{"id":2108196,"date":"2026-08-26T19:05:49","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T17:05:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.fr\/2026\/08\/26\/french-succession-bank-fees-british-heir-challenge-qpc-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T19:05:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T17:05:49","slug":"french-succession-bank-fees-british-heir-challenge-qpc-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.fr\/en\/2026\/08\/26\/french-succession-bank-fees-british-heir-challenge-qpc-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"French Succession Bank Fees After Brexit: Can a British Heir Challenge a Charge in 2026?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When a British executor is asked to pay a large French succession bank fee, the difficulty is rarely limited to the amount shown on the statement. The bank may be checking who is entitled to receive the money, whether a French notary has established the heirs, whether a UK grant of probate proves authority only in the United Kingdom, and whether French inheritance tax formalities have been completed. Since 20 June 2026, the legal framework has also changed: the Constitutional Council removed the three mandatory fee-free situations created in 2025, while the statutory cap remains. This distinction matters for a British family because the foreign element can make the file administratively complex without giving the bank a licence to charge an unexplained or unlimited amount.<\/p>\n

This article addresses a specific problem: a French bank charges, or threatens to charge, fees while a British executor or beneficiary is dealing with a French estate after Brexit. It explains the difference between a UK probate document and French proof of inheritance, the documents that should be requested before an apostille or translation is ordered, the 2026 calculation, the effect of Decision no. 2026-1207 QPC, and the practical routes for seeking a correction or refund. The legal analysis is based on the position in force on 26 August 2026. It does not replace an examination of the deceased\u2019s domicile, will, family structure, assets, tax residence and the law applicable to the succession.<\/p>\n

I. What French succession bank fees can a British executor face after the 2026 constitutional decision?<\/h2>\n

A. Why the 2026 rule is a cap, not an automatic right to charge any amount<\/h3>\n

French banks describe the work carried out after a death as frais bancaires de succession<\/em>, meaning bank fees connected with the administration and closure of the deceased person\u2019s accounts and savings products. The work may include recording the death, freezing or separating accounts, preparing a balance, corresponding with the notaire<\/em>\u2014the French civil-law notary who handles many estates\u2014checking the persons entitled to inherit, and transferring the balance. A fee labelled \u201cestate administration\u201d, \u201csuccession processing\u201d or \u201ctransfer to heirs\u201d should therefore be examined by its legal and contractual basis, not only by its label.<\/p>\n

The starting point was Law no. 2025-415 of 13 May 2025<\/a>, which inserted Article L. 312-1-4-1 into the French Monetary and Financial Code. The provision was applied from 13 November 2025. In its original form, it placed a ceiling on fees and created three mandatory fee-free situations: a sufficiently simple estate supported by an acte de notori\u00e9t\u00e9<\/em> or a joint heir certificate, a total balance below the regulatory threshold, and accounts held by a minor at death.<\/p>\n

That structure must now be read with Decision no. 2026-1207 QPC of 19 June 2026<\/a> of the Constitutional Council. A QPC, or question prioritaire de constitutionnalit\u00e9<\/em>, is a constitutional challenge raised in proceedings and referred to the Constitutional Council. The decision removed the mandatory fee-free cases with immediate effect. The official public-law summary records that the Council considered that the legislature could \u201cpr\u00e9voir une protection particuli\u00e8re des consommateurs\u201d but that an unconditional ban on charging fees, whatever the cost, was disproportionate to the freedom to conduct business and contractual freedom. The result is not that every bank fee is valid. The result is that a British heir can no longer rely on the former three situations alone as an automatic exemption for an operation carried out from 20 June 2026.<\/p>\n

The remaining quantitative protection is the ceiling. The official Banque de France explanation states that only the limit remains: one per cent of the total balances of the deceased\u2019s accounts and the valuation of the relevant savings products, subject to a maximum of \u20ac857 in 2026. The Decree no. 2025-1363 of 26 December 2025<\/a> changed the earlier \u20ac850 maximum to \u20ac857 from 1 January 2026. The formula is therefore:<\/p>\n

Permitted ceiling to test:<\/strong> the lower of (i) one per cent of the balances and valuations falling within the statutory scope and (ii) \u20ac857.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Total relevant balances<\/th>\nOne per cent<\/th>\nMaximum fee to test<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
\u20ac3,000<\/td>\n\u20ac30<\/td>\n\u20ac30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u20ac40,000<\/td>\n\u20ac400<\/td>\n\u20ac400<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u20ac100,000<\/td>\n\u20ac1,000<\/td>\n\u20ac857<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u20ac250,000<\/td>\n\u20ac2,500<\/td>\n\u20ac857<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The bank should identify which balances it used. A British executor should ask whether the calculation includes every account, a joint account, a regulated savings product, a securities account or an insurance product that is outside the statutory wording. The bank should also distinguish a succession fee from a separate international transfer fee, a tax payment, a notary\u2019s fee, a certified translation, a correspondent-bank charge or a charge imposed by the receiving bank. Those items may have different contractual and legal rules. Combining them under one line called \u201csuccession\u201d makes it impossible to check the ceiling.<\/p>\n

The former wording of Article L. 312-1-4-1 of the Monetary and Financial Code<\/a> remains visible in the code history because it applied between 13 November 2025 and 20 June 2026. The Conseil d\u2019\u00c9tat, in its referral decision 9th and 10th chambers joined, 10 April 2026, no. 508982<\/a>, described the mechanism as a one-per-cent ceiling subject to \u20ac850, then \u20ac857 from 1 January 2026. That decision is important for identifying the mechanism, but it predates the Constitutional Council\u2019s immediate removal of the fee-free cases. It cannot be quoted as if the former exemptions were still in force.<\/p>\n

The threshold of \u20ac5,965 must also be handled carefully. The Order of 3 December 2024, as amended for 2026<\/a>, sets the amount used by Article L. 312-1-4 for certain operations by a direct-line successor. Article L. 312-1-4 allows an eligible successor, on proof of status, to seek payment of sums needed for conservatory acts and, subject to conditions, closure of an account below the regulatory threshold. This is a rule about what a qualifying heir may request from the bank. It is not, after 20 June 2026, a general promise that every succession operation below \u20ac5,965 will be free of bank fees. A British executor should not confuse the two mechanisms.<\/p>\n

The date of the debit and the date of the underlying operation should be recorded. A fee taken before 20 June 2026 may require a transitional analysis under the version then applicable. A fee taken on or after 20 June 2026 cannot be attacked solely because the estate would previously have fallen within one of the three fee-free cases. It may still be challenged if the amount exceeds the ceiling, if the calculation includes the wrong assets, if the bank has charged a service outside the covered operation without a contractual basis, if the tariff was not properly disclosed, or if the bank has added charges that are not succession bank fees.<\/p>\n

Finally, the existence of a British executor does not by itself determine the fee. The decisive questions are the operation performed, the amount and type of assets, the estate\u2019s foreign elements, the date, the applicable tariff and the person entitled to instruct the bank. A British nationality label should not replace that analysis.<\/p>\n

B. Why a UK grant of probate does not always answer the French bank\u2019s proof-of-authority question<\/h3>\n

In England and Wales, GOV.UK explains that probate is the legal right to deal with a deceased person\u2019s property, money and possessions. An executor named in a will may apply; where there is no will, the closest living relative may apply. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different procedures. A grant of probate<\/em> is therefore valuable evidence of the applicant\u2019s authority within the UK system. It does not automatically identify every heir under French law, settle the French tax position, or tell a French bank that the applicant may receive the money personally.<\/p>\n

French succession law begins with Article 720 of the Civil Code<\/a>, which states: \u201cLes successions s’ouvrent par la mort, au dernier domicile du d\u00e9funt.\u201d In English, the estate opens at death at the deceased\u2019s last domicile. This is one reason the deceased\u2019s actual home and centre of life must be documented rather than inferred from a passport or a French bank account. Article 720 does not by itself decide which law governs every asset, but it places the domicile question at the centre of the analysis.<\/p>\n

Article 724 of the Civil Code<\/a> provides that \u201cLes h\u00e9ritiers d\u00e9sign\u00e9s par la loi sont saisis de plein droit des biens, droits et actions du d\u00e9funt.\u201d This is the French concept of legal seisin: statutory heirs acquire the deceased\u2019s rights by operation of law. It does not mean that a bank must pay an unidentified person who presents a foreign document. The bank still needs a reliable chain showing the death, the relevant succession law, the heirs or legatees, the authority to give instructions and the tax documents required for release.<\/p>\n

French proof is deliberately flexible. Article 730 of the Civil Code<\/a> says: \u201cLa preuve de la qualit\u00e9 d’h\u00e9ritier s’\u00e9tablit par tous moyens.\u201d The phrase means that heir status can be proved by any means, subject to the reliability of the evidence and the particular transaction. Article 730-1<\/a> adds that proof may result from an acte de notori\u00e9t\u00e9<\/em> drawn up by a notary at the request of one or more persons entitled to inherit. The document refers to the death certificate and the supporting civil-status documents and records the applicant\u2019s assertion that he or she is called to receive all or part of the estate.<\/p>\n

For a British executor, the practical consequence is a two-layer file. The first layer is the UK authority file: the original or court-certified will, the grant of probate or letters of administration, the relevant court seal or electronic verification, the executor\u2019s identity and, if applicable, a power of attorney to a French lawyer or notary. The second layer is the French succession file: the death certificate, civil-status records, the family tree, evidence of any marriage or civil partnership, the will search, the French notary\u2019s analysis, an acte de notori\u00e9t\u00e9 or equivalent document, the identity of the heirs, the instructions for payment and the French tax position.<\/p>\n

An apostille is not a translation and is not a judgment on the substance of the succession. GOV.UK explains that the UK Legalisation Office can check a signature, stamp or seal and issue \u201ca stamped official certificate called an apostille\u201d. The apostille authenticates the origin of the public document; it does not certify that the named executor is an heir under French law or that a French bank must release funds to that person. Ask the French bank or notary for a written document specification before ordering several apostilles. The issuing jurisdiction matters: England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland do not produce identical probate documents.<\/p>\n

A French sworn translation may be requested for a grant, will, death certificate, civil-status record or court order. The translation should be tied to the version that the bank or notary has agreed to accept. Sending a partial translation, a scanned photocopy without the court certification, or a summary written by the executor often creates a second round of questions. The file should explain the roles precisely: \u201cexecutor\u201d, \u201cadministrator\u201d, \u201cbeneficiary\u201d, \u201cheir\u201d, \u201cpersonal representative\u201d and \u201clegatee\u201d are not interchangeable in French practice.<\/p>\n

Tax evidence is a separate layer. The French tax administration explains that when an heir is resident outside France and French bank or insurance funds must be released, a certificate of non-liability or payment of inheritance tax may be required. Its official guidance states that \u201cce certificat est n\u00e9cessaire \u00e0 la lib\u00e9ration des fonds d\u00e9tenus par une banque\u201d and directs the applicant to file the relevant inheritance declaration, including forms 2705 and 2705-S for bank accounts, with payment where tax is due. The exact service depends on the deceased\u2019s domicile, the heir\u2019s residence and the assets involved. The bank is not entitled to decide the whole tax dispute merely because it asks for a tax certificate, but it may refuse to release funds until the statutory tax evidence is supplied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Document<\/th>\nUsual source<\/th>\nWhat it proves<\/th>\nFrequent mistake<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Death certificate<\/td>\nRegistry or competent authority<\/td>\nDeath and date opening the estate<\/td>\nSending an informal funeral-home notice only<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Grant of probate or letters of administration<\/td>\nUK probate court<\/td>\nAuthority of the UK personal representative<\/td>\nTreating it as a French act of notoriety<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Will and codicils<\/td>\nTestator, solicitor or probate registry<\/td>\nTestamentary appointment and gifts<\/td>\nSending a copy without explaining the issuing jurisdiction<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Acte de notori\u00e9t\u00e9<\/td>\nFrench notaire<\/td>\nFrench proof of the persons called to inherit<\/td>\nAssuming it is unnecessary because probate exists<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tax certificate or filed declaration<\/td>\nFrench tax administration<\/td>\nTax clearance or payment position<\/td>\nConfusing it with the bank\u2019s fee invoice<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Apostille and sworn translation<\/td>\nUK Legalisation Office and approved translator<\/td>\nAuthenticity and language accessibility<\/td>\nOrdering them before the recipient confirms the format<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The presence of a foreign document does not justify an indefinite refusal. It does justify a precise request for the missing item. The bank should state whether it is waiting for proof of death, heir status, executor authority, French tax clearance, a translated and legalised document, an instruction signed by all heirs, or anti-money-laundering information. A written answer is essential because it determines whether the next step is a notarial correction, a tax filing, a fee complaint or a court application.<\/p>\n

This issue is narrower than the general question of how to unblock a French account after a death. British families should keep the two subjects separate: one file proves who may receive the funds; the other tests whether the bank\u2019s charges are lawful and correctly calculated. The firm\u2019s French private-law cluster page<\/a> provides the wider context, while the existing British Desk guide on unblocking a French bank account after a death<\/a> can be read for the release sequence. This article focuses on the 2026 fee regime and the challenge to the calculation.<\/p>\n

II. How can a British heir or executor challenge a French succession bank fee?<\/h2>\n

A. What should be requested from the bank before a refund or court application?<\/h3>\n

The first letter should be a controlled request for information, not an accusation that every fee is illegal. Identify the deceased, the account numbers, the date of death, the applicant\u2019s role, the date of the bank debit, the amount charged and the documents already supplied. Ask the bank to preserve the account records and to suspend any further deduction that is not required by law or a documented instruction. If the bank has already transferred the balance, ask for the ledger showing the gross balance, every deduction and the net payment.<\/p>\n

The request should require at least six calculations. First, what were the balances and valuations at the date of death? Secondly, which products were included in the statutory base? Thirdly, did the bank add balances that belong to a surviving joint account holder or exclude an account that it treated differently? Fourthly, what one-per-cent calculation did it make? Fifthly, how did it apply the \u20ac857 maximum? Sixthly, which separate items are not succession bank fees at all? A bank that responds only \u201cinternational estate, therefore complex\u201d has identified a feature of the file but has not shown the amount due.<\/p>\n

Ask for the tariff and the contractual information in force on the date of the charge. The date matters because the fee regime changed on 20 June 2026. The bank should also state whether it is relying on the former wording of Article L. 312-1-4-1, the remaining one-per-cent cap, a conventional account tariff, or a separate transfer service. If the fee was taken before the QPC decision, request the legal version and tariff used then. If it was taken after the decision, ask why the amount remains within the statutory cap and how each balance was included.<\/p>\n

The foreign element should be described accurately rather than left as a vague reason for delay. Article D. 312-1-3 of the Monetary and Financial Code, created by Decree no. 2025-813 of 13 August 2025<\/a>, listed as indicators of manifest complexity a foreign tax domicile or habitual residence of the deceased or an heir and the application of foreign law. A British executor can accept that the file has a foreign component while still asking the bank to distinguish complexity from the amount of the charge. Complexity may explain why the bank must review a grant, a will and French tax forms; it does not transform a \u20ac300 fee into an unlimited charge.<\/p>\n

Send the complaint first to the branch or succession department that issued the invoice and then to the bank\u2019s formal customer complaints service. Use the French expression mise en demeure<\/em>, meaning a formal notice giving the bank a clear request and a deadline, only when the evidential file is ready. The letter should request: the itemised fee calculation; the tariff; the legal and contractual basis; correction of any amount above the one-per-cent and \u20ac857 limits; refund of unsupported or duplicated items; confirmation of the documents still missing; and a written timetable for payment once the proof-of-authority and tax file is complete.<\/p>\n

Keep proof of delivery, the bank\u2019s automatic acknowledgements, the original invoice, account statements, the notary\u2019s emails, courier tracking, apostille invoices and translation invoices. A British family often loses time because communications are divided between a UK solicitor, a French notary, the bank\u2019s international desk and a tax office. Nominate one correspondence lead and send a chronology in both languages. The chronology should contain dates, not general statements such as \u201cthe bank has delayed for months\u201d.<\/p>\n

A refund claim must also identify the correct defendant and legal theory. If the dispute concerns the bank\u2019s calculation or failure to perform an account service, the contractual framework may be relevant. Article 1231-1 of the Civil Code<\/a> provides that the debtor may owe damages for non-performance or delay unless force majeure is established. The text states: \u201cLe d\u00e9biteur est condamn\u00e9, s’il y a lieu, au paiement de dommages et int\u00e9r\u00eats\u201d. This is not an automatic award for every slow estate. The claimant must show the obligation, the breach or delay, the loss and the causal link. A bank that was genuinely waiting for a missing act of notori\u00e9t\u00e9 or tax certificate may have a defence.<\/p>\n

If the money is urgently needed and the dispute concerns a clearly documented overcharge or a release that is no longer seriously disputed, a r\u00e9f\u00e9r\u00e9<\/em> application\u2014an urgent interim application\u2014may be considered. Article 834 of the Code of Civil Procedure<\/a> allows the president of the judicial court to order measures in an urgent case where there is no serious dispute or where a dispute justifies an interim measure. Article 835<\/a> allows protective or restorative measures, even where a serious dispute exists, to prevent imminent damage or end an obviously unlawful disturbance, and may permit a provision where the obligation is not seriously questionable.<\/p>\n

Those provisions do not turn a contested succession into a simple debt claim. If the real dispute is whether the British applicant is an heir, whether a will is valid, whether a reserved heir has been omitted, or which law governs the succession, the court may refuse to order final payment in summary proceedings. The stronger route may be to obtain the French notarial document, establish the applicable law, notify all heirs and then pursue the fee or release dispute on a stable record. The application should target the precise problem: excessive fees, unjustified withholding, or an unsupported refusal\u2014not an undifferentiated demand for the entire account balance.<\/p>\n

B. How do French tax deadlines and cross-border succession rules affect the challenge?<\/h3>\n

A French bank\u2019s request for tax evidence should not be answered by arguing only that the beneficiary lives in Britain. French inheritance tax can apply to French assets even where the deceased or heir is not French. Article 750 ter of the General Tax Code<\/a> provides that assets situated in France can fall within French gift and inheritance taxation when the deceased is not fiscally domiciled in France. It also contains a rule for a beneficiary who is fiscally resident in France for at least six of the ten years before receiving the property. The exact application depends on the deceased\u2019s domicile, the beneficiary\u2019s residence, the type of asset and any applicable tax convention.<\/p>\n

The filing deadline is stated in Article 641 of the General Tax Code<\/a>. It provides six months from death where the deceased died in metropolitan France and one year \u201cdans tous les autres cas\u201d. A death in the UK, a death in another country or a succession requiring cross-border evidence may therefore raise the one-year rule, but the family should verify the factual route and the competent service rather than assume it. The deadline for the tax declaration and the time needed to obtain a bank release are different clocks. A delay in a bank file does not extend a tax deadline.<\/p>\n

Where the tax administration asks for a declaration even though the ultimate French tax may be nil, file the correct form and request the appropriate certificate. The French tax authority\u2019s guidance refers to forms 2705 and 2705-S for a deceased person\u2019s bank accounts and to the Recette des non-r\u00e9sidents, the non-residents tax office, in the relevant cases. A certificate of non-liability is not proof that the British executor owns the money. It addresses the tax administration\u2019s position. Conversely, a grant of probate is not a tax certificate. Sending one document in place of the other can create a predictable refusal.<\/p>\n

Tax paid in the UK and tax due in France may engage the France\u2013UK inheritance tax convention or other relief rules, but a bank\u2019s immediate document request is not the same question as the final allocation of taxing rights. The executor should record whether the bank is asking for a French filing receipt, a certificate of non-liability, a certificate of payment, evidence that tax is not due, or proof of a tax agreement claim. If the tax office refuses or delays the certificate, challenge that administrative issue with the tax authority while separately asking the bank what limited action it can take to preserve the account and pay urgent estate expenses.<\/p>\n

There is also a difference between a direct heir, a legatee and an executor. A British executor named in a will may have authority to administer the estate without being the person entitled to inherit. If the bank\u2019s form is designed for an h\u00e9ritier<\/em>, meaning an heir, the executor should not sign it as though he or she were the heir unless that is factually correct. If several heirs exist, the bank may require joint instructions, a notarial document naming them, or a power of attorney. A beneficiary receiving the balance may need to provide a bank account in his or her own name and identification for anti-money-laundering checks. These requirements should be listed separately from the fee complaint.<\/p>\n

The practical challenge can be organised as four parallel tracks:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Authority track:<\/strong> confirm the UK jurisdiction, obtain the correct grant and will, arrange any apostille and certified French translation requested in writing, and explain the executor\u2019s role.<\/li>\n
  2. French succession track:<\/strong> appoint or coordinate with a French notary, establish the deceased\u2019s last domicile and the persons called to inherit, and obtain an acte de notori\u00e9t\u00e9 or another accepted proof.<\/li>\n
  3. Tax track:<\/strong> identify French assets, check Article 750 ter, meet the Article 641 deadline, file the required declaration and request the non-liability or payment certificate where the bank requires it.<\/li>\n
  4. Fee track:<\/strong> freeze the evidence, request the bank\u2019s formula, apply the one-per-cent and \u20ac857 ceiling, separate non-bank items, complain in writing and preserve the court route.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    That structure avoids a common strategic error: treating every refusal as discrimination against a British person or every fee as an abuse. A cross-border file can be legitimately more demanding than a purely domestic estate, especially where the deceased lived in the UK, left an English or Scottish will, had heirs in more than one country, or held a French account without a French notary. The legitimate need for verification does not excuse a bank from explaining the amount deducted or from applying the statutory cap. The correct argument is usually narrower and stronger: \u201cHere is the proof of authority, here is the French succession evidence, here is the tax position, here is the exact balance, and here is why this line exceeds or duplicates the permitted charge.\u201d<\/p>\n

    If the bank maintains that the QPC decision permits any fee because the estate contains a British document, that answer is incomplete. Decision no. 2026-1207 QPC removed mandatory fee-free cases; it did not abolish the one-per-cent and \u20ac857 ceiling described by the official authorities. If the bank says that a balance below \u20ac5,965 is automatically free, that answer is also incomplete after the decision. The applicant should request the calculation and the applicable date, then contest the precise error.<\/p>\n

    If the bank refuses to explain the fee but the inheritance itself is undisputed, a civil claim may be appropriate after the formal complaint. If the bank says the estate is blocked because heirs or the will are disputed, a succession lawyer or notary must address the underlying issue first. If the tax office has issued an assessment or refused a certificate, the tax procedure must be followed separately. If a UK court order is relied on, the French court may need to examine its scope, authenticity, applicable law and enforceability. Choosing the wrong route can consume the time that the family is trying to recover.<\/p>\n

    For a British family, the best first appointment is therefore one that reviews all three documents together: the bank\u2019s fee statement, the UK probate papers and the French tax or notarial correspondence. The purpose is to identify whether the case is a fee calculation dispute, an authority problem, a tax-clearance problem, a succession-law problem or several of them. Only then can the demand be directed to the bank, the notary, the tax office or the court.<\/p>\n

    Conclusion<\/h2>\n

    A French bank may charge for succession operations involving a British estate, but the charge must be tested against the 2026 legal framework and the actual work performed. Since 20 June 2026, the former mandatory fee-free cases no longer provide an automatic exemption. The one-per-cent ceiling and \u20ac857 maximum remain the central figures to verify, while the \u20ac5,965 threshold concerns a different proof-and-operation rule under Article L. 312-1-4. A UK grant of probate can prove the personal representative\u2019s authority in the UK, but it does not automatically replace French proof of inheritance or French tax clearance.<\/p>\n

    The practical file should contain a dated chronology, the death and probate documents, the will, the acte de notori\u00e9t\u00e9 or notarial analysis, the apostille and translation specification, the French tax declaration or certificate, the bank\u2019s itemised calculation and the complaint\u2019s proof of delivery. A foreign element can justify careful verification; it cannot justify an unexplained debit. The strongest challenge separates the right person to receive the funds from the amount the bank is allowed to retain.<\/p>\n

    \n

    Need a quick opinion on your case<\/strong><\/p>\n

    We offer a telephone consultation within 48 hours with a lawyer from the firm.<\/p>\n

    We can review the UK probate documents, the French succession file, the tax certificate request and the bank-fee calculation.<\/p>\n

    Call +33 6 46 60 58 22<\/a> or use the French contact page<\/a> to explain your situation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A 2026 constitutional decision changed French succession bank fees. Learn how British heirs and executors can check the 1% and \u20ac857 cap, prove authority, handle French tax clearance and challenge an excessive charge after Brexit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":251031309,"featured_media":16437,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kj_source_type":"","_kj_official_id":"","_kj_official_url":"","_kj_judilibre_id":"","_kj_jur":"","_kj_lieu":"","_kj_chambre":"","_kj_rg":"","_kj_date":"","activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":4,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"federated","footnotes":""},"categories":[80312,80314],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2108196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-british-desk","category-decryptage"],"yoast_head":"\nFrench Succession Bank Fees After Brexit: Can a British Heir Challenge a Charge in 2026? - Ma\u00eetre Reda Kohen, Real Estate and Business Law Attorney in Paris<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/kohenavocats.fr\/en\/2026\/08\/26\/french-succession-bank-fees-british-heir-challenge-qpc-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"French Succession Bank Fees After Brexit: Can a British Heir Challenge a Charge in 2026?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A 2026 constitutional decision changed French succession bank fees. 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