7. Sole Ownership of French Property

1. 7.1. Married Couple
   7.2. Living Together
   7.3. Subsequent Marriage

7.3. Subsequent Marriage and Sole Ownership of French Property

In the case of a single person who buys a property in France and subsequently gets married, the best and cheapest solution is to adopt a French marriage contract (you do not have to marry in France) called le régime de la communauté universelle, in which you can stipulate that the property is brought within the terms of the marriage contract.

If you choose not to get married, you can enter into a French civil partnership (PACS), which grants some limited protection for the surviving partner, as well as exemption from liability to French inheritance tax.

France does not recognise UK civil partnerships and a French civil partnership is only available if you are resident.