Apply for a certificate of inheritance and fill out the form for the register of estates

What you need:

• Identity card
• Death certificate
• Bank statements
• Invoices as receipts
• proven debt
• Land register extracts

Reasons to apply for a certificate of inheritance

If you have become an heir, you do not always have to apply for a certificate of inheritance immediately. This costs fees and, depending on the level of inheritance, you can avoid them.

• Always check first if there is any positive legacy at all. If the estate consists of a pile of debt, it would be better to turn off the inheritance. This will save you a lot of trouble with the estate creditors.
• If the deceased is your spouse and the inheritance is only available from a small bank balance, the death certificate is sufficient for the bank in many cases. This is especially true if you have been a customer there for a long time and your family background is known.
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• Lies a testament before, in which you are named as heir, the opening of a will certified by the probate court is often sufficient.
• The situation is different when several heirs, complicated testamentary regulations and a considerable inheritance have to be regulated. Here you will not be able to avoid applying for a certificate of inheritance and filling out the forms for the register of estates.


Apply for a certificate of inheritance - this is how it works

As soon as a close relative has passed away and you are the heir in their will ...

• Even if you are a distant relative or not a family member at all, you legitimize yourself as an heir through the certificate of inheritance.

Oral application and the form from the probate court

• The probate court is responsible for issuing a certificate of inheritance. You can file the application through a notary or you can simply go to the probate court in whose district the deceased was domiciled.
• Put the request on the record. In doing so, you are announcing to the responsible Rechtspfleger that you are exercising your rights. He logs everything and usually tells you which exact documents are still required.
• Always take your identity card and a death certificate of the testator with you to the appointment.
• With the procedure, you will receive a form that will be used to set up the inventory of the estate. This is particularly important to determine the value of the estate and thus also to set the fees for the procedure.
• Fill in the estate register to the best of your knowledge and belief, as well as all the supporting documents available to you. You will have to request some separately. This includes the bank's certificate on the account balances on the day of death.
• Don't forget that costs the burial and an appropriate tombstone in the form. Such liabilities reduce the estate's value and thus also the costs of the proceedings.
• Debts always belong in the estate register, because they also reduce the value. These are all liabilities that you as the heir will eventually have to settle later on.
• If you're not sure exactly what a value is, make an estimate without going over the top. Even if you enjoy the inheritance, you do not have to use it to increase the value of the inheritance. at property or larger valuables such as vehicles, you remain very realistic.
• Household items, clothing, furniture or simple wristwatches can be valued without any value. If you're not sure exactly what a value is, make an estimate without going over the top.
• Something different is of course true when you are faced with a legacy of antiques and luxuries.

It may take a while when you apply for the certificate of inheritance, but in most cases it will be issued according to the application.