What Coutot Roehrig does

Coutot-Roehrig is a Paris-headquartered probate research and estate settlement company founded in 1894, operating as a Société par Actions Simplifiée (SAS) with registered capital of €1,350,000. The company identifies and locates rightful heirs for French and international successions on behalf of professional intermediaries (notaires, banks, insurance companies, lawyers, court-appointed administrators, municipalities, and property managers) and also serves individual heirs directly. It is self-described as the first European heir research company and the largest probate research firm in Europe, with 49 branch offices (36 in France and 13 international) and over 400 genealogists and legal professionals. The company reports settling more than 5,000 estates annually in France and abroad and maintains a network of 60+ international correspondents for cross-border searches.

The firm's core technology is a proprietary digitized genealogical database containing over 1 billion records (civil status registers, population censuses, matriculation records, INSEE birth/death databases, mortgage data, electoral files, press obituaries, and other administrative archives), accumulated over 130+ years of operation. AI-based document analysis tools are used to identify non-conformities and missing pieces in submitted estate documents, with a stated Zero Data Retention policy. The company is ISO 9001 certified, holds a Ministry of the Interior SIV data processing licence (n°2019-165), maintains professional liability insurance and a financial guarantee for fund representation, and is a member of the International Chamber of Professional Genealogists (C.I.G.P.) and Généalogistes de France.

The business model is contingency-based: Coutot-Roehrig charges a success fee calculated as a percentage of the heir's net share (after inheritance tax and estate settlement expenses), with the rate varying by degree of kinship and asset value. Heirs pay nothing upfront and the company bears all costs if the estate is deficit. Capital was opened in 2019 to LUXEMPART and Bpifrance to support international expansion, which has continued with the 2025 establishment of Coutot-Roehrig Deutschland GmbH in Regensburg and dedicated country websites for Portugal and Luxembourg.

Name

Coutot Roehrig

Legal name

COUTOT-ROEHRIG SAS

Website

https://coutot-roehrig.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1894

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Coutot-Roehrig is a French probate research company founded in 1894 that identifies and locates heirs for notaires, banks, insurers, and other professional intermediaries. It operates 49 branches across Europe using a proprietary billion-record genealogical database and contingency-based fees, settling over 5,000 estates annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Probate Genealogy and Estate Settlement Services

NAICS

Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592), Trust, Fiduciary, and Custody Activities (523991)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Estate & Probate Administration Services (FSAEAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Estate Administration & Probate Services (FSAAANAE), Estate Planning, Trust Structuring & Governance (FSAAADAF), Bankruptcy, Probate & Estate Property Auctions (BPAJAEAG)

Keywords

• Probate genealogy services
• Heir search services
• Estate settlement services
• Succession research services
• Inheritance verification services

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices47 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Success-Based Estate Research Fees: Fees are calculated as a percentage of the recovered heir's net share (after payment of inheritance tax and all estate settlement expenses), varying by degree of kinship and asset value. Fees are only charged in the event of a favorable outcome of the estate. If estate liabilities exceed assets, the company bears all costs. Heirs pay nothing upfront and nothing personally.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Coutot-Roehrig is a probate genealogy firm that identifies, locates and represents rightful heirs worldwide, then manages the full settlement of estates on behalf of those heirs. Core services include heir search, devolution verification, vacant and ownerless property research, life insurance beneficiary and unclaimed bank account search, and complete estate settlement representation including tax declarations. The firm works on contingency, charging a percentage of the heir's net recovered share only when the estate is settled successfully.

Product overview

Coutot-Roehrig is a leading European probate research company offering a comprehensive suite of genealogical and estate settlement services. The core offering centers on heir identification and location services, supported by specialized research for vacant properties, devolution verification, life insurance beneficiary searches, and full estate settlement representation. The company operates through a unified service model where genealogists and lawyers collaborate to represent heirs throughout the settlement process. Additionally, Coutot-Roehrig publishes specialized reference materials including the annual Inheritance Tax Schema, Minor and Major Protection Guides, and the European Devolutions Guide. The company utilizes proprietary AI-powered document analysis tools to enhance processing reliability and speed.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Heir Search Services (Recherche d'héritiers)

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 5,000 estates settled annually in France and abroad
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles8 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Chamber of Professional Genealogists (C.I.G.P.)coreOthersCoutot-Roehrig is a member of C.I.G.P., which is a member of Généalogistes de France. This is the primary professional organization representing probate researchers in France.
• Généalogistes de FrancecoreOthersNational organization representing the genealogy profession in France. Coutot-Roehrig is affiliated through its membership in C.I.G.P.
• Ministry of the Interior (Ministry of the Interior - France)minorOthersThe Ministry of the Interior issued Coutot-Roehrig licence n°2019-165 (dated 22 October 2019) under Article L.330-5 of the Highway Code, authorizing the company to process personal data from the SIV (Vehicle Registration System) for surveys and commercial prospecting purposes.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• KClaims: Israel-based international heir search firm conducting cross-border missing-heir investigations for banks, insurers and trustees. Closely comparable to Coutot-Roehrig in core activity, contingency-style economics and intermediary-led GTM.
• Standby Genealogist: U.S.-based probate genealogy firm specializing in heir location, kinship verification and estate research for attorneys, trust companies and family offices. Closely aligned with Coutot-Roehrig's research and verification service line.
• ProGenealogists: US-based genealogy research firm doing probate, heir-tracing and family-tree research on a fee-for-service basis for law firms and individuals. Comparable service model with international reach.

Broad incumbents

• Ancestry (ProGenealogists parent): Global consumer genealogy platform whose ProGenealogists arm provides paid heir-search and lineage services. Larger entity with overlapping data assets and a strong U.S./UK anchor; less specialized in continental European succession law.
• MyHeritage: Subscription genealogy platform with billions of records and DNA services. Comparable on the data-asset dimension but delivers self-service rather than full-service heir search for succession matters.

Emerging players

• FindMyPast: UK-focused genealogy platform with significant British records and a probate research offering. Geographic overlap with Coutot-Roehrig's international work in the British Isles and Commonwealth.
• Geneanet: France-headquartered consumer genealogy platform (owned by Ancestry) housing large French civil records. Tangential overlap on data and self-service lineage work, less so on full heir-location mandates.

Others

• DLA Piper (Private Client / Estates practice): Global law firm with substantial private client and international estate administration practice. Adjacent rather than directly competing: handles legal execution while Coutot-Roehrig handles genealogical identification and heir outreach.
• Baker McKenzie (Private Wealth practice): International law firm advising high-net-worth families on succession planning and cross-border estate administration. Comparable target clients (banks, trustees, wealthy families) but legal-advisory rather than genealogical-research delivery model.
• Notariat Services (French notaires collective): French national notarial body representing the notaire profession that mandates Coutot-Roehrig for heir search. Ecosystem / channel partner rather than competitor; influence on demand is structural.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Coutot-Roehrig-G%C3%A9n%C3%A9alogistes-147018592154825
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coutot-roehrig
• Instagraminstagram.com/coutot_roehrig
• Xx.com/CoutotRoehrigSA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Coutot Roehrig