France · Inheritance · Fixed-fee law firm
Registering inherited property into the heirs' names
When someone dies, their French property passes into the heirs' names through the notaire's deed of transmission — the attestation immobilière — published at the land registry. We drive the whole process for you, and explain every deed before you sign, for a fixed fee, without you leaving home.
You don’t have to become an expert in French land publicity overnight — that’s our job. Putting an inherited property into the heirs’ names is the step that finally puts the home in the family’s name, so it can be kept, transferred or sold.
If you need the whole estate dealt with — the heirs proved, the tax, the bank accounts as well as the property — that is our succession administration service, and this work is included in that fixed fee.
What we do
In France the deed that transmits inherited real estate — the attestation immobilière — is drawn by a notaire and published at the land registry (service de la publicité foncière). The notaire is an impartial public officer; he is not your advocate. Our service is independent legal control of the process: we instruct and drive the notaire, supply the cross-border evidence the file needs, and review and explain every deed before you sign.
- We instruct the notaire — within six months of the death where possible, the clock that matters — and obtain and explain the notaire’s cost estimate at the outset.
- We prepare the cross-border evidence: our in-house Certificate of English Law where a foreign will governs, the wills-register search, the civil-status documents, and powers of attorney drawn to French standards so no heir travels.
- We see the acte de notoriété and the succession tax position dealt with where they are still outstanding, and review the draft attestation immobilière line by line before signature.
- We see the attestation published at the land registry and the records confirmed in the heirs’ names.
When it's included, and when it's a service on its own
When we settle the whole French estate for you, this work is part of that fixed fee — there is no separate charge.
This page is for the times you need it on its own: a French property your home-country lawyer is administering as part of an estate abroad, an additional French property, or a title that was simply never dealt with after an earlier death.
A typical situation
David’s father had died some years ago, and the family had dealt with the English estate at the time — but the small apartment near Nice was never put into the children’s names, and now they wanted to sell it. There was nothing else left to do in France; they just needed the title moved across. We instructed the notaire, supplied the certificate of English law and the missing documents, saw the late filings made good, and the attestation published into the three children’s names — ready to sell — without any of them travelling.
Our fee
A fixed fee for our legal work, agreed in writing before we start. The notaire’s regulated fee for the attestation itself, and the land-registry costs, are third-party costs — shown separately, estimated at the outset, and paid by you directly.
- Included when we are settling the estate for you — with no separate charge.
- €1,500 + VAT as a standalone instruction — where the estate is being handled elsewhere, there is an additional property, or a title was never dealt with after an earlier death.
VAT is charged at the French rate (currently 20%) and always shown separately, so our fee is clear.
How long it takes
The notaire should be instructed within six months of the death — a real deadline worth respecting, and another reason not to hold the file. From a complete file, the attestation and its publication typically take a few months, with the notaire’s office setting much of the pace — longer where an old succession has to be made good first. We drive every step and keep you updated.
Common questions
How much does it cost to put inherited French property into the heirs' names?
When we settle the whole estate for you, this work is included in that fixed fee — no separate charge. As a standalone instruction our fee is €1,500 + VAT, alongside the notaire's regulated fee for the attestation immobilière itself, which we obtain an estimate for and explain at the outset.
Do I need to travel to France?
No. We act under a power of attorney drawn to French standards and drive the whole process remotely, in plain English.
How long does it take?
The notaire should be instructed within six months of the death — a real deadline worth respecting. From a complete file, the attestation immobilière and its publication at the land registry typically take a few months, with the notaire's office setting much of the pace. We drive it and keep you updated.