Stephen Smith (France) Ltd

[unknown]

Hello! My father died in France last year. Unfortunately my birth certificate quotes the name of my mother but leaves details of my father blank. My father was not married to my mother and subsequently married and on his death left two children of that marriage also. I have been in contact with those two children but they refuse to acknowledge my existence.

I believe my father left a sizable estate in France and that I am entitled to a percentage of that estate?

[unknown]

Thank you for your enquiry. If you are resident in France you can commence an action before the French courts known as recherche de paternité d’enfant naturel/. However this action can only be commenced if you are under 20 years of age. If you are a British national resident in the UK, the question of how you can legally establish the identity of your natural father is a matter of English law. You have not indicated whether your father ever acknowledged your existence. If he did officially state that he was your father, this evidence could be used to obtain a percentage of his estate by suing the children who have instead inherited in your place.