When a person passes away, his estate devolves onto his heirs in terms of law or one’s last will. We handle this procedure completely, including the transfer causa mortis of immovable property and the withdrawal of funds held at banks / financial institutions or insurance companies. 

After a person’s death, his/her heirs continue his/her personality and inherit any assets/obligations that the deceased may have had. In order to determine who the heirs are, one must verify whether the deceased has left a will. If yes, then the heirs will usually be nominated in the will. If not, then the heirs are established by law according to the degrees of family relations amongst the survivors.

It is also possible to leave legacies in one’s will. A legacy is a disposition made by the testator (the person making the will) which grants a particular object to an identified individual.

The succession of immovable property is taxable (at varying rates depending on the circumstances) and must be made by means of a causa mortis deed which must be published by a notary public and be duly registered.

Failure to conclude the causa mortis deed within one year from the date of death will incur interest on the amount of tax due at the rate of 8% annually.

Our Service & Commitment at James Grech & Associates – Notaries Public:

• We carry out searches on the deceased to establish whether a will had been drawn up in his/her lifetime.
• Reading of the will to interested parties.
• Calculation of succession tax due on immovable property.
• Drafting and publication of the causa mortis deed
• Payment of succession tax and registration of causa mortis deed within time-limits stipulated by law.
• We also handle all the paperwork required for the transfer of any money, shares, bonds and other assets belonging to the deceased held in banks, Malta Stock Exchange, financial institutions, private companies etc.

Contact us for more information or to make an appointment in relation to a succession.