Frequently asked questions

Yes. There is no restriction based on nationality or residence for buying a home in France, and you do not need a residence permit. The procedure is the same as for French buyers: a preliminary contract, a 10-day cooling-off period for the buyer, then the final deed signed before a notary. Some properties are subject to pre-emption rights, for example by the town or, for agricultural land, by the SAFER. As a non-resident you should think about tax from the start: wealth tax on French real estate above 1.3 million euros, capital gains tax on resale and French inheritance tax.

What are called notary fees on a purchase are mostly taxes. For an existing property they usually amount to around 7 to 8 percent of the price, and for a new property around 2 to 3 percent. Most of this is transfer duty collected for the State and local authorities, plus costs paid to third parties such as the land registry. The notary’s own remuneration is a regulated tariff set by law; only limited discounts are permitted. The buyer normally pays these fees. We give you a detailed estimate before you sign the preliminary contract.

It is not compulsory, and a will made in the UK or the US can be valid in France. In practice, however, a French notary will have to settle your French assets, and a foreign will may need translation, proof of validity or probate before it can be used. A will drawn up with a French notary, or at least one that expressly deals with your French property and, where useful, chooses the law of your nationality under the EU Succession Regulation, makes things much simpler for your family. Your French and home-country wills must be coordinated so that one does not revoke the other.

It depends on which law governs your estate. Under the EU Succession Regulation, applied in France since 17 August 2015, the law of your habitual residence at death applies, unless you have chosen the law of your nationality in a will. If French law applies, your children are forced heirs: they must receive at least half of the estate with one child, two thirds with two and three quarters with three or more. British and American nationals can choose their national law. Since 2021, French law can in some cases give children a compensation claim on French assets where the foreign law ignores forced heirship.

Yes, for French real estate. French inheritance tax applies to property located in France, including shares in companies holding French property, whatever the residence of the deceased or the heirs. If an heir has been resident in France for at least six of the last ten years, wider rules apply. A surviving spouse is exempt. Children benefit from an allowance of 100,000 euros from each parent, then rates from 5 to 45 percent. The France-UK and France-US estate tax treaties are designed to avoid double taxation, generally by a credit in the home country. Planning in advance can reduce the cost.

Yes. Most of our international clients sign through a power of attorney, which allows a member of our staff to sign the preliminary contract and the deed on their behalf. You can sign it before a notary public in your country, with an apostille, or we can prepare an authentic electronic power of attorney remotely by secure videoconference, with a qualified electronic signature. Some transactions, such as a mortgage or a gift, require the authentic form. We tell you which form is needed and send you a bilingual draft in good time. See our guide on signing from abroad.

Allow about two and a half to three months between the preliminary contract and completion. This time is needed for the buyer’s cooling-off period, the town’s pre-emption right, the searches and planning information requested by the notary and, where relevant, obtaining a mortgage, which is usually a condition of the contract. For buyers or sellers abroad, add time for powers of attorney, apostilles, courier delivery and anti-money-laundering checks. Sending us your documents early is the best way to keep to the planned completion date.

A non-professional buyer of residential property has 10 days to withdraw from the preliminary contract, without giving a reason and without penalty. The period starts on the day after the contract is first presented by registered letter, including electronic registered mail, or after it is handed over in person where the law allows. Any deposit paid must then be returned. The seller has no cooling-off period and is bound from signature. If no preliminary contract is signed, the buyer instead has a 10-day reflection period before the deed can be signed.

Under French law, if you have children, your spouse cannot receive your whole estate outright, because part of it is reserved to the children. Several tools can improve the position of the surviving spouse: a gift between spouses giving the life interest in the whole estate, a change of matrimonial property regime, for example to universal community with the whole passing to the survivor, or the way the property is held. Children from a previous relationship have specific protections. If your estate is governed by English or US state law, you may have more freedom. A surviving spouse is exempt from French inheritance tax.

Not for the purchase itself. The price and fees can be transferred from a bank account abroad directly to the notary’s account held with the Caisse des Dépôts, the public institution where French notaries must hold client funds. Payment must be made by bank transfer from an account in your name, and we will ask for evidence of the origin of the funds. In practice, a French account is often useful for paying local taxes, utilities and insurance by direct debit, and a French lender will usually require one. Always confirm our bank details by phone before any transfer.