FAQ of ETASSE et Associés in Paris

To watch the video of the interview with Ms. Alexandra ETASSE on the role of the notary, notary's fees and buying property, follow this link 

If the marriage has been ratified abroad it will be necessary at the time of the transcription of your marriage to indicate the existence of a possible marriage contract previously established so that mention is made thereof in the margin of your marriage act. This mention will also be indicated in your family register. 

A French person resident abroad who wishes to conclude a civil union with another French or foreign person must make a joint declaration at the embassy or the Consulate of the common place of residence. The PACS (civil union) recorded at the consulate of France shall be subject to French law insofar as the law applicable to this partnership is the law of the registration authority. After the registration, the formalities of advertisement will be conducted with specific mention made in margin of the birth certificate of each partner on the existence of this PACS. Warning: in France, the PACS does not grant any right of succession to the partner in an automatic manner.  The partners anxious to protect themselves in case of death, should contact their notary to consider testamentary provisions

The Civil code foresees that "two people of the same sex may contract a marriage when for at least one of them, either their personal law, or the law of the state in the territory where they have domicile or their residence, so permits it" (art. 202-1 al. 1 and 2 of the Civil code). Also, under reservation to respect these conditions a foreigner where in their personal law homosexual marriage is forbidden, may however get married in France. However, it is likely that this marriage will not be fully recognized abroad and not in the country of origin of the foreign spouse

Although the total amount of fees and taxes is often refererred to as «  notaire’s fees » (frais de notaire) ; the notaire’s fee is actually only about1%. Usually on a given purchase, costs are approximately 7 % of the purchase price, which include transfer duty, , Land Registry charges, the notaire’s fees and related VAT. All these amounts are stipulated by law , and are based on the value of the property. In general these amounts are the same all over France

Yes you can choose a notary anywhere in France to assist your in a property purchase. The purchaser and the seller can have different notaires, and  this will not incur any extra charges or fees