Wills & Succession · France
Wills lawyers in France for French succession law and cross-border estates
French succession rules reserve part of your estate for your children, and any transfer of real property in France must pass through a notary. If you own assets in France, or expect to inherit them, an avocat who practises succession law can explain where you stand.
- Avocats registered with a French bar (barreau)
- Succession, notarial deeds and forced heirship
- Free matching, no obligation to instruct
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Why this page
Wills, succession and the French avocat
If you own property in France, live there, or expect to inherit from someone who does, French succession law will usually govern the French assets. France limits how freely you may dispose of your estate: the réserve héréditaire reserves half, two-thirds or three-quarters of the estate for your children depending on how many you have, so a will drafted elsewhere may produce a different result in France. Wills lawyers in France work with these rules every day, alongside the notaries who hold a monopoly on real-estate conveyancing and succession deeds. Whether you are planning ahead, administering a parent’s estate or questioning how a distribution was made, we match you with an avocat who handles succession matters, and the introduction costs you nothing.
France in practice
How wills and succession work in France
French succession law is codified, so the framework is written down rather than assembled from case law. Three features shape almost every file: forced heirship for descendants, the mandatory involvement of a notary for real property, and the long but finite window in which heirs must accept or renounce an inheritance.
Forced heirship limits what a will can achieve
Under the réserve héréditaire a testator cannot dispose freely of the whole estate. With one child, half of the estate is reserved; with two children, two-thirds; with three or more, three-quarters. Only the remaining quotité disponible may be bequeathed as you wish, which makes total disinheritance of children impossible under French law.
A notary is required for French real property
Any transfer of real property must be evidenced by an authentic deed drawn up by a notary practising in France if it is to be registered in the land registry. Notaries are public officers with a monopoly over conveyancing, marriage contracts and succession deeds; they also collect the transfer taxes and secure the legal certainty of the transaction.
Accepting or renouncing an inheritance: ten years
An heir has ten years from the opening of the succession to exercise the option to accept or renounce the inheritance. That long window does not remove the value of early advice, because debts attached to the estate, property values and the deceased’s matrimonial regime all affect whether acceptance is the sensible choice.
The 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 for valuable consideration during the marriage is community property. That split determines what actually falls into the estate and can be changed by a notarised marriage contract.
Representation, fees and legal aid
An avocat must hold a Master 2 in law and the CAPA, take an oath before the cour d’appel and be registered on the roll of one of the 164 local bars, with 20 hours of continuing education each year. Fees are freely agreed in a convention d’honoraires; aide juridictionnelle can cover all or part of the lawyer, bailiff and notary costs.
Tax when French property is sold
Non-residents selling French real estate are liable to a 19% income-tax levy on the net capital gain, collected at source by the notary. Social levies are 7.5% for residents of the EU, EEA, the UK or Switzerland and 17.2% elsewhere, and progressive taper relief reduces the taxable gain with each year of ownership.
Key time limit — Inheritance, Probate & Wills
Succession – option to accept or renounce an inheritance — 10 years. Counted from the opening of the succession; debts and asset values should be checked before accepting.
Country data on this page is drawn from official French sources — the Ministry of Justice, the Conseil national des barreaux, Légifrance and the French tax authority — consulted in 2025.
- Ministry of Justice – organisation of French courts and tribunals
- Conseil national des barreaux – conditions of access to the profession of avocat
- justice.fr – court fees and the cost of proceedings
- Légifrance – réserve héréditaire and the quotité disponible
- Légifrance – notarial authentic deed required for real-estate transfers
- Légifrance – ten-year option to accept or renounce an inheritance
- Légifrance – general limitation periods in civil and commercial matters
- Légifrance – default matrimonial regime of community of acquests
- French tax authority – capital gains on the sale of property by non-residents
- French legal system and judiciary – mandatory representation and court structure
Common situations
What brings clients to a French succession lawyer
These are the files we are asked about most often when French assets and a foreign element meet.
A will drafted abroad may not do what you expect
If you hold French property but made your will in another country, the réserve héréditaire still limits what you can leave and to whom. Reviewing the document against French rules before death prevents disputes between heirs later.
Notaries, not lawyers, hold the deeds
In France a notary has a monopoly on real-estate conveyancing, marriage contracts and succession deeds. Your avocat and your notary therefore work in tandem: one advises on strategy and representation, the other authenticates the document the land registry will accept.
Heirs must decide within a fixed window
The option to accept or renounce an inheritance lasts ten years, but debts travel with the estate. Heirs who accept without checking may find themselves liable for charges attached to a property or to the deceased’s other obligations.
How we help
Matching you with the right avocat
You describe the situation once; we put you in touch with lawyers who actually handle this type of work in France.
Lawyers who know the réserve héréditaire
We match you with an avocat whose practice covers French succession law, from drafting a will to dividing an estate between heirs and checking the reserved portion.
One point of contact across borders
Cross-border estates involve at least two legal systems. Your French lawyer can coordinate with the notary and explain what the French side needs from your advisers abroad.
Clear fees before you commit
Lawyers’ fees are freely agreed between lawyer and client in a convention d’honoraires, whether time-based, fixed or with a result fee on top. You see the basis of the fee before instructing anyone.
Legal aid where it applies
If your reference taxable income falls below the thresholds, aide juridictionnelle can cover all or part of the lawyer, bailiff and notary costs. We can point you to lawyers used to legal-aid files.
Also available in
European countries covered by our network
If your estate, your property or your heirs sit in more than one country, we can match you with lawyers on each side of the border.
Frequently asked questions
Wills and succession in France: your questions
I already have a will made abroad. Do I need one in France?
If the will covers French assets, it should be checked against French succession rules. Wills lawyers in France can review the document and advise whether a French will, a notarial deed or an adjustment to your existing will is appropriate. This matters because the réserve héréditaire limits what any will can achieve in France.
Can I disinherit my children under French law?
No. The réserve héréditaire reserves half of the estate for one child, two-thirds for two children and three-quarters for three or more children. Only the remaining quotité disponible can be left to other beneficiaries, so total disinheritance of children is not possible under French law.
Who is allowed to practise as an avocat in France?
An avocat must hold a Master 2 in law, obtain the Certificat d’aptitude à la profession d’avocat after an 18-month course at a CRFPA, take an oath before the cour d’appel and register on the roll of one of the 164 local bars. Continuing education of 20 hours a year is compulsory.
Do we need a notary to deal with French property in an estate?
Yes, for anything that must be entered in the land registry. Any transfer of real property has to 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 much does it cost to bring a case before a French court?
Court acts are in principle free: stamp duties and court registration fees were abolished. A €50 fiscal stamp is required to file a claim before a civil court of first instance or the conseil de prud’hommes, and a €225 electronic stamp for an appeal with mandatory representation. Administrative courts are free of charge.
What happens if the estate is spread over several countries?
French law governs the French assets, and a notary will be needed for French real property. Because the reserved portion interacts with the matrimonial regime, your lawyer will usually need details of how the deceased held assets elsewhere. Matching is free, so you can compare lawyers before instructing anyone.
Next step
Speak to a wills lawyer in France
Tell us about your situation — a French will to review, an estate to divide, or property you are planning to pass on. We match you with an avocat who handles succession matters in France, and the introduction is free and without obligation.