France · Inheritance · Fixed-fee law firm
Releasing a French bank account after a death
When someone dies, a French bank freezes their account straight away — and won't release it without the right proof. If that account is all there is, you don't need a full estate service. We unfreeze and release it for you, for a fixed fee, without you leaving home.
You don’t have to become an expert in French banking practice overnight — that’s our job. Where the person who died left only French bank accounts and no property, this is the service for you: smaller and simpler than settling a whole estate, and priced accordingly.
If there is also a French property to deal with, the account is handled as part of that work instead — see administering a French estate.
Why the account is frozen — and what it takes to release it
When a person dies, a French bank freezes their account until the inheritance is properly established. For genuinely small estates, French law provides a shortcut: the heirs can jointly certify their entitlement and have the account closed without a notarial deed, below a threshold set by decree (a little under €6,000, revised periodically). We use it whenever it applies.
Above that line, the bank needs the acte de notoriété — the notaire’s deed proving who the heirs are — together with confirmation that the succession tax position is in order. The notaire’s fee for the acte itself is regulated and modest; our work is everything around it: instructing and driving the notaire, the wills-register search, the powers of attorney so no heir travels, the tax filing where one is due, and each bank’s own paperwork for foreign heirs. Once the bank has everything, it pays the heirs directly — the money never passes through us.
The full picture, in plain English: the bank has frozen the account — what now?
What we do for you
- Identify the accounts. We establish the French accounts and balances the person held.
- Pick the right route. Small-estate certification where it applies; otherwise the acte de notoriété through the notaire — instructed, driven and explained by us, with the notaire’s estimate obtained at the outset.
- Prove the heirs. The wills-register search, the civil-status documents, and the powers of attorney drawn to French standards.
- Deal with the tax. The succession filing where one is due — remembering that a return is required above a modest €50,000 gross even where the spouse takes everything tax-free.
- Deal with the bank. We assemble each bank’s paperwork for foreign heirs, submit the release request, and chase it — escalating firmly if a bank drags its feet.
- Account to you. When the funds are released, we reconcile the balance and confirm everything to you in writing.
We act for you under a power of attorney, so you never need to travel to France, and everything is handled in plain English.
A typical situation
Margaret’s mother had retired to Nice and died there. She rented her home, so there was no property — but she left one French bank account with about €30,000 in it, frozen the moment the bank learned she had died. Margaret, in Bristol, didn’t need a full estate service. We drove the notaire through the acte de notoriété, made the tax filing, and the bank paid Margaret directly — without her leaving home. One account: €1,750 + VAT.
Our fee
A fixed fee, agreed in writing before we start, with third-party costs (the notaire’s regulated fee, any tax) shown separately — never folded into our fee.
- One account: €1,750 + VAT.
- Two or more accounts: €1,000 + VAT per account.
Some estates are more involved — several accounts, a large balance, a joint account with a surviving spouse, an assurance-vie (which follows its own, separate regime), or a creditor to deal with. If yours is, we’ll tell you at the outset and agree the right approach with you before any work begins.
VAT is charged at the French rate (currently 20%) and always shown separately, so our fee is clear.
How long it takes
Small-estate certifications can move in weeks. Where the acte de notoriété route applies, plan for two to five months from a complete file — the notaire’s office and the bank’s compliance checks on foreign heirs set the pace. We submit everything correctly the first time, keep you updated, and press the bank if it falls quiet.
Common questions
Why has the French bank frozen the account?
When a person dies, a French bank freezes their account until the succession is properly established. For anything beyond a small estate, the bank releases the funds against the acte de notoriété — the notaire's deed proving who the heirs are — and confirmation that the succession tax position is in order.
What does it cost to release a French bank account?
Our fixed fee: €1,750 + VAT for one account, and €1,000 + VAT per account where there are two or more. The notaire's regulated fee for the acte de notoriété is separate and modest — we obtain and explain the notaire's estimate at the outset.
Is there a small-estate shortcut?
Yes — for genuinely small French estates, the heirs can jointly certify their entitlement and close the account without a notarial deed, below a threshold set by decree (a little under €6,000, revised periodically). Above it, the acte de notoriété route applies. We tell you which side of the line you are on at the outset.
Do I need a full estate service if there is only a bank account?
No. Where the person left only French bank accounts and no property, this standalone service is all you need — smaller and simpler than settling a whole estate, and priced accordingly.