Donation: everything you need to know to make a donation

Updated on Friday 3 October 2025

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Understand the donation

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Succession: rules to know for a donation

Donation makes it possible to reward loved ones (family members or not) but also a labor, an association or a congregation one may support. Donation is a serious act because, except for exceptions, it is definitive.
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How is a donation taxed?

A donation is an act by which a person, the donor, voluntarily and irrevocably transfers ownership of something, free of charge, to another person, the donee (Civil Code, Art. 894).

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Inheritance: donation and peculiar clauses

A donation may include special clauses, to meet the desires of the donor. A notary’s intervention is necessary to draft a valid clause and in accordance with the will of the donor.
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Make a donation

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Donation: risks related to manual donations

It is possible to give a sum of money to one of your children informally. However, be careful. This "manual donation" must comply with certain legal and taxation rules and could trigger a family clash, if it is carried out, without any prior reflection.
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Successive gift

A successive gift is, first and foremost, a gift, that is, an act “by which a person freely transfers all or part of their property or rights to another person,” in a present and irrevocable manner (meaning the donor cannot reclaim the property or right once given).
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Make a bequest to a foundation or an association

You have the right to leave all or part of your inheritance, to a structure of general interest which, due to you, will be able to pursue its humanitarian, social, educational, research missions, in the medium and long term.
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International donations

A question ? Need help ?

Yes. It is always possible to make a donation, regardless of your age. However, the beneficiaries of the donation will not be able to benefit from the special allo-wance of 31,865 euros applicable to donations of sums of money (from article 790 G of the General Tax Code) granted in…
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No. The €31,865 allowance applies only to gifts made during the donor’s lifetime by grandparents to their grandchildren, as provided under Article 790 B, paragraph 1 of the French General Tax Code. In the context of inheritance, your grandson will only benefit from a €1,594 allowance, which is the standard…
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No. The future protection mandate allows you to designate in advance one or more people to represent you, in the event that you or you are no longer able to provide for your interests alone. However, the law provides for cases of termination of the mandate (article 483 of the…
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No. The right of the surviving spouse to limit their acceptance to certain assets (known as "cantonment") is only legally possible if there is a joint will between spouses (Article 1094-3 of the Civil Code). In the absence of such a provision, you can only accept or renounce the entire…
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