Regulation 650/2012 of 4 July 2012, applying from 17 August 2015, makes it easier for citizens to handle the legal aspects of an international succession by ensuring that a cross-border succession is treated coherently, under a single law and by one single authority.
The Regulation applies between all Member States except Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
The Regulation also introduces a European Certificate of Succession (ECS). The ECS is issued by the authority dealing with the succession, and can be used by heirs, legatees, executors of wills and administrators of the estate to prove their status and exercise their rights or powers in other Member States. Once issued, the ECS will be recognized in all Member States without any special procedure being required.
For additional information, please go to our page on successions, or consult our citizen’s guide on cross-border successions.
You can complete this form online by clicking one of the links below. If you have already started a form and saved a draft, you can upload it using the "Load draft" button.
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