Life Insurance Claims in France: Assurance Vie, AGIRA Search, and Unclaimed Policies

Assurance Vie Is Not Part of the Estate

French assurance vie (life insurance) operates on a fundamentally different legal basis than UK or US life insurance. Under Article L132-12 of the French Insurance Code, the capital paid out under an assurance vie contract goes directly to the named beneficiaries — it is not part of the succession (hors succession) and is not subject to forced heirship rules.

This makes assurance vie one of the most important financial instruments in France. It's widely used not just as insurance but as a tax-efficient savings vehicle, and many French residents (including expats) hold multiple contracts without their families knowing the details.

Finding Lost or Unknown Policies

The deceased may have held assurance vie contracts that the family doesn't know about. France has a centralized search mechanism: AGIRA (Association pour la Gestion des Informations sur le Risque en Assurance).

Any person who can prove they are a potential beneficiary can submit a search request to AGIRA, which then queries all French insurance companies. To file:

• Send a written request (by post or through the AGIRA website) with a certified copy of the acte de décès, proof of your identity, and proof of your relationship to the deceased
• AGIRA must respond within 15 days of receiving the request
• If contracts are found, the insurers must contact the beneficiaries directly within one month

The search is free. There's no limit on how many times you can search, and it covers all French-regulated insurance companies.

Filing a Claim

Once you've identified an assurance vie contract, the insurer must pay out within one month of receiving all required documents:

• Certified copy of the acte de décès
• Your identification (passport or national ID)
• Proof of beneficiary status (the contract names the beneficiary, or the clause designates a category like "my spouse" or "my children")
• Your bank details (RIB — relevé d'identité bancaire)

If the insurer fails to pay within this one-month window, the unpaid capital starts accruing interest at double the legal rate — a strong incentive for prompt settlement.

Tax Treatment

Assurance vie benefits enjoy preferential tax treatment, but the rules depend on when the premiums were paid:

Premiums paid before age 70: A flat €152,500 tax-free allowance per beneficiary. Amounts between €152,500 and €700,000 are taxed at 20%, and amounts above €700,000 at 31.25%. This is much more favorable than standard inheritance tax rates.

Premiums paid after age 70: Only the premiums (not the investment gains) are subject to inheritance tax, with a shared €30,500 allowance across all beneficiaries. The gains component is entirely tax-free.

Spouse and PACS partner beneficiaries: Complete exemption from all taxes on assurance vie payouts, regardless of amount or when premiums were paid.

Unclaimed Policies: The Eckert Law

France's Loi Eckert (2014) requires insurers to actively search for beneficiaries of unclaimed life insurance contracts. If an insurer learns of a policyholder's death (through cross-referencing with the national death registry — RNIPP), they must attempt to locate and contact the beneficiaries within six months.

Despite this law, an estimated €5.4 billion in assurance vie contracts remains unclaimed in France. If you suspect the deceased held policies you can't find, the AGIRA search is essential — don't rely on insurers proactively contacting you.

The Someone Died in France: English Speaker's Emergency Guide includes AGIRA search templates and a step-by-step claim filing guide for assurance vie contracts.

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