{"id":2135840,"date":"2026-10-01T21:55:42","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T19:55:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.fr\/2026\/10\/01\/british-dying-without-will-france-intestacy-heirs-reserve-challenge-brexit\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T21:55:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T19:55:42","slug":"british-dying-without-will-france-intestacy-heirs-reserve-challenge-brexit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.fr\/en\/2026\/10\/01\/british-dying-without-will-france-intestacy-heirs-reserve-challenge-brexit\/","title":{"rendered":"Dying Without a Will in France After Brexit: What Happens to a British Family&#8217;s House, Money and Children as Intestate Heirs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A British family settles in the Dordogne, opens a French bank account, buys a village house, keeps a current account and an ISA in Leeds, and never gets round to writing a French will. Then one spouse dies suddenly. The surviving partner assumes that, as in England, everything passes to them, that the children will wait, and that the house can be sold when the time feels right. French intestacy law \u2014 the <em>succession l\u00e9gale<\/em>, meaning the devolution imposed by statute when there is no valid will \u2014 says otherwise. Children are protected heirs from the first euro, the surviving spouse shares with them, the <em>notaire<\/em> (the French public officer who alone settles estates involving French immovable property) blocks any sale until every heir agrees, and the tax office applies French inheritance tax to French assets even where the deceased remained British. Since Brexit, the question of which country&#8217;s law governs, which court decides, and how United Kingdom assets are gathered in has become harder, not easier, because British citizens are now third-country nationals under European Union private international law.<\/p>\n<p>This guide explains, for a British reader living in France or owning property there, what happens when a British person dies in France without a will: which law applies and which court is competent, who inherits what between spouse, children, parents and wider family, how the forced share known as the <em>r\u00e9serve h\u00e9r\u00e9ditaire<\/em> works even without a will, how French inheritance tax and the 1963 France\u2013United Kingdom estates treaty divide the bill between Paris and London, and what practical steps \u2014 the <em>acte de notori\u00e9t\u00e9<\/em> (the notarial certificate proving who the heirs are), the <em>attestation immobili\u00e8re<\/em> (the notarial certificate transferring title to French land), the European Certificate of Succession, probate in England and Wales \u2014 unlock bank funds and allow a sale. It closes with how to challenge a blocked file: refusal by a bank, disagreement between heirs, or an excessive tax assessment. Every French term is explained at first use. United Kingdom spelling is used throughout.<\/p>\n<p>The starting point of French law is stark. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000006430690\" class=\"kohen-legifrance-popup-link\" data-kohen-legifrance-url=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000006430690\" data-kohen-legifrance-title=\"Texte officiel Legifrance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Article 720 of the Civil Code provides that \u201cLes successions s&#8217;ouvrent par la mort, au dernier domicile du d\u00e9funt.\u201d<\/a> The estate opens at death, at the last domicile of the deceased. From that moment an undivided ownership \u2014 the <em>indivision successorale<\/em>, meaning joint ownership by all heirs until partition \u2014 arises by operation of law. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000006430924\" class=\"kohen-legifrance-popup-link\" data-kohen-legifrance-url=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000006430924\" data-kohen-legifrance-title=\"Texte officiel Legifrance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Article 731 adds that \u201cLa succession est d\u00e9volue par la loi aux parents et au conjoint successibles du d\u00e9funt dans les conditions d\u00e9finies ci-apr\u00e8s.\u201d<\/a> Intestacy is therefore not a vacuum: the statute names the heirs and their shares. A companion guide on this site explains how a British testator can <a href=\"https:\/\/kohenavocats.fr\/en\/2026\/09\/22\/british-will-french-house-english-law-choice-reserve-challenge-brexit\/\">choose English law in a French house succession and protect children while challenging a blocked file<\/a>; the present article covers the opposite situation, where no choice was ever made and the default rules decide everything.<\/p>\n<h2>I. Which Law Governs a British Intestacy in France and Which Court Decides After Brexit<\/h2>\n<h3>A. How Habitual Residence Decides the Law for a Briton Who Dies in France Without a Will<\/h3>\n<p>Since 17 August 2015 the European Succession Regulation No 650\/2012, often called Brussels IV, governs in France. Its core rule is that, in the absence of a choice of law in a will, the whole succession is governed by the law of the State where the deceased had their habitual residence at death. Habitual residence \u2014 the <em>r\u00e9sidence habituelle<\/em>, meaning the place of the closest and most stable centre of life \u2014 is a question of fact, not nationality. A British citizen who lived year-round in Bordeaux, was registered with the French health system, filed French tax returns and kept their daily life there will normally be habitually resident in France, so French intestacy law governs the entire estate, including the Leeds account and the London flat, at least as seen from Paris. Conversely a British second-home owner who spent three months a year in the Lot and lived the rest of the year in Kent will normally remain habitually resident in England, so English intestacy law governs in principle, subject to French public policy and tax.<\/p>\n<p>Brexit did not remove this Regulation from French cases. The United Kingdom never opted in, but Denmark and Ireland aside the Regulation is applied by French courts as part of French law to every succession within its scope, including where the deceased was British. What Brexit changed is practical: British citizens no longer benefit from free movement, from automatic recognition of United Kingdom probate, or from European enforcement shortcuts for court orders. The French <em>notaire<\/em> will still ask whether English law claims to govern, will still require proof of English law by a <em>certificat de coutume<\/em> (a certificate of foreign law drawn up by a qualified lawyer), and will still hesitate where the two systems point in different directions. That is why dying without a will is far riskier for a British family than for a French family: the factual argument over where the deceased really lived becomes the whole case.<\/p>\n<p>The Cour de cassation, the French supreme court for civil matters, applies a demanding factual test. In a leading international succession decision, First Civil Chamber, 29 May 2019, appeal No 18-13.383, available at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courdecassation.fr\/decision\/5fca6e7dbfe59759b59c4713\">https:\/\/www.courdecassation.fr\/decision\/5fca6e7dbfe59759b59c4713<\/a>, the Court recalled that jurisdiction over the whole estate belongs to the courts of the Member State where the deceased had their habitual residence, and that the authority must carry out an overall assessment of the circumstances of the life of the deceased. The judgment states, word for word: \u201cl&#8217;autorit\u00e9 charg\u00e9e de la succession doit proc\u00e9der \u00e0 une \u00e9valuation d&#8217;ensemble des circonstances de la vie du d\u00e9funt au cours des ann\u00e9es pr\u00e9c\u00e9dant son d\u00e9c\u00e8s et au moment de son d\u00e9c\u00e8s, prenant en compte tous les \u00e9l\u00e9ments de fait pertinents, notamment la dur\u00e9e et la r\u00e9gularit\u00e9 de la pr\u00e9sence du d\u00e9funt dans l&#8217;\u00c9tat concern\u00e9 ainsi que les conditions et les raisons de cette pr\u00e9sence, la r\u00e9sidence habituelle ainsi d\u00e9termin\u00e9e devant r\u00e9v\u00e9ler un lien \u00e9troit et stable avec l&#8217;\u00c9tat concern\u00e9, compte tenu des objectifs sp\u00e9cifiques du r\u00e8glement\u201d. Duration and regularity of presence, conditions and reasons for presence, close and stable link: those four markers decide the case. Nationality and the location of the main assets are only subsidiary criteria where the deceased divided life between several States, for example living alternately in New York and Paris, as in that case, where the Court approved a finding of habitual residence in New York based on American nationality, a forty-year fixed address, professional life, burial wishes, tax domicile and absence of French health cover.<\/p>\n<p>For a British family the lesson is concrete. Keep and organise the evidence of daily life now: the <em>carte de s\u00e9jour<\/em> (the residence permit issued to British beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement, commonly called the WARP card), French tax notices (<em>avis d&#8217;imposition<\/em>), registration with the <em>Caisse primaire d&#8217;assurance maladie<\/em> (the local health fund, abbreviated CPAM), electricity and telephone bills, school certificates, medical records showing a French treating doctor (<em>m\u00e9decin traitant<\/em>), electoral registration where applicable, and proof of where personal possessions are kept. A bailiff&#8217;s report (<em>constat d&#8217;huissier<\/em>, now called a <em>constat de commissaire de justice<\/em>) showing a Paris flat decorated with the most personal possessions and full of everyday objects was argued in the 2019 case but did not prevail against decades of New York anchoring. One strong document never outweighs a lifetime pattern. Where habitual residence is genuinely balanced between France and England, expect the <em>notaire<\/em> to proceed cautiously, to request both French and English legal opinions, and to refuse to release funds until the applicable law is agreed or a court has ruled.<\/p>\n<p>Two further boundaries matter. First, the Regulation allows a testator to choose the law of their nationality in a will; without a will there is no choice, so the habitual-residence default applies in full. Relatives cannot reconstruct a choice after death. Second, even where English intestacy law governs, French courts retain jurisdiction over French immovable property in certain configurations, and French tax always applies to French immovable property regardless of the governing civil law. Civil law and tax law therefore diverge: you can win the argument that English law governs the shares yet still pay French inheritance tax on the Dordogne house. Families should analyse both tracks in parallel from the first meeting with the <em>notaire<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h3>B. Which French Court and Which Officer Handles the Estate When There Is No Will<\/h3>\n<p>French estates are settled primarily out of court by the <em>notaire<\/em>, not by a judge. The heirs jointly instruct a <em>notaire<\/em>, who verifies the death, identifies the heirs, draws up the <em>acte de notori\u00e9t\u00e9<\/em> proving heirship, collects bank and insurance information through the FICOBA and FICOVIE files (the national registers of bank accounts and life assurance), publishes the <em>attestation immobili\u00e8re<\/em> at the land registry (<em>service de publicit\u00e9 fonci\u00e8re<\/em>) to transfer French land, files the inheritance tax return (<em>d\u00e9claration de succession<\/em>), and proposes partition. The court \u2014 the <em>tribunal judiciaire<\/em> (the ordinary civil court with jurisdiction over successions) \u2014 intervenes only on dispute: disagreement on heirship, on the applicable law, on the valuation, or on whether to order a judicial partition (<em>partage judiciaire<\/em>). For British families based in Paris and the \u00cele-de-France, the competent court is normally the <em>tribunal judiciaire de Paris<\/em>, and Paris <em>notaires<\/em> are accustomed to requesting English grants of probate and sworn translations. Practical Paris points include longer appointment lead times, systematic requests for apostilled English civil status documents with sworn French translations, and direct liaison with the Paris land registry where delays of several months after publication are common. Build those timelines into any plan to sell.<\/p>\n<p>Jurisdiction follows habitual residence for the whole estate under Article 4 of the Regulation, with subsidiary jurisdiction under Article 10 where the deceased lived outside the European Union but left assets inside it. The distinction between movable and immovable succession, familiar from older French private international law, survives only for deaths before 17 August 2015. For those older files the Cour de cassation still recalls the classic rule. In First Civil Chamber, 14 April 2021, appeal No 19-24.773, available at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courdecassation.fr\/decision\/607a4837118b6b21e20751eb\">https:\/\/www.courdecassation.fr\/decision\/607a4837118b6b21e20751eb<\/a>, the Court stated: \u201cSelon ces principes, les tribunaux fran\u00e7ais sont comp\u00e9tents pour statuer sur une succession mobili\u00e8re lorsque le d\u00e9funt avait son domicile en France. Ils sont comp\u00e9tents pour statuer sur une <a href=\"https:\/\/kohenavocats.fr\/droit-patrimonial-et-droit-des-successions\/\">succession immobili\u00e8re<\/a> pour les immeubles situ\u00e9s en France.\u201d French courts are competent for movable succession where the deceased was domiciled in France, and for immovable succession as to buildings situated in France. The same judgment adds that \u201cla d\u00e9termination de la juridiction comp\u00e9tente ne d\u00e9pendait pas de la loi applicable au litige, mais de la nature de l&#8217;action successorale\u201d \u2014 jurisdiction does not depend on the applicable law but on the nature of the succession claim \u2014 and that \u201cl&#8217;action en r\u00e9duction exerc\u00e9e par les h\u00e9ritiers r\u00e9servataires contre le donataire d&#8217;un immeuble\u201d is assessed under the law of the place where the building lies. Even in a modern post-2015 file, that reasoning reminds practitioners to characterise each claim correctly: an action to reduce an excessive lifetime gift of a French house (<em>action en r\u00e9duction<\/em>, meaning the claim by protected heirs to claw back gifts exceeding the free portion) remains anchored to France.<\/p>\n<p>Cross-border proof is where British intestacies stall. To unblock a French bank, the <em>acte de notori\u00e9t\u00e9<\/em> normally suffices. To unblock an English bank or sell an English flat where the deceased died habitually resident in France, the family needs English recognition: either a grant of probate or letters of administration from the Probate Service in England and Wales, supported by the French <em>acte de notori\u00e9t\u00e9<\/em>, the death certificate with apostille, and where useful a European Certificate of Succession (<em>certificat successoral europ\u00e9en<\/em>, the multilingual EU form proving heirship, which the United Kingdom does not issue but French <em>notaires<\/em> do). Since Brexit the European Certificate is not recognised as such in England; treat it as powerful evidence rather than an automatic passport. Mirror-image work is needed in France for English assets: the French <em>notaire<\/em> will ask for the English grant with a sworn translation and an apostille under the Hague Convention. Allow three to six months for the full loop where both countries are involved, longer where HM Revenue and Customs and the French tax office both require clearance before distribution.<\/p>\n<p>Where heirs disagree on who inherits or on the governing law, any interested party can seise the <em>tribunal judiciaire<\/em> of the place where the estate opened or where French immovable property lies. The judge can appoint an expert to value property, order provisional measures to preserve funds, and ultimately order partition. The limitation period for partition claims is long, but the tax return deadline is short \u2014 six months from death where the deceased died in France, twelve months where death occurred outside France \u2014 with interest for late filing. Never let a civil dispute make the family miss the tax deadline; file a provisional return and correct it later rather than filing nothing.<\/p>\n<h2>II. Who Inherits What Without a Will and What Tax the British Family Pays in Each Country<\/h2>\n<h3>A. How French Intestacy Shares the House and Money Between Spouse, Children and Wider Family<\/h3>\n<p>French intestacy follows orders of heirs. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000006430952\" class=\"kohen-legifrance-popup-link\" data-kohen-legifrance-url=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000006430952\" data-kohen-legifrance-title=\"Texte officiel Legifrance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Article 734 of the Civil Code provides that \u201cEn l&#8217;absence de conjoint successible, les parents sont appel\u00e9s \u00e0 succ\u00e9der ainsi qu&#8217;il suit : 1\u00b0 Les enfants et leurs descendants ; 2\u00b0 Les p\u00e8re et m\u00e8re ; les fr\u00e8res et soeurs et les descendants de ces derniers ; 3\u00b0 Les ascendants autres que les p\u00e8re et m\u00e8re ; 4\u00b0 Les collat\u00e9raux autres que les fr\u00e8res et soeurs et les descendants de ces derniers. Chacune de ces quatre cat\u00e9gories constitue un ordre d&#8217;h\u00e9ritiers qui exclut les suivants.\u201d<\/a> Each of the four categories is an order that excludes the next. Children therefore exclude parents, siblings, grandparents and cousins entirely where at least one child survives and accepts. Representation (<em>repr\u00e9sentation successorale<\/em>, meaning grandchildren stepping into the shoes of a predeceased child) preserves the branch. Only where no child or descendant survives do parents and siblings, then wider ascendants, then ordinary collaterals inherit.<\/p>\n<p>The surviving spouse \u2014 the <em>conjoint survivant<\/em>, meaning the married husband or wife at death \u2014 is not in those four orders but concurs with them. Unmarried partners, however long the cohabitation, inherit nothing without a will; a partner under a civil solidarity pact (<em>pacte civil de solidarit\u00e9<\/em>, abbreviated PACS, the French registered partnership) also inherits nothing without a will, though tax law treats them more favourably than a mere cohabitant. This surprises many British couples who assumed a \u201ccommon-law spouse\u201d has rights. In France only marriage creates intestate spousal rights. Where the couple married in England and live in France, the matrimonial property regime \u2014 the <em>r\u00e9gime matrimonial<\/em>, meaning the default ownership rules between spouses \u2014 must be liquidated before the succession is divided, because only the deceased&#8217;s net estate passes to heirs. Do not confuse that prior step with inheritance itself.<\/p>\n<p>Where children survive, the spouse&#8217;s intestate share is fixed by statute. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000006431087\" class=\"kohen-legifrance-popup-link\" data-kohen-legifrance-url=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000006431087\" data-kohen-legifrance-title=\"Texte officiel Legifrance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Article 757 provides that \u201cSi l&#8217;\u00e9poux pr\u00e9d\u00e9c\u00e9d\u00e9 laisse des enfants ou descendants, le conjoint survivant recueille, \u00e0 son choix, l&#8217;usufruit de la totalit\u00e9 des biens existants ou la propri\u00e9t\u00e9 du quart des biens lorsque tous les enfants sont issus des deux \u00e9poux et la propri\u00e9t\u00e9 du quart en pr\u00e9sence d&#8217;un ou plusieurs enfants qui ne sont pas issus des deux \u00e9poux.\u201d<\/a> In plain terms: if all children are the couple&#8217;s joint children, the survivor chooses between a life interest (<em>usufruit<\/em>, meaning the right to use the property and take income for life while the bare ownership belongs to the children) over everything, or outright ownership (<em>pleine propri\u00e9t\u00e9<\/em>) of one quarter, the children sharing the rest. If any child is from another relationship, the survivor has no choice and takes one quarter in full ownership only. The <em>usufruit<\/em> option is powerful where the survivor needs to stay in the family home for life, but it creates a split ownership \u2014 the survivor as <em>usufruitier<\/em> and the children as <em>nus-propri\u00e9taires<\/em> (bare owners) \u2014 so nothing can later be sold or mortgaged without everyone&#8217;s agreement, and the children&#8217;s consent is needed for major works. Families should model both options with the <em>notaire<\/em> before the three-month option window hardens into a deemed choice through conduct.<\/p>\n<p>Even without a will, children are protected by the <em>r\u00e9serve h\u00e9r\u00e9ditaire<\/em>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000006435530\" class=\"kohen-legifrance-popup-link\" data-kohen-legifrance-url=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000006435530\" data-kohen-legifrance-title=\"Texte officiel Legifrance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Article 912 defines it exactly: \u201cLa r\u00e9serve h\u00e9r\u00e9ditaire est la part des biens et droits successoraux dont la loi assure la d\u00e9volution libre de charges \u00e0 certains h\u00e9ritiers dits r\u00e9servataires, s&#8217;ils sont appel\u00e9s \u00e0 la succession et s&#8217;ils l&#8217;acceptent. La quotit\u00e9 disponible est la part des biens et droits successoraux qui n&#8217;est pas r\u00e9serv\u00e9e par la loi et dont le d\u00e9funt a pu disposer librement par des lib\u00e9ralit\u00e9s.\u201d<\/a> The reserved share is the portion the law secures free of charges to certain heirs called reserved heirs; the disposable portion (<em>quotit\u00e9 disponible<\/em>) is what remains freely disposable by gift or will. In intestacy there are by definition no gifts to reduce, so the reserve simply confirms that children divide everything equally after the spouse&#8217;s share, but it still matters because lifetime gifts \u2014 an English cash gift to one child, a French house given to a new partner, school fees characterised as an advance on inheritance \u2014 are notionally brought back into the calculation (<em>rapport<\/em> and <em>r\u00e9duction<\/em>) to check equality. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000043982288\" class=\"kohen-legifrance-popup-link\" data-kohen-legifrance-url=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000043982288\" data-kohen-legifrance-title=\"Texte officiel Legifrance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Article 913 quantifies the limit: \u201cLes lib\u00e9ralit\u00e9s, soit par actes entre vifs, soit par testament, ne pourront exc\u00e9der la moiti\u00e9 des biens du disposant, s&#8217;il ne laisse \u00e0 son d\u00e9c\u00e8s qu&#8217;un enfant ; le tiers, s&#8217;il laisse deux enfants ; le quart, s&#8217;il en laisse trois ou un plus grand nombre.\u201d<\/a> Gifts and legacies may not exceed one half with one child, one third with two children, one quarter with three or more. The same article adds a compensatory levy for children of a European Union national or habitual resident where the foreign law applicable to the succession provides no reserved-share mechanism, allowing each child to take from assets situated in France to restore their French reserved rights; British nationals habitually resident in France fall squarely within the personal scope of that corrective, which often surprises families who assumed English testamentary freedom would govern French land.<\/p>\n<p>Where no child survives, the picture changes. If both parents survive alongside the spouse, each parent takes one quarter and the spouse one half. If only one parent survives, that parent takes one quarter and the spouse three quarters. If no parent survives but siblings survive, siblings take one half in total and the spouse the other half. If neither parents, siblings, nor wider family in the relevant order survive, the spouse takes everything. Ascendants other than parents who are in need can claim maintenance from the estate even where the spouse takes all or three quarters, under the conditions of Article 758 of the Civil Code, within one year of death. These cascades explain why the <em>notaire<\/em> demands full family civil status going back two generations: a missing brother&#8217;s children, a predeceased parent, or an undisclosed child from an earlier relationship reorders the entire devolution. British birth, marriage and divorce certificates must be produced with apostilles and sworn translations; a decree absolute from England proves the end of a prior marriage and therefore that the current spouse is truly the surviving spouse.<\/p>\n<p>Acceptance itself is a decision. An heir can accept purely and simply (<em>acceptation pure et simple<\/em>), accept up to the net assets (<em>acceptation \u00e0 concurrence de l&#8217;actif net<\/em>, the former benefit of inventory, protecting against unknown debts), or renounce (<em>renonciation<\/em>) before the court registry. In a British-French file with a mortgaged French house, a deteriorating leaseback, or unknown English debts, the limited-acceptance option deserves systematic advice. Renunciation by a child increases the shares of the others and can have tax consequences, so it should never be signed hastily at the bank counter to \u201cspeed things up\u201d. The <em>notaire<\/em> records the option; the court registry records renunciations. Once exercised, reversal is narrowly confined.<\/p>\n<h3>B. What French Inheritance Tax Applies to British Heirs and How the Treaty Prevents Double Taxation<\/h3>\n<p>French inheritance tax \u2014 the <em>droits de mutation \u00e0 titre gratuit par d\u00e9c\u00e8s<\/em>, meaning transfer duties on gratuitous transfers at death \u2014 applies independently of the civil law governing shares. Three territorial triggers are set by statute. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000024453202\" class=\"kohen-legifrance-popup-link\" data-kohen-legifrance-url=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000024453202\" data-kohen-legifrance-title=\"Texte officiel Legifrance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Article 750 ter of the General Tax Code provides that \u201cSont soumis aux droits de mutation \u00e0 titre gratuit : 1\u00b0 Les biens meubles et immeubles situ\u00e9s en France ou hors de France, et notamment les fonds publics, parts d&#8217;int\u00e9r\u00eats, biens ou droits composant un trust d\u00e9fini \u00e0 l&#8217;article 792-0 bis et produits qui y sont capitalis\u00e9s, cr\u00e9ances et g\u00e9n\u00e9ralement toutes les valeurs mobili\u00e8res fran\u00e7aises ou \u00e9trang\u00e8res de quelque nature qu&#8217;elles soient, lorsque le donateur ou le d\u00e9funt a son domicile fiscal en France au sens de l&#8217;article 4 B\u201d<\/a>, then extends tax to French-situated movables and immovables where the deceased was not fiscally domiciled in France, and to worldwide assets received by an heir fiscally domiciled in France who was so domiciled for at least six of the previous ten years. Fiscal domicile (<em>domicile fiscal<\/em>) is itself defined by factual criteria. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000051202565\" class=\"kohen-legifrance-popup-link\" data-kohen-legifrance-url=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000051202565\" data-kohen-legifrance-title=\"Texte officiel Legifrance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Article 4 B treats as fiscally domiciled in France persons who have in France their home or principal place of stay: \u201cLes personnes qui ont en France leur foyer ou le lieu de leur s\u00e9jour principal\u201d<\/a>, those who carry on a professional activity there unless merely ancillary, and those whose centre of economic interests lies there, subject to tax treaties. A British retiree living year-round in France with a French home, French bank centre and French daily life is fiscally domiciled in France, so worldwide assets fall into French tax, with treaty credit for United Kingdom tax. A British non-resident who merely owns a French holiday home is taxed in France only on French assets, but that still includes the house, its furniture, and French bank balances.<\/p>\n<p>Rates and allowances then decide the bill. Between parents and children, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000030061736\" class=\"kohen-legifrance-popup-link\" data-kohen-legifrance-url=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000030061736\" data-kohen-legifrance-title=\"Texte officiel Legifrance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Article 777 sets progressive rates from 5% to 45% by slice of net share<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000026292566\" class=\"kohen-legifrance-popup-link\" data-kohen-legifrance-url=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000026292566\" data-kohen-legifrance-title=\"Texte officiel Legifrance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Article 779 grants that \u201cil est effectu\u00e9 un abattement de 100 000 \u20ac sur la part de chacun des ascendants et sur la part de chacun des enfants vivants ou repr\u00e9sent\u00e9s par suite de pr\u00e9d\u00e9c\u00e8s ou de renonciation.\u201d<\/a> Each child therefore deducts 100,000 euros before rates apply; disabled heirs deduct a further 159,325 euros under the same article. Siblings deduct 15,932 euros each and pay 35% then 45%; nephews and nieces deduct 7,967 euros; unrelated persons pay 60% after a 1,594-euro allowance. Life assurance (<em>assurance-vie<\/em>, the French savings contract often used for estate planning) follows its own ceiling rules and is not detailed here, but every British family should ask the <em>notaire<\/em> and the insurer whether a contract names beneficiaries outside the estate and whether premiums were paid after age seventy, because those facts move the contract in or out of succession tax.<\/p>\n<p>The surviving spouse is fully exempt. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000006305480\" class=\"kohen-legifrance-popup-link\" data-kohen-legifrance-url=\"https:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/codes\/article_lc\/LEGIARTI000006305480\" data-kohen-legifrance-title=\"Texte officiel Legifrance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Article 796-0 bis of the General Tax Code states: \u201cSont exon\u00e9r\u00e9s de droits de mutation par d\u00e9c\u00e8s le conjoint survivant et le partenaire li\u00e9 au d\u00e9funt par un pacte civil de solidarit\u00e9.\u201d<\/a> No inheritance tax between married spouses or PACS partners. Cohabitants without marriage or PACS pay 60%. That single line explains why, for an older British couple in France, marrying or concluding a PACS before a health crisis can save tens of thousands of euros, even though only marriage creates intestate inheritance rights. Do not confuse the two advantages: PACS gives the tax exemption without giving intestate heirship.<\/p>\n<p>The 1963 France\u2013United Kingdom convention for the avoidance of double taxation with respect to duties on the estates of deceased persons then allocates taxing rights over the Channel. In broad terms France taxes French immovable property and certain French business assets, the United Kingdom taxes United Kingdom immovable property and certain business assets, and movable property follows the domicile of the deceased under the treaty, with each State granting credit for the other&#8217;s tax up to its own claim. The treaty does not harmonise rates or allowances; it prevents the same euro being taxed twice in full. Practically, the French <em>notaire<\/em> files the French return and pays French tax within the deadline, the English personal representatives file the inheritance tax account (form IHT400) with HM Revenue and Customs and obtain clearance, and each side claims foreign tax credit with proof of payment abroad. Keep both assessments, both receipts, and both valuations: the French tax office routinely asks for the English probate valuation of United Kingdom assets to verify the worldwide disclosure, and HM Revenue and Customs asks for the French <em>attestation immobili\u00e8re<\/em> valuation for the same reason. Divergent valuation dates \u2014 French tax values at death, with its own discounts for <em>usufruit<\/em> by age band \u2014 must be reconciled line by line rather than by applying one country&#8217;s figure in the other country&#8217;s return.<\/p>\n<p>United Kingdom assets need separate handling. English bank accounts in the sole name of the deceased freeze at death; the bank requires a grant of representation before releasing more than a small threshold. Joint accounts pass by survivorship outside succession, but French tax may still deem half the balance taxable where the survivor is not exempt. ISAs lose their income tax shelter at death subject to narrow spousal provisions; that is an income tax point, not a succession point, but families discover it at the same meeting. A London flat owned outright needs an English grant, estate agent valuation at death, and where relevant a clearance certificate before sale; a leasehold flat needs the freeholder&#8217;s notice and licence to assign. None of this is done by the French <em>notaire<\/em> alone: instruct an English solicitor in parallel and agree who values what, in which currency, at which date, and with which discount for occupation or tenancy.<\/p>\n<p>Challenging the outcome follows three distinct routes. Against a French tax assessment (<em>proposition de rectification<\/em> or <em>avis de mise en recouvrement<\/em>), file a written claim (<em>r\u00e9clamation contentieuse<\/em>) to the tax office that issued the notice, within the statutory deadline, with valuation evidence, treaty calculation and proof of United Kingdom tax paid; on express or implied rejection, appeal to the administrative court (<em>tribunal administratif<\/em>). Against a bank that freezes funds despite an <em>acte de notori\u00e9t\u00e9<\/em> and complete identity evidence, send a recorded formal notice citing the file reference, then complain to the banking mediator and, if needed, seise the civil court for release under penalty (<em>astreinte<\/em>). Against co-heirs who block sale or refuse partition, any heir can demand partition at any time \u2014 no one can be forced to remain in undivided ownership \u2014 and the court can order sale by auction (<em>licitation<\/em>) with distribution of proceeds where partition in kind is impossible. For Paris-based families, service of English documents, sworn translations, and coordination between a Paris <em>notaire<\/em> and a London solicitor add cost but remove the most common ground for refusal: incomplete proof of capacity. Document every refusal in writing; an oral \u201cwe need another paper\u201d repeated for months is not a decision that can be appealed.<\/p>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>Dying without a will in France as a British family does not leave the estate ownerless; it hands the pen to the statute. Habitual residence at death chooses between French and English intestacy law, the French <em>notaire<\/em> and where necessary the French court apply that law to name the heirs, children divide the estate equally after the surviving spouse&#8217;s share, and French tax reaches French assets in every case and worldwide assets where the deceased or a long-resident heir was fiscally domiciled in France, with the 1963 treaty softening double taxation. The price of intestacy is loss of control: no choice of law, no executor of choice, no tailored protection for a vulnerable child or a surviving partner, no tax optimisation, and months of dual-track proof in two languages. The remedy is immediate and practical: secure the death certificate and family papers, instruct a <em>notaire<\/em> without delay, preserve evidence of habitual residence, file the French inheritance tax return within six or twelve months, open probate in England where United Kingdom assets exist, and challenge refusals and assessments through the proper channel rather than by waiting. A will drafted today under English or French law, coordinated with marriage, PACS, life assurance and property ownership, remains the only reliable way to replace default intestacy with a chosen plan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A British person dies in France without a will: which law governs, who inherits between spouse and children, what French inheritance tax applies, and how to unblock banks, property and probate on both sides of the Channel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":251031309,"featured_media":16348,"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-2135840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-british-desk","category-decryptage"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.2 (Yoast SEO v28.2) - 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