Specialist French legal advisers from Penningtons Solicitors and Blake Lapthorn Solicitors have contributed the following articles to our Information Library.

When individuals buy real estate in France, the law governing the land and property, (referred to as ‘immovable assets’), is currently French law, irrespective of whether the owner of the immovable assets resides in France or elsewhere.

French inheritance rules can seem complicated at first glance, as they differ somewhat to the rules that we are used to in the UK. However, we find that once our clients talk through their specific circumstances with a specialist legal adviser, choosing the best inheritance planning structure for their particular case is actually a very straightforward process.

Article 1

Introduces the basic principles of French inheritance law.

Article 2

Considers the planning that can be carried out to ensure that the outcome on death follows your wishes (or follows them as closely as is possible) and does not produce an unbearable tax burden.

Article 3

Explains that, irrespective of how you plan for your estate to be inherited, the French immovable assets part of your estate will be liable to French inheritance tax. This article outlines exactly how this tax works in France.

Article 4

Explains the proposed EU changes to cross-border succession planning. Assetz will be monitoring the progress of these proposals and will update this website as soon as any new legislation is announced.