Successions in Europe is the portal through which the Council of the Notariats of the European Union (CNUE) explains, in language anyone can follow, how an inheritance with a cross-border element works. It is addressed first of all to citizens, but the national factsheets are also used routinely by notaries preparing international files.
The questions it answers
- how a succession works and what its stages are;
- how to draw up a will and which forms are recognised;
- which law governs the estate when the deceased had ties with several States;
- who is competent to settle the estate and where the documents are filed;
- what rights the surviving spouse, the children and the other heirs have.
The national factsheets
The portal presents succession law in 22 Member States of the European Union, in factsheets built on the same structure, which makes it possible to compare the solutions of two countries directly. Each factsheet is drawn up and kept up to date by the notariat of that State, so it reflects practice, not only the text of the law.
The European framework
The portal sets out the essentials of Regulation (EU) No 650/2012 on successions, the act that unified the rules on the applicable law and on jurisdiction in cross-border estates and that introduced the European Certificate of Succession. That certificate lets an heir prove their capacity in another Member State without further recognition proceedings.
Why it is useful
A Romanian citizen who owns property in another Member State, or whose heirs live abroad, can find out in good time which law will govern their estate and what choice is open to them. The conversation with the notary then starts from a problem already understood, and the necessary documents can be prepared in advance.