General information
Regulation (EU) No 650/2012 of 4 July 2012 governing jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement of decisions and acceptance of authentic instruments aims at facilitating the handling of international successions for citizens.
The Regulation applies in all Member States of the European Union with the exception of Denmark and Ireland.
Applying to successions of persons who die on or after 17 August 2015, the Regulation will make sure that a given succession is treated coherently, under a single law and by one single authority, while also allowing citizens to choose the law of their country of nationality to apply to their succession.
The Regulation also introduces a European Certificate of Succession (ECS), which is a document issued by the authority dealing with the succession for use 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, without any special procedure being required.
On 9 December 2014, the Commission adopted an Implementing Regulation establishing the forms to be used under the Succession Regulation:
The e-Justice Portal allows the possibility to complete and create a PDF of form V (European Certificate of Succession) on-line here.
Please select the relevant country's flag to obtain detailed national information.
Related link
A citizen’s guide : how EU rules simplify international inheritances