on the parcel, the mortgage lender must cooperate. The notary may only execute the deed once the mortgage on the part being sold has been cancelled. Discuss this with your bank and the notary in good time.

Kadaster’s fees for forming and surveying the new parcels are in its list of fees. They are charged through the notary when the deed is registered. Buyer and seller agree between themselves who pays them.

wetten.overheid.nl — Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 3 (art. 3:16 en 3:89) · Kadaster — Wie mag een voorlopige grens tekenen? · Kadaster — Voorlopige kadastrale grenzen (Splits) · KNB — Royement · Kadaster — Wat is een doorhaling van een hypotheek? · Kadaster — Tarieven 2026 (pdf)

After the transfer: pointing out and surveying

After registration you receive a letter from Kadaster. Once the boundary is visible on the ground, Kadaster invites the buyer and seller to point it out together to the surveyor. The invitation arrives about two weeks in advance.

Within three months of the survey you receive a second letter with the final boundary and the registered area. That area may differ from the size stated in the deed. Mark the boundary clearly beforehand, for example with posts, and agree where it lies: if the buyer and seller disagree, Kadaster cannot record the boundary.

Kadaster — Erfgrenzen definitief vastleggen

What you may do with the land: the environmental plan

Kadaster and the notary deal with ownership and the boundary. What you may build on the land and how you may use it is set out in the municipality’s environmental plan. If your plan does not fit the environmental plan, you need an environmental permit for an activity outside the plan (buitenplanse omgevingsplanactiviteit). The municipality decides whether to grant it.

Fictional example: you buy a 40 m² strip behind your garden to put up a shed. Before buying, check in Regels op de kaart which rules apply to that strip and use the permit check in the Omgevingsloket. If the shed is not allowed there, buying the land does not change that.

Dividing a building into apartment rights is something else. A building with its land is divided into apartment rights by a notarial deed of division, followed by registration. An owners’ association (Vereniging van Eigenaars) is created, and every apartment owner is a member by law.

IPLO — Buitenplanse omgevingsplanactiviteit · Rijksoverheid — Wanneer moet ik een omgevingsvergunning aanvragen? · Omgevingsloket — Regels op de kaart · wetten.overheid.nl — Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 5 (art. 5:106–5:125)