Coping with French Inheritance Laws

Tuesday 17 November 2009

French inheritance laws are not as tough as is often reported, and it certainly helps if family members can all agree!

We receive a regular stream of e-mails from readers considering relocation to France, or already in the country, concerned about French inheritance laws.

If you have children these laws do not allow you complete freedom in the disposal of your estate, in the same way as does occur, for instance, in the UK.

Your children are protected heirs and cannot be disenfranchised.

Nevertheless, there are many inheritance planning measures that can be taken, including the use of gifts and life insurance.

In addition, since 2008, it has been possible to set up a family inheritance pact, in which the division of the estate is agreed between the family.

You can read more about this in our guide to Family Inheritance Pacts in France.

This article was featured in our Newsletter dated 17/11/2009