eNoVA is moving the exchange between notary offices, courts and public authorities to electronic procedures step by step – notarial certification remains the decisive starting point.
Key points
- Since 1 October 2026, the first electronic obligations have applied to tax notifications and communication with courts.
- From 1 January 2027, the exchange with the authorities and expert valuation committees covered by the law will be mandatory in electronic form.
- The changeover mainly concerns the processing after notarial certification. It neither makes property purchase contracts signature-free across the board nor guarantees a faster entry in the land register.
When buying property in Germany, less paper is set to travel between notary offices, courts and administration in future. However, the Act on the Digitalisation of the Execution of Real Estate Contracts introduces the electronic notary–administration exchange (eNoVA, elektronischer Notar-Verwaltungs-Austausch) in stages. For buyers, this means: the next major deadline is 1 January 2027 – and the change mainly affects the processing after the appointment at the notary’s office.
What is changing when buying property
A notarised property purchase contract is not fully completed once it has been signed. Afterwards, depending on the case, notary offices must send data and documents to tax offices, courts, municipalities and expert valuation committees, for example, or receive them back from these bodies. Until now, part of this exchange was still carried out on paper. eNoVA is intended to link these procedural steps with structured data records and electronic documents.
The German Bundestag describes the purpose of the law as the digitalisation of the exchange of documents and data when executing contracts. Notarial certification itself is not abolished as a result; for property purchase contracts, Section 311b(1) of the German Civil Code (BGB) still requires notarial certification. For consumers, this is the key distinction: the reform applies after or around the appointment at the notary’s office; it is not a general online purchasing procedure for real estate.
The German Federal Government expects that fewer media breaks (switches between paper and digital formats) can reduce time and material costs and speed up transfers of ownership in the land register. However, the law does not promise a fixed processing time or a guaranteed faster entry. Completion in the land register still depends on the necessary supporting documents and the bodies involved.
The timetable runs in several stages
The German Federal Chamber of Notaries (Bundesnotarkammer) summarises the staggered obligations as follows:
- Since 1 October 2026: The electronic notification of sale to the tax office and certain communication channels with the courts are mandatory in digital form.
- From 1 January 2027: The communication with authorities and expert valuation committees covered by the law will be conducted electronically on a mandatory basis, in both directions. This includes, for example, certain enquiries about pre-emption rights and approvals.
- From 1 January 2028: The tax offices are to send the tax clearance certificate (Unbedenklichkeitsbescheinigung) back to the notary offices electronically.
For the electronic notification to the inheritance and gift tax office, the Federal Chamber of Notaries does not name a fixed start date. It links the start to the existence of the technical and organisational prerequisites. It would therefore be wrong to present all components of the reform as having started simultaneously and in full.
What buyers can take from this
Anyone currently buying a property does not have to operate an application of their own because of eNoVA. The statutory transmission obligations are addressed to notary offices and the respective bodies covered. For buyers, a better connected process may become indirectly relevant if documents and responses reach the parties involved more quickly. Whether and when this becomes noticeable in an individual case cannot be reliably predicted from this.
Digitalisation also has its limits: according to the information provided by the Federal Chamber of Notaries, certain pre-emption rights and approvals under the law of the federal states are not covered by the federal statutory obligation. Likewise, individual administrative channels remain excluded for the time being. The actual changeover is therefore staggered and may continue to include analogue steps alongside digital ones.
For your own planning, the reliable point of contact remains the notary office carrying out the certification. Buyers should continue to observe the conditions set out in the purchase contract and stated by the notary office, for example regarding when the purchase price becomes due and the transfer of ownership. The reform replaces neither this guidance nor the examination of the specific contract.
Frequently asked questions
Will I have to sign my property purchase online from 2027?
No. eNoVA mainly regulates the electronic exchange of information and documents between notary offices, courts and authorities when executing the contract. Section 311b(1) of the German Civil Code (BGB) still requires notarial certification of a property purchase contract. eNoVA is not a general online procedure that replaces this form.
Is my land register entry guaranteed to be faster as a result?
No. The Federal Government expects fewer media breaks to speed things up, but does not name a fixed processing deadline. The specific process still depends on the necessary documents and the bodies involved.
What starts on 1 January 2027?
From this date, the communication of notary offices with the authorities and expert valuation committees covered will be mandatory in electronic form, in both directions. Certain procedures under the law of the federal states are exempt from this.
Are you about to buy a property? Which procedural steps would you like to have explained more clearly? Write your question in the comments.
Sources and status
- German Federal Chamber of Notaries: eNoVA – first obligations and staggered timetable
- German Federal Government: Digitalisation of the execution of real estate contracts
- German Bundestag: Purpose of the law and procedure for digital contract execution
- German Civil Code (BGB), Section 311b(1): notarial certification of property contracts
Research and data as of: 1 November 2026.
Transparency: This article was researched and written with the support of artificial intelligence and is intended for human editorial review.
