A notary: a public officer
In France, a notary (notaire) is a public officer appointed by the Minister of Justice. The notary authenticates deeds, which then have a certain date, conclusive force and, when they carry the enforcement formula, the effect of an enforceable title. The originals are kept by the office, and certified copies can be issued at any time.
The notary owes each party a duty of impartial advice and is bound by professional secrecy. The fees for most deeds are set by a national tariff, as explained on our page on notary fees in France. Funds entrusted to the office are held in an account at the Caisse des dépôts et consignations.
What the office handles
Maître Coudière works in family law, business law and rural law, and also advises founders of digital projects. For international clients, the matters most often concern a property in France, the estate of a relative, gifts to children and the matrimonial regime of a couple who has lived in several countries.
- Property: buying and selling houses, flats and land, lettings and property management.
- Family: marriage contracts, PACS, changes of matrimonial regime, division of property after a divorce.
- Inheritance: settlement of estates with heirs in several countries, European Certificate of Succession.
- Gifts and wills: gifts to children, gift-sharing, notarial wills, choice of the law of nationality.
- Companies: articles of association, share sales, sale of a business, family transfer.
- Rural law: farm leases, sale and transfer of agricultural land in the Beauce.
Meetings and languages
Meetings take place at the office in Chartres or by video call, at a time that suits your time zone. The language of the meeting is agreed when you book. Notarial deeds are drawn up in French; when a party does not read French, we arrange beforehand for a translation of the draft or for an interpreter at the signing, so that everyone understands the commitments made.
Before each signature, the draft deed is sent to you in advance, with an explanation of its main clauses and the costs involved. You can ask any question in writing or during a call.
Signing from abroad
Since 1 October 2025, notarial powers of attorney can be granted remotely, using the French notarial profession's secure identity check and a video call with the notary. You authorise a member of the office to sign the deed on your behalf, then receive copies electronically. French consulates no longer draw up notarial deeds, apart from those in Dakar and Abidjan, which makes this procedure the usual route for clients abroad.
Most deeds can be signed in this way: sale, purchase, gift, inheritance deeds and estate partition. A notarial will is an exception, as it requires the testator's presence before the notary and two witnesses or a second notary. Our page on remote notarial signing describes each step.
Preparing your first appointment from abroad
A complete file from the outset avoids delays later on. When you book, describe your situation briefly: the property or the estate concerned, the people involved and their countries of residence. We then send you the list of documents to upload to your secure space.
Foreign civil status documents may need a sworn translation into French and an apostille, under the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961, or legalisation, depending on the country that issued them. Between Member States of the European Union, Regulation 2016/1191 exempts many public documents, such as birth and marriage certificates, from the apostille. We tell you exactly which documents require these formalities before you order them.
- A valid passport or identity card for each person signing.
- Birth certificate, marriage certificate and any marriage contract or PACS agreement; divorce judgment where relevant.
- Title deeds or references of the French property; for an estate, the death certificate and any will.
- Your country of tax residence and your tax identification number there.
- Bank details for the payment of sums due to you, and the origin of funds for a purchase.
Booking an appointment
You can book a meeting at the office or by video call through our appointment page, choosing the subject of your request. The office is located at 7 rue Vintant, 28000 Chartres, in the centre of the town.
In the event of a disagreement with the office, you can refer the matter free of charge to the Notarial Mediator (Médiateur du notariat), after a written complaint addressed to the office.