Archives Généalogiques Andriveau

What Archives Généalogiques Andriveau does

Archives Généalogiques Andriveau is a privately held French probate genealogy firm founded in Paris in 1830 by Hippolyte Trannoy and continuously operated by five generations of the Pelletier-Andriveau family. Itself-described as the oldest surviving probate genealogy firm in the world, it is headquartered at the Hôtel de Marsilly (18 rue du Cherche-Midi, Paris) and operates 20 regional branches across France with approximately 120 collaborators. The firm is led by Cécile Andriveau (President, since 2009) and Matthieu Andriveau (General Director, since 2010).

The company's core offering is succession-genealogy research: locating unknown heirs, certifying devolutions for notarial deeds, confirming absence of reserved heirs, and legally representing identified heirs through estate settlement. Adjacent services include life-insurance beneficiary searches (Eckert Law, 2014), inactive bank-account beneficiary searches, vacant and ownerless property heir identification (Art. 713 of the French Civil Code), and identification of heirs to 1933–1945 spoliated cultural property. The firm maintains the Fonds Andriveau — 200 million civil-status fiches and 15,000 Parisian registries assembled from the 1850s onward, made globally irreplaceable by the destruction of pre-1859 Parisian civil records in the 1871 Commune fires.

Andriveau is mandated by notaires, insurance companies, financial institutions, attorneys, condominium administrators, judicial administrators, local authorities, real-estate developers, and private individuals. Pricing is contingency-based as a percentage of the gross or net estate share allocated to the identified heir, with the percentage scaled to the heir's degree of kinship; the firm bears all financial risk on insolvent estates and charges no upfront fees to heirs. Distribution is exclusively direct B2B via 20 branches plus an international correspondent network (Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal). The firm is a founding member of the Chambre des Généalogistes successoraux de France (1947), co-signatory of the profession's Code of Conduct, and operates under GDPR compliance with appointed DPO and annual KPMG audits.

Name

Archives Généalogiques Andriveau

Legal name

Archives Généalogiques Andriveau

Website

https://andriveau.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1830

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Founded in 1830, Archives Généalogiques Andriveau is France's oldest probate genealogy firm, locating and certifying heirs for notaries, insurers, banks, and local authorities across 20 regional branches using a proprietary 200-million-record civil-status archive.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Probate Genealogy Services

NAICS

Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592), Title Abstract and Settlement Offices (541191)

SIC

Real Estate (6500)

akta.pro primary industry

Estate & Probate Administration Services (FSAEAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Estate Administration & Probate Services (FSAAANAE), Trust & Estate Tax Planning & Compliance (FSAEAKAE)

Keywords

• Probate genealogy
• Heir search services
• Succession research
• Estate settlement
• Beneficiary location

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Succession Disclosure Contract Fees: Fees are set in the estate-disclosure contract signed with identified heirs. They represent a percentage of either the gross or net share (after inheritance tax) of the estate's assets allocated to the heir. The percentage varies according to the heir's degree of kinship with the deceased. The firm bears all financial risk — in the event of an insolvent estate, all costs are absorbed by the firm. No payment is required from heirs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Archives Généalogiques Andriveau is a probate genealogy firm that locates and certifies heirs in successions, produces legal genealogical charts for notarial deeds, and represents identified heirs throughout the estate settlement process. The firm also locates beneficiaries of unclaimed life insurance policies and inactive bank accounts (Eckert Law), identifies heirs of vacant or spoliated properties, and provides contingency-based estate-disclosure services where it absorbs all financial risk.

Product overview

Archives Généalogiques Andriveau is a single-service probate genealogy firm offering a unified suite of heir-finding and estate settlement services. The core offering is genealogical succession research, supplemented by legal representation services for heirs and estate devolution certification. Services include: verification of succession devolutions for certification purposes, heir searches, confirmation of absence of reserved heirs, life insurance beneficiary searches, inactive bank account beneficiary searches, vacant/abandoned property research, and spoliated property heir research (for art looted 1933-1945). The firm maintains a historic documentary archive of 200 million civil registry cards and 15,000 Parisian records, which constitutes their primary research asset.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vérification des dévolutions successorales (Succession Devolution Verification) Certification service that confirms all heirs are correctly identified on the genealogical chart, typically requested when a deceased left no will or when documentation is insufficient to prove no rightful heir was forgotten. Used by notaries and legal professionals to ensure complete and legally accurate heir lists for notarial deeds.
• Recherche d'héritiers (Heir Search) Genealogical investigation service to reconstruct family trees in their legal reality and identify all living heirs, ensuring none are forgotten or ignored, enabling notaries to draft notarial deeds. The core mandate of the firm's existence.
• Recherche de bénéficiaires d'assurance-vie (Life Insurance Beneficiary Search) Service to locate beneficiaries of unclaimed life insurance policies when beneficiary clauses are imprecise or beneficiary identity/address is unknown. Used by insurance companies to comply with Eckert Law (2014) obligations before transferring assets to Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations.
• Recherche de bénéficiaires de comptes inactifs (Inactive Account Beneficiary Search) Service to locate heirs or beneficiaries of inactive bank accounts (inactive for 12 months for basic accounts, 5 years for securities accounts, 10 years for safe deposit boxes), before transfer to Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations. Used by banks and financial institutions under Eckert Law.
• Recherche d'ayants droit sur biens vacants (Vacant Property Heir Search) Service to identify heirs or rightful claimants of unclaimed or abandoned properties, including unclaimed real estate with unpaid property taxes for more than three years or successions open for over thirty years. Used by municipalities and local authorities prior to municipal domain incorporation under Article 713 of the French Civil Code.
• Recherche d'ayants droit à biens spoliés (Spoliated Property Heir Search) Service to identify heirs of art and cultural property looted during 1933-1945 under Nazi or Vichy regimes, facilitating restitution from museums and public institutions. Used by museums, public institutions, and claimants engaged in cultural property restitution efforts.
• Représentation des héritiers (Heir Representation) Legal representation service where firm jurists represent heirs throughout the estate settlement process, including property management, real estate and securities sales, and notary deed signings. Provided as part of the comprehensive succession mandate.
• Plaquette de fiscalité successorale (Succession Tax Brochure) Annual publication summarizing French succession tax regulations and rules, published since 1903 (122nd edition in April 2026). Distributed to notaries and legal professionals as a reference tool.

Quantifiable outcome

• Heirs pay no upfront fees — all costs are borne by the firm and deducted from estate assets
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Université Régionale de la Négociation Notariale / GIN Grand ParisminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 January 2026Andriveau is a partner of the Université Régionale de la Négociation Notariale organized by GIN Grand Paris, held on March 18, 2025. The partnership supports professional education for notaries.
• Caisse des Dépôts et ConsignationscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026Andriveau works with the same banking institution as all French notaries and court officers through its privileged partnership with the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations. The firm holds a 'third-party account' to receive and manage funds on behalf of represented heirs.
• Société des Amis de VersaillesminorOthers · 3 November 2025Andriveau renewed its membership with the Société des Amis de Versailles, supporting cultural projects to promote the Château de Versailles.
• Notalab 2023minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 March 2023Andriveau was a partner of the 4th edition of Notalab (April 3-7, 2023), a professional development event for notaries organized by the GIN, focused on 'training today to develop the office of tomorrow.'
• OFPRA (Office Français de Protection des Réfugiés et Apatrides)minorOthers · 25 November 2022Amélie Vermogen, a genealogist on the Paris team, testified at the 70th anniversary of the OFPRA about the importance of exploiting OFPRA archives for genealogical research.
• Un Toit Pour Les AbeillesminorOthers · 23 November 2022Andriveau has partnered for 2 years with the 'Un Toit Pour Les Abeilles' (A Roof for Bees) network, an environmental initiative supporting bee conservation.
• Généalogistes de FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Andriveau is a member of Généalogistes de France, the national representative organization covering 95% of the genealogical profession. The firm is co-signatory of the professional Code of Conduct. Cécile Andriveau serves as Déléguée générale.
• Chambre des Généalogistes successoraux de FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1947Andriveau is a founding member of the French Chamber of Probate Genealogists, established in 1947. With nearly 30 member firms, this is the oldest representative body of the profession. Cécile Andriveau serves as Vice President.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Finders International: UK-based probate genealogy and heir-finding firm with a business model and customer base closely aligned to Andriveau's — locating beneficiaries of dormant estates, intestate successions, and unclaimed assets for solicitors, insurers, and government bodies. Direct international analogue operating under a similar contingency-fee structure.
• La Généalogie Française: French probate genealogy firm serving notaries, attorneys, and individuals with heir searches and succession research. Direct domestic peer operating under the same Chambre des Généalogistes framework and serving similar notarial clients.
• HeirSearch: US-based heir search and probate research firm that locates missing and unknown heirs for attorneys, trust companies, and estate administrators. Closely comparable in service offering, customer profile (legal and financial professionals), and contingency-based revenue model.
• France Généalogie: French probate genealogy firm providing heir search, succession research, and estate settlement services to notaries and families in France. Direct domestic competitor operating within the same profession, regulatory framework, and customer segments as Andriveau.
• DLS Discoverers: US-based heir search, asset recovery, and skip-tracing firm serving attorneys, financial institutions, and government agencies. Directly comparable in probate genealogy methodology and customer base, though operating in the US market.
• Argeco: French probate genealogy firm offering heir search, devolution verification, and beneficiary location services across France. A direct domestic competitor sharing the same French regulatory environment, notarial client base, and Chambre des Généalogistes membership.

Broad incumbents

• MyHeritage: Global consumer genealogy platform with DNA testing, record databases, and family tree software. Operates broadly in genealogy with overlapping data assets, but does not specialize in probate heir search or contingency-fee mandates — making it a broad incumbent rather than a direct competitor.
• Ancestry: Global genealogy leader (parent of Filae) operating the world's largest consumer genealogy databases and DNA services. A broad incumbent with significant data assets overlapping Andriveau's research domain, but not focused on professional B2B probate mandates.

Emerging players

• Filae: French genealogy platform (owned by Ancestry) offering digitized civil records, family tree building, and increasingly B2B genealogical research tools. An emerging digital-first entrant that intersects with Andriveau's archival research methodology and could shift the cost curve on simpler heir searches.
• Geneanet: Leading French genealogy platform with one of Europe's largest collaborative family-tree databases and digitized French civil records. Represents an emerging digital substitute that competes for the simpler end of heir search work and may pressure traditional probate genealogy firms over time.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/etude_andriveau
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@etudeandriveau2708
• Facebookfacebook.com/Andriveau
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/archives-g%C3%A9n%C3%A9alogiques-andriveau
• Instagraminstagram.com/etude_andriveau

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Archives Généalogiques Andriveau