Estate Planning · France
Estate planning lawyer in France
French succession law reserves part of every estate for the testator’s descendants, so a will alone rarely settles the whole picture. We match you with an estate planning lawyer in France who deals with wills, gifts, matrimonial regimes and French property held from abroad. The matching service is free and without obligation.
- Specialists in forced heirship and French succession law
- Cross-border estates and French property owned from abroad
- Free matching, first response usually within 24–48 hours
We do not practise law. We pass your request only to independent lawyers registered with a French bar.
Get matched with a lawyer
Tell us about your situation and receive a free, confidential case review.
The French framework
Why estate planning in France needs local expertise
Planning what happens to your assets in France is not simply a question of writing a will. French succession law protects children through the réserve héréditaire, so a testator can never freely dispose of the whole estate, and the share that may be given away shrinks as the number of children grows. If you own French property, or if you married without a prenuptial contract, the matrimonial regime of community of acquests will also shape how the estate is divided. An estate planning lawyer in France works alongside notaries and tax rules to arrange gifts, marriage contracts and wills that fit both French law and your cross-border situation. Tell us about your circumstances and we match you with a lawyer who handles estate planning in France.
France in detail
How French succession and estate rules actually work
Estate planning in France sits at the meeting point of succession law, matrimonial regimes and notarial practice. These are the French rules that most often shape a family’s plan, drawn from official sources.
Forced heirship limits what a will can do
French succession law protects descendants through the réserve héréditaire. A testator cannot freely dispose of the whole estate: the reserved portion is half of the estate with one child, two-thirds with two children and three-quarters with three or more children. Only the remaining quotité disponible may be bequeathed freely, which makes total disinheritance of children impossible under French law.
Your matrimonial regime decides what is in the estate
Couples who marry in France without a prenuptial contract are automatically subject to the communauté réduite aux acquêts. Assets owned before the marriage remain personal property, while property acquired during the marriage for valuable consideration becomes community property. Spouses may opt out by choosing separation of property, full community or universal community in a notarised marriage contract.
A notary is mandatory for French real estate
To be registered in the land registry (publicité foncière), any transfer of real property must be evidenced by an authentic deed drawn up by a notary practising in France. Notaries are public officers with a monopoly over real-estate conveyancing, marriage contracts and succession deeds; they collect the transfer taxes and secure the legal certainty of the transaction.
Ten years to accept or renounce an inheritance
An heir in France has ten years to exercise the option to accept or renounce an inheritance. The window is generous but not unlimited, and the choice carries consequences for debts attached to the estate. Where a succession is disputed, most civil claims above €10,000 before the tribunal judiciaire require representation by an avocat.
Costs, lawyers’ fees and legal aid
Justice is in principle free in France: the court acts themselves carry no stamp duty. Filing before a civil court of first instance or the conseil de prud’hommes requires a €50 fiscal stamp, and an appeal with mandatory representation a €225 electronic stamp. Lawyers’ fees are freely agreed in a convention d’honoraires, and aide juridictionnelle is granted in full up to €12,862 of reference income.
Cross-border estates and non-resident owners
Non-residents who sell French real estate pay a 19% income-tax levy on the net capital gain, collected at source by the notary. Social levies are 17.2% for owners outside the EU/EEA, the UK and Switzerland, and 7.5% for residents of those countries, with taper relief reducing the taxable gain over the years of ownership. Because these rules interact with the deed itself, owners living abroad often take advice before a sale or a gift.
Key time limit — Inheritance, Probate & Wills
Succession — option to accept or renounce an inheritance — 10 years. The heirs’ window to decide whether to take or refuse the estate.
The country information on this page is taken from official French sources — the Ministry of Justice, Légifrance, the Conseil national des barreaux and the French tax authority — consulted in 2025.
- Ministère de la Justice — Organisation of courts and tribunals in France
- Ministère de la Justice — The French legal and judicial system
- Légifrance — Forced heirship (réserve héréditaire)
- Légifrance — Default matrimonial regime (community of acquests)
- Légifrance — Authentic deed required for real-estate transfers
- Légifrance — Option to accept or renounce an inheritance (10 years)
- justice.fr — Court costs, lawyers’ fees and legal aid
- Conseil national des barreaux — Conditions of access to the profession
- impots.gouv.fr — Taxation of non-residents on the sale of French property
Common situations
Where French estates most often run into difficulty
Three problems clients bring to us again and again when a French estate is involved.
The estate is not yours to give away freely
In France the réserve héréditaire reserves a fixed share of the estate for descendants: half with one child, two-thirds with two and three-quarters with three or more. Only the remaining quotité disponible can be left to anyone else.
Assets and family spread across two countries
French property, a foreign will, a spouse of another nationality: each element follows its own rules. The matrimonial regime chosen at marriage and the tax treatment of non-residents both feed into how the estate is finally divided.
Formalities and deadlines arrive unannounced
Real-estate transfers must pass through a French notary, an inheritance must be accepted or renounced within ten years, and contested claims before the tribunal judiciaire normally require an avocat. Missing a step is expensive.
How matching helps
What a matched French lawyer brings to your file
We match you with a practitioner whose practice actually covers French succession work.
Lawyers used to working with notaries
French estate planning is a team exercise: the avocat advises on strategy and litigation, while the notaire drafts the authentic deeds. We match you with lawyers accustomed to coordinating with notaires on succession files.
France-specific succession knowledge
The lawyer you are matched with handles the réserve héréditaire, matrimonial regimes, gifts and the ten-year option to accept or renounce an inheritance. You receive answers anchored in French law rather than generic estate-planning talk.
Cross-border experience
Non-resident owners, dual nationals and families with assets in several countries need a lawyer who can read both sides of the file. We look for practitioners who regularly handle French property held by clients living abroad.
Clear fees before you commit
Legal fees in France are freely agreed and normally set out in a convention d’honoraires, whether time-based, fixed or a fixed fee plus a success fee. You discuss costs directly with the lawyer, and legal aid may cover part or all of them.
Cross-border connections
European countries our clients often have links to
Estate planning questions rarely stop at one border. Alongside France, we regularly receive requests involving these countries:
Questions and answers
Estate planning in France — frequently asked questions
What does an estate planning lawyer in France actually do?
An avocat advises on how French succession law applies to your situation: the réserve héréditaire, the quotité disponible, gifts, matrimonial regimes and cross-border elements. The lawyer coordinates with the notaire who drafts the authentic deeds and can represent you before the tribunal judiciaire or the cour d’appel if a succession is contested.
Can I disinherit my children under French law?
No. French succession law protects descendants through the réserve héréditaire. The reserved portion is half of the estate with one child, two-thirds with two children and three-quarters with three or more. Only the remaining quotité disponible can be given away freely, so total disinheritance of children is not possible under French law.
Do I need a notary to deal with French property?
Yes, for the transfer itself. To be registered in the land registry, any transfer of real property must be evidenced by an authentic deed drawn up by a notary practising in France. Notaries hold a monopoly on conveyancing, marriage contracts and succession deeds, and they collect the transfer taxes.
How long do I have to accept or renounce an inheritance in France?
Ten years. That is the period for exercising the option to accept or renounce an inheritance under French succession law. It sounds comfortable, but debts and the positions of other heirs evolve over time, so heirs generally take advice early. Contested claims follow their own procedural rules.
I live abroad and own property in France — can a lawyer help?
Yes. Non-residents selling French real estate face a 19% income-tax levy on the net capital gain, collected at source by the notary, with social levies of 17.2% for owners outside the EU/EEA, the UK and Switzerland and 7.5% for residents of those countries. An estate planning lawyer in France can structure a will, gift or sale around those rules.
What does a French lawyer cost for estate planning work?
Lawyers’ fees are freely agreed between lawyer and client — there is no statutory tariff outside the legal-aid scale. Fees are usually set out in a convention d’honoraires and may be time-based, a fixed fee, or a fixed fee plus a success fee. Aide juridictionnelle covers part or all of the cost, with full aid up to €12,862 of reference income.
Free matching
Get matched with an estate planning lawyer in France
Describe your situation in a few lines — French property, children, marriage regime, assets held abroad — and we pass your request to independent lawyers whose practice covers French succession and estate matters. The matching is free, there is no obligation, and you decide whether to instruct.