Service Finder
Apply for a joint certificate of inheritance limited to a specific object
Service Description
When a testator dies, he or she usually leaves not just one heir, but several. These heirs become part of the so-called community of heirs at the time of inheritance. The estate is only divided among the individual heirs in accordance with the agreements made after the inheritance has been divided.
In principle, each individual co-heir can apply for a certificate of inheritance with which he or she can prove to third parties that he or she is the rightful heir. If, however, the community of heirs wishes to act jointly and to deal with banks, insurers and the land registry, a joint certificate of inheritance is often required.
The joint certificate of partial inheritance is issued for the inheritance rights of several but not all co-heirs at the request of a co-heir, for example, if a co-heir has emigrated and is therefore unavailable.
A certificate of inheritance limited to the decedent's assets located in Germany (estate) (limited certificate of inheritance) can be issued by the probate court on application if the estate also includes items located abroad. A limited certificate of inheritance should be applied for if this speeds up the procedure for issuing the certificate of inheritance (for example, because no foreign inheritance law has to be determined), or because the certificate of inheritance is not required abroad and costs can be saved by the restriction.
Process flow
After you have applied for the certificate of inheritance, the local court checks the eligibility and issues the certificate of inheritance.
Who should I contact?
Please contact the locally competent district court.
Competent authority
The district court with local jurisdiction.
This is either the district court in whose district the deceased had his/her last habitual residence or the district court in whose district the renegade has his/her habitual residence.
Requirements
There are co-heirs and they would like to apply for a joint certificate of inheritance. However, not all co-heirs are available to apply. Objects of the estate are located both in Germany and abroad.
Which documents are required?
- Your identity card or passport,
- the death certificate of the deceased person (testator),
- the family register to document the relationship,
- information on whether there is a lawsuit concerning your inheritance rights,
- names and addresses of your co-heirs,
- evidence of the reason why certain persons who would actually inherit are no longer heirs, for example, their death certificates, declarations of heirship or waivers of heirship,
- if applicable, wills or inheritance contracts,
- the marital property status (in the case of married couples) or the asset status (in the case of registered civil partnerships),
- proof that estate items are located abroad.
What are the fees?
- The fees for a certificate of inheritance are governed by the German Law on Court and Notary Fees (Gerichts- und Notarkostengesetz, GNotKG) and are based on the value of the estate after deduction of debts.
- In addition to the fee for issuing a certificate of inheritance, costs for affidavits and notary fees may be incurred - plus statutory value-added tax.
What deadlines do I have to pay attention to?
none
Processing duration
The processing time depends on the complexity of the inheritance case.
Legal basis
Applications / forms
Complaint
If there are conflicting interests in the inheritance certificate proceedings before the probate court, the probate court may not issue the inheritance certificate immediately. The Local Court issues an order in which it states that it considers the facts required to substantiate the application for a certificate of inheritance to have been established.
The parties then have the opportunity to appeal against this decision within a period of one month.
The certificate of inheritance will only be issued if, after the expiry of the one-month period, no one has lodged an appeal against the decision of the probate court and the decision has thus become final.
In addition, an appeal may be filed by a person who has not been able to convince the probate court with his or her arguments in the inheritance certificate proceedings and whose rights have been impaired as a result.
Contest
By applying for a certificate of inheritance, the inheritance is automatically deemed to have been accepted - it is then no longer possible to contest the inheritance.
Heirs can then only avert the inheritance by contesting the certificate of inheritance. To do this, however, a reason for contesting the inheritance must be proven. In principle, only the person who would benefit from a challenge may challenge a certificate of inheritance. It is recommended that legal advice be sought from a lawyer in this regard.
Sole Inheritance Certificates: These can only be contested by sole heirs.
Partial and joint certificates of inheritance: Every heir within the community of heirs is entitled to challenge them.
Appeal
Forms are not required.
Author
The text was automatically translated based on the German content.
Technically approved by
Thuringian Ministry for Migration, Justice and Consumer Protection
Professionally released on
20.07.2023
Source: Zuständigkeitsfinder Thüringen (Linie6Plus)
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