Inheritance lawyer in Odesa

How we help

• registering an inheritance by law or by will
• obtaining an additional period to accept an inheritance through the court
• dividing estate property between heirs
• challenging a will or a notary’s refusal
• restoring documents for estate property

How we work

• review the documents and identify the heirs
• explain deadlines and procedure
• prepare applications and claims
• represent you at the notary and in court

How do you accept an inheritance?

By filing an application to accept it with a notary within six months of the day the deceased died (Arts. 1220, 1269 and 1270(1) of the Civil Code of Ukraine). The application is filed in person. If you lived permanently with the deceased on the day of death, no application is needed: you are treated as having accepted the inheritance unless you renounce it within six months (Art. 1268(3)).

What if the deadline has been missed?

There are two routes. If the heirs who have already accepted the inheritance agree in writing, you can file the application with the notary without going to court (Art. 1272(2)). Without their consent, the court may set an additional period long enough to file, but only if you missed the deadline for a good reason (Art. 1272(3)). In Odesa such claims are heard by the district courts, such as the Prymorskyi, Kyivskyi or Malynovskyi District Court, and appeals by the Odesa Court of Appeal.

Documents you will need

• the death certificate;
• documents proving kinship: birth and marriage certificates;
• the will, if there is one;
• documents for the property: a property register extract, the car’s registration certificate, bank statements;
• proof of the deceased’s last place of residence, which is where the inheritance opens (Art. 1221).

Common mistakes

• thinking an inheritance is accepted when the certificate is issued, and missing the six-month deadline for the application;
• assuming that being registered at the deceased’s flat is enough, although the law speaks of actually living together on the day the inheritance opened;
• putting off the certificate for a flat, although for property subject to state registration applying for it is mandatory (Art. 1297).

Other property and family disputes are covered under civil law and procedure.