Inheritance
An inheritance in Greece usually arrives with deadlines attached, and often with debts and delicate family balances as well. We take you through it step by step so that you can decide in time and with the full picture in front of you.
The first thing we check in any inheritance is the clock. The deadline for renouncing an estate is as a rule four months from the moment you learned it had passed to you, or a year if you live abroad, and where an estate conceals debts a mistake here is not easily undone. Before you decide whether to accept, to renounce, or to accept with the benefit of inventory, we map the assets and the liabilities with you.
From there we take on the whole procedural route, from publishing the will to obtaining the certificate of inheritance and registering the acceptance at the land registry or, where the area has been converted, at the cadastre. Where there are several heirs we help settle matters between them before a disagreement hardens into litigation. If a claim has to be brought, from a claim to the estate itself through to a challenge based on forced heirship, we handle it from beginning to end.
Matters we typically handle
Accepting or renouncing an estate
We work out whether the estate is worth accepting and keep strictly to the four-month deadline for renouncing it. Particular care is needed where a minor inherits, because the court’s permission is required as well.
Acceptance with the benefit of inventory
This lets you inherit without becoming liable for the deceased’s debts out of your own pocket. Your liability is limited to what the estate itself contains, and we handle the declaration and the drawing up of the inventory within the statutory deadlines.
Publishing a will
We publish the will at the competent court and, where required, apply to have it declared the principal will. Publication is the necessary first step before anything else in the estate can be done.
Arrangements between co-heirs
We draw up distribution agreements between co-heirs so that an estate can be divided without going to court. Where agreement proves impossible, we apply to have the estate divided by the court.
Certificate of inheritance
The court document that proves you are an heir. Banks, the land registry, the cadastre and public authorities all ask for it, so it is indispensable wherever there are accounts or property.
Claims to an estate and to a forced share
Greek law reserves a fixed minimum share of an estate for close family, whatever the will says. If you were left out, or received less than your entitlement, we pursue your share through the courts, and we defend against unfounded claims by others.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to renounce an inheritance?
As a rule four months from the moment you learned you were an heir, or a year if you live abroad or the deceased died abroad. Where the heir is a minor the court’s permission is needed as well, which is why the deadline must not be left to run unused.
If I accept, do I inherit the debts too?
Yes. A simple acceptance makes you liable for the debts, and liable with your own property. Accepting with the benefit of inventory limits your liability to what the estate contains.
I was left out of the will. Am I entitled to anything?
Children, a spouse and, in certain circumstances, parents are entitled to a forced share, which is half of what they would have received had there been no will. A will cannot override it.
The answers above are general information and do not constitute legal advice on any specific matter.