A handwritten (or holographic) will is a private deed that presents advantages due to its secret nature. It does not require any registration or administrative formalities, assistance from a solicitor not, for instance, being a condition of validity for this type of will.
A will can take various different forms, such as wills by public instrument (‘testament authentique’), holographic wills (‘testament holographe’), international wills and secret wills (‘testament mystique’).
Testamentary revocation is covered by general law. The revocation principle is stated in Art. 895 of the French Civil Code. A will can therefore be freely revoked by its testator, such right being discretionary and cannot be considered to be unreasonable.
