Finding a Will in France: How to Search the FCDDV National Registry

The FCDDV: France's Central Will Registry

France maintains a national registry of all wills and last-resort dispositions called the Fichier Central des Dispositions de Dernières Volontés (FCDDV). Every will deposited with a French notaire, and every will registered by a testator through a notary, is recorded here.

The FCDDV doesn't store the actual will. It records that a will exists, which notaire holds it, and when it was registered. Think of it as an index — it tells you where to look, not what the will says.

Searching the FCDDV is essential after a death in France, because the deceased may have left a will that nobody in the family knows about. French residents commonly deposit testaments authentiques (notarized wills) or testaments olographes (handwritten wills) with their local notaire, and the family may never have been told.

How to Search the FCDDV

Anyone can request a search — you don't need to be an heir or a legal representative. The registry is managed by the Association pour le Développement du Service Notarial (ADSN).

By phone: 0 800 306 212 (free within France)

By email: [email protected] or [email protected]

By post: Service FCDDV public, 95 avenue des Logissons, 13107 VENELLES CEDEX

Fee: €18 from mainland France, €16.28 from overseas territories, or €15 from abroad.

To submit the search, you'll need the deceased's full name, date of birth, and date of death. A copy of the acte de décès (death certificate) is required to prove the person has actually died — the FCDDV will not release information about living individuals.

What If a Will Is Found

If the FCDDV search returns a positive result, you'll receive the name and contact details of the notaire who holds the will. Contact that notaire to arrange a reading.

The notaire will:

• Open and read the will to all identified heirs
• Verify the will's validity (proper form, no signs of coercion)
• Begin the acte de notoriété process to formally establish who inherits what

If the will was a testament olographe (entirely handwritten, dated, and signed by the deceased), the notaire must verify it meets the strict formal requirements of French law. A will that is typed, unsigned, or undated is invalid.

What If No Will Is Found

If the FCDDV search is negative, the estate is distributed according to French intestacy rules (succession ab intestat). The order of inheritance is rigid: surviving spouse, then children, then parents, then siblings, then more distant relatives.

Under intestacy with a surviving spouse and children, the spouse can choose either full ownership of one-quarter of the estate or usufruit (the right to use and benefit from) the entire estate. Children receive the remainder.

Don't Skip This Step

Many English-speaking families assume that if they haven't been told about a will, one doesn't exist. In France, wills are routinely deposited with notaires without informing the beneficiaries — that's the whole point of the registry. Skipping the FCDDV search means potentially missing a will that changes the entire distribution of the estate.

If a notaire has already been retained for the estate settlement, they will typically search the FCDDV as part of their standard process. But if you're handling a small estate without a notaire (assets under €5,965, no real property), running the search yourself ensures nothing is overlooked.

The Someone Died in France: English Speaker's Emergency Guide walks through the complete FCDDV search process and explains when a will changes the estate settlement timeline.

See more France guides →