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 16th May 2008
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French Law ZoneWelcome to the French Law Zone. The French legal system is very different from that in the UK, especially when it comes to buying a house. The aim of this law zone is to explain how French law works, including buying property in France, the work of the French legal officials the notaires, the planning process, divorce and property, and inheritance law. For information about the French tax system please visit our tax zone.Michael Streeter editor FrenchEntrée Property More from FrenchEntrée Property....Looking for a property in France? Visit our Property search. Are you already living in France? Sorted out you tax returns? Visit our guide to French tax or our top French tax tips.Or perhaps you want to know whether your British pension will be taxed in France? Or, maybe you want to find out how other people have found the process of buying a house in France? Key French legal vocabularyAn avocat combines some of the functions of both a barrister and a solicitor and is best translated as lawyer. The French word for a court of law is un tribunal. Un testament is a will. The deed of sale in a property transaction is the acte de vente. A speeding ticket is une contravention pour excès de vitesse while une amende is a fine.Tax and Law UpdateGet the latest information on French law and tax sent to you each quarter by signing up for our regular newsletterTax and Law Update |
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For couples of the same sex or those who simply don’t want to get married, French law offers a form of officially recognised relationship known as the Pacte Civil de Solidarité. Laurence Daurignac of The International Law Partnership explains
FrenchEntrée readers have been sending in their questions on the law and France. Lawyers from The International Law Partnership give their answers
If you're hiring an artisan or builder in France do as the French do and keep it official. Anne-Marie Gordon of Anglo-French Lawyers advises on what to do - and not do - to ensure you're legally protected when getting work done on your French home
Finding your way around French legal terminology is not always easy. Here is a glossary of some of the most commonly used phrases and terms
If building a new home in France or renovating an existing one it is important to make sure what planning permission, if any, is needed. Lawyer Laurence Daurignac of the International Law Partnership explains how the planning process works
Sarah Bright Thomas of French-based law firm Bright Jones looks at the new laws brought in by President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007 and how they might affect Britons living in or owning property in France
The Entente Cordiale is alive and well between lawyers from the UK and notaires in France. They have met in the Dordogne to discuss the purchase process, including the possibility of sterling transactions where both the buyers and sellers are British
Families can be quite complicated these days, especially when people remarry and there are children involved. Lawyer Sue Busby gives some advice on how to deal with complex arrangements when it comes to French law
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UK-based French lawyer Marie Slavov looks at the inheritance laws that came into force in January 2007 and considers the impact they could have on Britons owning property in France, whether they have a British or French will - or no will at all
Lawyer Laurence Daurignac of the International Law Partnership describes the main differences between buying an off plan property in France and purchasing a resale house 
Sometimes it goes wrong and a couple get divorced. But what happens if they own property in France? Who gets it – and how? Lawyer Graham Platt of The International Law Partnership explains how the system works
he market in France can offer a good chance for first time buyers to get into property where prices are often much lower than in Britain. But as lawyer Graham Platt from The International Law Partnership illustrates, you have to be careful how you go about it…
Lawyer Graham Platt from The International Law Partnership offers some cautionary tales that show than when pursuing your dreams in France it still pays to take expert guidance 
French-based avocat Julia Jones, left, takes a close look at the divorce law in France and also examines how it can affect property and other financial issues for both parties 
France and Britain may be close neighbours separated by just a narrow stretch of water. But their approaches to the law and their respective legal systems are very different, and it is a good idea to understand those differences, argues Stephen Smith
It is a good idea to seek independent and impartial advice from a lawyer who will protect your sole interests and, says French Advocate and UK solicitor Fabien Cordiez, it is perfectly possible to use a French lawyer...
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British surveyor Brian Hersee rejects the common assertion that the French do not have house surveys and argues that it makes even more sense to get one carried out when you are buying property in a foreign country 
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