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Many imagine the process of coming into an inheritance as follows: in an expensive office full of sorrowful relatives, friends and colleagues, notary solemnly opens the envelope and reads the last will of the deceased. Herewith, someone suddenly becomes rich, others leave with nothing. This picture, so often seen in feature films, has nothing to do with real life. To learn how everything happens in reality - read our article <...>

The circle of heirs is determined, all are notified. Who and where should search for the testator’s property?

A notary is obliged to assist in the exercise of rights and the protection of legitimate interests (Art. 16 of the Fundamentals of Legislation on Notaries). However, there is no direct duty to search for property, so potential heirs should better take on the task of its search. "Some information can be obtained from open databases. It is about the participation of the testator in a limited liability company and about real estate owned by him (if its address is known)“, - noted Galina Pavlova, Managing Partner of Pavlova & Partners, Head of Family and Succession Practice. In addition, if the heirs have any guesses about the property, it makes sense to notify the notary about it, who will send the request to the appropriate bank, state agency or legal entity - which must provide a response to the notarial request.