Wills & Inheritance
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- Wills & Inheritance
Spanish wills & inheritance, planned for cross-border families
A Spanish will, cross-border succession planning, and regional inheritance-tax optimisation — so your assets pass smoothly and your family isn’t left untangling two legal systems.
Why Choose Our Service
If you own assets in Spain
A Spanish will is one of the most valuable things you can arrange. Without one, your heirs face a slower, costlier process and a collision between Spanish succession rules and the law of your home country. We draft a Spanish will that sits correctly alongside your foreign will, and plan the whole succession so nothing is left to chance.
Spanish succession is shaped
By forced heirship (legítima) and by the EU Succession Regulation (Brussels IV), which can let nationals of some countries elect the law of their nationality. Get this election right and you keep control of who inherits; get it wrong and Spanish rules may override your wishes. We advise on the election, the will, and the Impuesto de Sucesiones y Donaciones that your heirs will face.
Why a Spanish will matters
A Spanish will dramatically simplifies administration for assets located in Spain, avoids translation and legalisation of foreign documents, and reduces delay at a difficult time. It should be drafted to complement – not revoke – the will covering your assets elsewhere. We make sure the two documents work together.
Inheritance tax is regional — and that changes everything
The Impuesto de Sucesiones y Donaciones is a state tax administered by the regions, and allowances vary enormously by comunidad autónoma. The same estate can carry a very different bill in Andalucía, Madrid, Valencia or the Balearics. Planning around residence, relationships and timing can make a substantial difference – which is why we estimate the liability early.
Brussels IV: choosing your national law
Under the EU Succession Regulation, many foreign nationals can elect that the law of their nationality govern their succession, rather than Spanish forced-heirship. This election is usually made in the will itself, so it must be drafted deliberately and correctly.
When someone has passed away
We guide executors and beneficiaries through acceptance of inheritance, filing the inheritance-tax return within the deadline, and transferring or selling Spanish assets — in plain English, at a sensitive time.
- why us
Why Expatlex, not a traditional firm
01.
One provider, not five
Immigration, property and tax specialists coordinated on one case — instead of juggling a lawyer, a gestor, an accountant and a translator.
02.
Fixed, transparent pricing
Every scope is quoted in writing before you commit. No open-ended hourly billing and no surprises.
03.
A real client platform
Track each case, upload documents securely, meet specialists by video and get automatic deadline alerts — not a filing cabinet and an inbox.
04.
Bilingual, expat-first
Every step explained in English or Spanish by people who do this for expatriates all day, across all of Spain.
- FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
In almost all cases, yes — a separate Spanish will covering your Spanish assets speeds up administration and avoids costly translation and legalisation. We draft it to sit alongside your foreign will.
It depends heavily on the region, the relationship to the deceased and the amount. Because allowances vary by comunidad, we estimate your specific liability rather than quote a single rate.
It allows many foreign nationals to elect the succession law of their nationality instead of Spanish forced-heirship. The election is normally made in your Spanish will.
Yes, from acceptance of inheritance and the tax filing to transferring or selling Spanish property and bank accounts.