German land registry extract (Grundbuchauszug) explained

In Germany you do not get a title deed. Ownership and the rights over a property live in the land register (Grundbuch), kept by the land registry office (Grundbuchamt) at the local court (Amtsgericht). What the agent or notary sends you is a printout from it, usually called a Grundbuchauszug. It tells you who owns the land, which rights other people hold over it and which loans are secured on it. It does not tell you whether you can build, and that gap catches many foreign buyers.

This guide walks through a sample extract, section by section, and lists what to ask for before the notary appointment.

Words you will see

Words you will see

German	Meaning
Grundbuch	Land register
Grundbuchamt	Land registry office at the local court
Aufschrift	Cover sheet: court, register district, sheet number
Bestandsverzeichnis	Property list: the parcels on this sheet
Gemarkung, Flur, Flurstück	Cadastral district, map sheet, parcel number
Abteilung I	Section I: owners
Abteilung II	Section II: burdens and restrictions
Abteilung III	Section III: mortgages and land charges
Grundschuld	Land charge securing a bank loan
Auflassungsvormerkung	Priority notice protecting the buyer before transfer
Löschungsbewilligung	Bank's consent to delete a charge
Baulast	Building encumbrance kept in a separate register (most states, not Bavaria)

Source: Figures from this guide, documented under “Sources”

Who can get it and what it costs

Under § 12 of the Land Register Code (Grundbuchordnung, GBO), you need a legitimate interest to see the register. The courts name owners and holders of rights over the land; curiosity is not enough. A prospective buyer usually receives the extract from the seller, the agent with the seller's authority, or the notary preparing the contract.

Fees are set nationally in the court and notary fees act (GNotKG): €10 for a simple printout (KV 17000) and €20 for an official certified one (KV 17001), as the Berlin and Hamburg court portals state. A simple printout is enough for your checks. Ask for one dated a few weeks before signing, not months.

The five parts

The layout follows the Land Register Regulation (Grundbuchverfügung) and is the same everywhere:

Part	What it contains	What you check
Cover sheet	Court, district, sheet number	It is the right sheet
Property list	Each parcel: district, map sheet, parcel number, use and location, area	Every parcel you are buying is listed
Section I	Owners and how they acquired	The sellers are the registered owners
Section II	Rights of others except mortgages	Which rights stay with the land
Section III	Mortgages, land charges	What is deleted before you pay

Entries struck through or underlined in red are deleted. They stay visible but have no effect.

Property list: what you are actually buying

Each line gives a running number, the cadastral district, map sheet and parcel, the type of use and location (for example "building and open space, Lindenweg 5") and the area in square metres.

• A driveway or path missing. Houses set back from the road often reach it over a separate parcel, sometimes held in shares. If it is not listed, it is not part of the sale.
• Area different from the listing. The register takes the area from the cadastre. If the agent's figure differs, the official one counts.
• "Building and open space" is not a planning permission. The use type describes what is there, not what may be built. Building rights come from the municipality's development plan or the building code, not from the register.

Section I: who can sell

Section I lists the owners and the basis of acquisition, such as a purchase or inheritance, with shares where there are several. Check that the people signing are the people registered. If the owners are a group of heirs, all of them must sign, which can take time when one lives abroad.

Section II: rights that stay with the land

This is the section to read twice. It holds easements such as rights of way and pipe or cable rights, usufruct (Nießbrauch), residence rights (Wohnungsrecht), rights of first refusal, notices and restrictions such as a forced-sale notice (Zwangsversteigerungsvermerk). When you buy, the notary first registers a priority notice for you here (Auflassungsvormerkung), which protects you between contract and transfer.

These rights do not disappear when you pay. They pass to you with the land, and they rank ahead of the entries in Section III.

Section II: rights that stay with the land

Entry in Section II	What it means for you	What to ask for
Right of way for parcel X	A neighbour may cross your land	The registered grant with its plan
Pipe or cable right	Utility line underground; no building over it	Grant and the utility's plan
Usufruct	Someone else may use the property or take rent	Whether it will be deleted
Residence right	Someone else may live in (part of) the house	Deletion before signing, or a lower price
Right of first refusal	A third party can step into your contract	Written waiver
Forced-sale notice	A court sale is under way	Do not proceed without the creditors and the notary

Source: Figures from this guide, documented under “Sources”

The entry itself is one line. What exactly is allowed is in the original grant it refers to. Ask the notary for that document before you sign.

Section III: charges to be deleted

Section III lists mortgages and land charges with amount and creditor. A land charge stays registered after the loan is repaid, until the bank consents to deletion.

At completion the notary obtains the bank's consent to deletion in public or certified form; the owner also consents in certified form (§ 27 GBO, § 1183 Civil Code, as Justice NRW explains). If the seller's loan is still running, part of your price goes straight to the bank in exchange for that consent. A €150,000 land charge on a €400,000 purchase is routine if the contract deals with it. A charge the contract does not mention is not.

A sample, read line by line

The example below is invented to show the structure; names and numbers are not real.

• Cover sheet: Local court of Musterstadt, register of Nordfeld, sheet 1234.
• Property list: No. 1: Nordfeld, map sheet 3, parcel 110, building and open space, Lindenweg 5, 640 m². No. 2: Nordfeld, map sheet 3, parcel 111, road, 85 m², one-third share.
• Section I: Anna and Bernd Beispiel, half each.
• Section II: No. 1, on property no. 1: cable right for the municipal utility. No. 2, on property no. 1: residence right for Clara Beispiel.
• Section III: No. 1, on property no. 1: land charge of €180,000 for Musterbank.

Read it like this: you buy the house plot and a third of the access road; both owners sign; the cable right stays, so ask for the utility's plan; the residence right must be deleted or priced in; the land charge is paid off from your price and deleted.

What the extract does not show

• Building rights: in the municipality's plans.
• Building encumbrances (Baulasten): in a separate register at the building authority in most states; Bavaria keeps no such register and secures these duties through entries in the land register instead.
• Contamination, flood risk, nature and heritage protection: separate registers and maps.
• Unpaid road development charges: ask the municipality.

A GrundCheck report brings together the planning, protection, flood and contamination maps for a parcel, each with source and date. It does not show the land register; you read that yourself with this guide. Select the parcel on the map and order the report, from €29 → · See a sample report

Buying from abroad

You will sign the purchase contract before a German notary, in German. If your German is not fluent, the notary needs an interpreter or a translation for you; tell them early. The notary handles registration, the priority notice and deletions, but acts for both parties. A lawyer of your own can read the extract with you before the appointment. Our guide to buying land from abroad covers the rest of the process.

Sources

• Land Register Code (GBO), §§ 12, 27; Land Register Regulation (structure), commentary at haufe.de, accessed via search engine 2.11.2026.
• Berlin courts, land register printouts (fees KV 17000/17001 GNotKG), berlin.de; Hamburg, hamburg.de, accessed via search engine 2.11.2026.
• Bavarian justice portal, application for a land register extract (legitimate interest), justiz.bayern.de, 2.11.2026.
• Sparkasse, land register sections and priority notice, sparkasse.de; IHK Magdeburg (section II ranks before III), ihk.de, accessed via search engine 2.11.2026.
• Justice NRW, land register procedure (deletion, § 27 GBO, § 1183 BGB), justiz.nrw; Bremen, deletion of rights, service.bremen.de, 2.11.2026.
• Building encumbrance registers by state (Bavaria without one), haufe.de, accessed via search engine 2.11.2026.