change to inheritance laws for Ex-Pats

montgolfiere · Post by **montgolfiere** » Mon 02 Apr 2012 16:33

I understand (from The Connexion Newspaper) that the EU has passed a law giving expats and other non French residents in France to provide for 'Inheritance' under their own Rules. ie the possibilityfor us 'Ex-Pats' to make a Will and leave what you want to who you want and not be subject to the 'Crazy French system'. This sounds a great step forward.

Sue · Post by **Sue** » Mon 02 Apr 2012 18:09

I assume that the Will can be prepared in England in English by an english solicitor. Is there a special clause which has to be inserted.

CD · Post by CD » Tue 03 Apr 2012 00:39

What about the inheritance tax?

We don't have kids and would be leaving our place to a niece and nephew. Which begs the question whether anyone knows what the tax rate is now under the current rules for nieces & nephews?

This is something that I've been thinking about more and more recently as we prepare to head for the sun & retirement...

Cheers,

Chris

Santiago · Post by **Santiago** » Tue 03 Apr 2012 08:10

I don't think it changes tax laws, just who the property can be left to. Personally, I quite like the French law, it's there to protect offspring from the evil-stepmother scenario and embodies the idea that property you inherit isn't truly yours. You have a responsibility to pass that property on to your children.

opas · Post by **opas** » Tue 03 Apr 2012 08:27

But that does not always work.

I was watching a programme on sunday night a few weeks ago (not sure if it was 66 minutes,) ..........this one is not an April fool!..............

A lady on there in her late 60s had inherited a property in Normadie(north france anyway) from her father, he had divorced years before and remarried and went on to have another child. this lady had to share this property with her step sister, but there had been another property in Bacares that had vanished off the succession! the lady had been trying for 10 years to find out what had happened to it, turned out that evil step mum had sold it 6 months after the husband had died.

The Notaire was in cahoots with the stepmum and had sucessfully covered it up for over ten years, money gone et voila

But the daughter then had the legal system after the notaire and the stepmum.

Did anyone else see the programe

russell · Post by **russell** » Wed 04 Apr 2012 23:05

montgolfiere wrote:I understand (from The Connexion Newspaper) that the EU has passed a law giving expats and other non French residents in France to provide for 'Inheritance' under their own Rules. ie the possibilityfor us 'Ex-Pats' to make a Will and leave what you want to who you want and not be subject to the 'Crazy French system'. This sounds a great step forward.

I presume that they mean a Directive, as the EU cannot pass laws. The directives require member countries to pass the laws, which unfortunately doesn't always happen.

Do you have a reference to the Directive number? It would be interesting to read the original to see exactly what it requires.

Russell.

Santiago · Post by **Santiago** » Thu 05 Apr 2012 07:01

It'll probably be on here somewhere http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm

ChristineM · Post by **ChristineM** » Thu 05 Apr 2012 10:30

It would appear to be a discussion document following the ruling of the Eu court on a Spanish and Dutch case.

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAct ... anguage=en

The Woman will loose out as usual.

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