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How do you prove that you are the heir of an estate (certificate, notoriety certificate)?

Verified 22 November 2021 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

The rules vary depending on the amount of the estate.

Less than 5000 €

In the case of a succession of less than €5,000, you can prove that you are heir by a certificate signed by all the heirs.

The certificate, signed by all heirs, to justify that you are the heir of an estate.

You can do the following:

  • Withdraw amounts from the deceased's bank accounts, up to €5,000, to adjust the protective measures (you must present proof to the financial institution: invoices, funeral purchase orders or tax notices)
  • If the total amount of the sums held by the banking institution is less than €5,000to obtain the closure of the accounts of the deceased and the payment of the sums shown therein.

The heir who makes the application to the bank must provide the following documents:

  • Signed certificate of all heirs
  • Her birth certificate
  • Extract of the deceased's birth certificate and full copy of his death certificate
  • Marriage certificate of the deceased, if he was married at the time of death
  • Extracts from birth certificates of each person entitled to them designated in the certificate
  • Certificate of non-registration of provisions of last will. You can obtain this document from the central file of provisions of last will (FCDDV) or from the association for the development of the notary service (ADSN).

Querying the file of wills

Who shall I contact

  • Association for the Development of the Notarial Service (ADSN)

    To find out more and to ask to consult the central file of provisions of last will (FCDDV), commonly called file of wills.

    In particular, you can request a certificate of non-registration of faint-will provisions.

    By telephone

    0 800 306 212

    Free service and call

    By E-mail

    fcddvpublic@notaires.fr

    By mail

    95 des Logissons Avenue

    13107 VENELLES CEDEX

The heirs must indicate the following information in the certificate:

  • There is no will, nor other heirs of the deceased
  • There is no marriage contract
  • The person presenting the document shall be authorized to collect, on behalf of the heirs, the sums appearing in the accounts of the deceased or to close them
  • There are no ongoing trials or challenges regarding the identification of an heir or the composition of the estate
  • The estate does not include any real estate

All heirs must sign the certificate.

You must pay for the production of the certificate of non-registration of last-will provisions. You can pay by check, or by credit card in case of online request.

The price varies depending on where you request it.

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From France (metropolis)

Polling the FCDDV costs €18.

From a Dom

Polling the FCDDV costs €16.28.

From the foreigner

Polling the FCDDV costs €15.

€5,000 or more

In the case of a succession greater than €5,000, you must ask the notary to draw up a notoriety certificate to prove that you are an heir.

The brand name action allows you to:

  • Steps where you have to justify that you are well heir carte grise (e.g. to change the holder of a vehicle's
  • Unfreeze sums from the deceased's bank accounts in excess of €5,000.

The public profile document shall contain the following information:

  • Identity of the deceased
  • Whether or not there are special provisions for inheritance (e.g. a will or a gift between spouses)
  • Affiliation and degree of kinship of each heir to the deceased
  • Share of each of the heirs
  • Signed agreement of the heirs to collect the estate of the deceased

You must speak to a notary.

Who shall I contact

The establishment of an act costs €57.69 (€69.23 TTC).

Other charges may be added, including emoluments formalities and/or registration fees. You can ask the notary for a detailed written estimate of the amount of fees to be paid or a statement of estimates of the cost of the operation.