It’s a more common issue than you might realize. Children who drift away and stop responding, often for years.
For some parents, this quiet creates a deep ache… and a perplexing issue arises: is it possible to deprive them from their inheritance? In short, is it permissible to disinherit your children in France? Spoiler: it isn’t that straightforward, but there are several solutions.
Heritage in France: a reserved share… impossible to touch
Let us begin with an unavoidable legal fact: in France, you cannot entirely disinherit your children. Unlike other countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, French law protects “reserved heirs.” And guess what? There are children among them.
The law establishes what is known as statutory inheritance: a minimum share of the estate that each child is entitled to, regardless of the nature of the relationship. This represents:
50% if you have only one child,
2/3 to share if there are two of them ,
3/4 to be divided between three or more children .
What about the rest? That is the available portion, and it can be transferred to anyone you choose… under some constraints.