How can i free up french livret a inheritance from uk resident?

A READER’S BANK SUGGESTED THEY FIND A ‘BRITISH NOTARY’ TO DRAW UP A SUITABLE DOCUMENT; BUT IS THIS THE BEST OPTION? READER QUESTION: I AM DUE INHERITANCE INCLUDING MONEY FROM A _LIVRET A_

BUT CRÉDIT AGRICOLE SAYS IT NEEDS AN _ACTE DE NOTORIÉTÉ_ TO CLOSE THE ACCOUNT AND TRANSFER THE PROCEEDS. A NOTAIRE SAID THAT, DUE TO BREXIT, NOTAIRES CANNOT PROVIDE THIS IF SOMEONE DIES IN

THE UK. THE PERSON CONCERNED LIVED IN ENGLAND. THE BANK SUGGESTED I FIND A ‘BRITISH NOTARY’. CAN YOU ADVISE? An_ acte de notoriété_ is a legal document that, as you say, is usually supplied

by a notaire. It proves a person’s rights as an heir to property in the estate of a deceased individual. In the UK there is a legal profession called a notary public and you can find them

here. However, our columnist John Kitching of French Law Consultancy said they are not necessarily the right port of call as they have a more limited remit than French notaires. A standard

solicitor would also not know what to do, he said, but a UK-based French law specialist, such as he is, would be able to assist. They would look at the will – if there is one – and work out

who is entitled to the estate, and explain this in French in a document called a c_ertificat de coutume de la dévolution successorale_, which replaces the _acte de notoriété_ in a format

that a French bank will understand. “We confirm the validity of the will, or who inherits if there is none, and explain why, and which law applies.” The cost and complexity of doing this is

variable on the amount of money in the_ livret A_, he said. It is often more expensive where sums of more than €5,000 are involved. RELATED ARTICLES HOW DO I RECOVER FUNDS FROM MY LATE

FATHER’S FRENCH BANK ACCOUNT? WILL MY FRENCH ESTATE GO TO MY CIVIL PARTNER WHEN I DIE? HOW CAN I LEAVE MY FRENCH PROPERTY TO MY SECOND WIFE?