Emergency Kit for German Inheritances
The following facts will help you with this situation and guide you in taking the necessary actions:
Make use of your own sources in order to learn to know more about the estate
Testamentary dispositions existing or intestate succession?
Contents of last will and testament or other testamentary dispositions
Practical Assistance in certain respects by an attorney-in-fact on site
Applicable inheritance law’s determination and interpretation of last will
Need to prove your position as a sole or a co-heir of the German estate
Acceptance of appointment by a foreign court as an executor or an estate trustee?
Need to prove powers as an executor in Germany for assets in German estate
The language in which German courts correspond, with all regularity is German
Initial consultation with a German attorney-at-law or certified inheritance lawyer
German inheritance tax-aspects are of large relevance for possible heirs
If you have questions, contact us via our contact form.
Difficulties with a German inheritance’s settling or administration and with inheritance taxes
Common examples of German assets in a decedent’s estate are German immovable property (real estate), a German bank account or a security deposit, or, in some cases, even shares in a German business company or in a German corporation.
Additional issues of importance are the coordination with the German inheritance tax office, potential applications for German inheritance tax purposes, and, even more important, the proper and timely fulfillment of your inheritance tax duties in Germany.
It might also become necessary to raise claims against other persons who participate in the decedent’s estate or who are in possession of certain assets from the estate, or even to take part in estate litigation procedures in Germany.
The defense against claims, e.g. from persons who believe themselves to have a compulsory portion (Pflichtteil) in the decedent’s estate, or from other creditors of the decedent, might also be of relevance for you. Professional assistance can help to avoid a rather costly law suit in Germany.
Watch our short video:
Orientation Guide for the Settling and Administration of an Estate in Germany
If you have questions, contact us via our contact form.
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Resumé:
We understand your very difficult and tempting situation because of the task of settling an estate or a share in an inheritance in a foreign country, namely here in Germany.
Regardless of whether you can speak and/or read German, you should seek professional assistance with the various procedures that usually become necessary in Germany. It is very difficult for a juristic lay-person to deal with the courts and authorities in Germany. With all regularity, this need for legal consultation and for advice about inheritance tax issues makes professional assistance strongly recommendable.
Apart from the German inheritance law and inheritance tax law aspects, for most of our customers from abroad it is very important to have us on their side as experienced advisors, upon the recommendations of whom they can unrestrictedly rely.
Sometimes, the client`s awareness to have a partner here on site in Germany in his or her team makes it much easier to get through the often lengthy and partly stressful proceedings. We are experienced with counselling from a distance by means of legal advice in writing or often emails combined with calls or video calls.
Many of our law firm’s clients reside abroad and do not have the opportunity or ability to come to Germany in a timely manner to take care of the German inheritance and other matters. In many cases, our professional assistance can even make such a trip to Germany evitable.
If you have questions contact us via our contact form.
DR. HOSSER Rechtsanwalt
Bismarckstrasse 61
D-76133 Karlsruhe
Germany