What it is for
It states officially who the heirs of the deceased are. Without it no property is transferred, no bank account is touched, nothing is divided and no proceedings are brought.
It is issued by the municipality of the deceased’s last permanent address.
When it is simple
If the deceased’s register entries are in order, the heirs are known and all the civil records exist, this is a short administrative task. In that case you genuinely do not need a lawyer, and I will tell you so.
When it is not simple
Old records are missing. For people born decades ago, a birth or marriage record may not be where it is expected, or may never have been issued in the form used today.
The data does not match. One name spelled two ways. Different dates in two documents. A change of name never reflected everywhere.
An heir nobody knows about. A child from an earlier marriage, an acknowledged child, or an heir who died first and left heirs of their own.
Death abroad. The death certificate then has to be reissued here first through the proper procedure. See reissuing foreign civil records.
Be careful what it says
The certificate reflects the registers, and the registers are not always complete. If it omits an heir, everything done on the strength of it may turn out to be vulnerable, a sale included.
So with complicated family histories it is not taken on trust. It is checked.
If you are abroad
You do not need to come. It is obtained through a power of attorney. If you have not yet decided whether to accept the estate at all, obtain the certificate but deal with nothing. See renouncing an inheritance.
What I will need
The name, date of death and last address of the deceased. The death certificate. Whatever you know about the relatives, including the ones the family is not in touch with. Those are exactly the ones that cause problems later.
This page provides general information and does not constitute legal advice on any specific case. Rights and deadlines depend on the facts and the applicable law.