What is the purpose of the Central Willingness Arrangements (CWDF) file?

Verified 12 September 2022 - Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister), Ministry of Justice

The FCDDV, also known as file of wills, centralizes for all of France information on wills received by notaries.

The FCDDV contains only information on wills entrusted to a notary.

The notary shall register the following information with the FCDDV:

  • Existence of the will
  • Place of deposit and contact details of the notary at whom the will is deposited
  • Civil status of the person concerned.

Every types of wills (holograph, authentic, mystical) are recorded.

When settling an estate, you can query the CDDF for the following information:

  • Existence of a will or acts expressing the deceased's last wishes
  • Contact details of the notarial office that keeps it.

You must be an heir to query the VDF. Some professionals (notaries, genealogists) can also query the file.

FYI  

in the event of death abroad, the embassy or consulate may contact the FCDDV.

The request is made online:

Querying the file of wills

You must provide a death certificate (original or certified copy).

FYI  

if the estate is entrusted to a notary, he is the one who makes the request.

The rates TTC: titleContent differ depending on where you apply.

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From France (metropolis)

Polling the FCDDV costs €18.

From an overseas department (Dom)

Polling the FCDDV costs €16.28.

From the foreigner

Polling the FCDDV costs €15.

You can pay online at the time of the request to query the file. You can also send your payment by mail when you send the death certificate.

Querying the file of wills

Who can help me?

Find who can answer your questions in your region

  • 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

  • Notary