Inheritance estate: there may be thousands of euros of unrevoked estates in SpainInheritance estate: may be thousands of euros in Spain from unrevoked estates

Were winning the lottery or finding gold your goals for 2022? Well, we may have found an easier way to find your luck.

Finding your last name on a list of unclaimed inheritances could be the first step to you inheriting a lot of money. Every year, around 100 million euros of unclaimed inheritances in Spain are left without successors after the death of owners who have not left a will or named an heir to their estate. About 40% of Spaniards do not make a will, which means that if their legal heirs cannot be found, their property passes into the possession of the state. In the case of Spain, this amounts to approximately €83 million over the last decade.

The relatives then have the right to make a claim for part of the inheritance. Spanish law allows relatives up to the fourth degree of consanguinity to inherit through wills, including great-grandchildren, cousins and great-great-grandparents.

If someone dies in Spain without leaving a will or naming an heir to their estate, notaries are required to contact all possible heirs, which is traditionally done through the Spanish Official State Gazette (BOE). While notaries try to identify relatives to inherit a fortune, very few people outside the government actually read the BOE.

In the UK, a list of unclaimed inheritances is held by the government's Bona Vacantia Division and is updated daily. You can also check if you are entitled to unclaimed inheritances in the UK, even if your relative died in Spain. A list of unclaimed inheritances in the UK is held by the government's Bona Vacantia Division and is updated daily.

One way to check if any of your possible relatives have left an unclaimed inheritance is to search for surnames in your family tree. If you have a Sutherland in your family, you may be the legal heir to the sum of £23,890.01 left by someone who died in Tenerife in May 2019 without leaving a will. To view a list of unclaimed estates in the UK and find out how to apply, go here. If you would like to learn more about unassigned inheritances in Spain, click here.

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• What foreigners need to know about inheritance law in Spain.