What is the mission of a professionnal genealogist? France: In France, only the Notary, a public official (sometimes the legal administrator), is authorized to use the services of a genealogist to establish an official family lineage chart when some or all of the legal heirs are unknown. USA: Attorneys-at-law review Probate Court announcements to identify unresolved inheritance cases and take charge of a file, either by searching out heirs themselves (often, heirs designated by a will, as wills are more common in the US than in France) or by using the services of a local genealogist (heir tracer).   What methods are used? France: Official public records constitute the main research source, accompanied by a mandatory records consultation authorization from the French Attorney General's office. Mortgage insurance records, registrations, electoral lists and census records are other important elements in the research process, and their consultation is subject to strict guidelines. USA: Official records are less valuable (since updates are not recorded in the US), and access to them varies by type of record and location: -Birth and death records are often accessible (however, consultation is not authorized in several New York State counties). -Marriage records are almost always inaccessible. -Note that in the US it is quite easy to change one's surname, and that a divorced woman can easily remarry and keep her ex-husband's name. -It is often easy to have access to wills. -Finally, there also exists a type of mortgage insurance office, with which consultation problems are similar to those encountered in France regarding the equivalent function (refusal of access, confidentiality, age of records…)   How do you become a professional genealogist? France: There is no formal, official genealogy training program (aside from those conducted within existing firms) and anyone, with the proper consultation authorizations, can perform genealogical work. USA: There is likewise no school or program to train professional genealogists, but most genealogists in America must hold a private detective's license to obtain information from the different public agencies.