How to know if someone has left a will

When a person dies, the next of kin initiate their succession. For this, a series of documents are required and specific procedures are processed. In this way, it is necessary to know if the deceased has left a testament written or, on the contrary, if an intestate succession is initiated. This article explains what are the procedures to know if a person has left a will and what is the last, what notary has deposited it and what documents are needed to collect it.

Request the certificate of last wills

The certificate of last wills is a document that specifies whether a person has written a will and how many he or she has made throughout his or her life. It specifies which is the last testament, and therefore, the one that should govern the succession, that is, the one that says how the goods should be distributed. It also indicates in which notary was deposited.

This certificate is requested before the General Registry of acts of last will or the Territorial Management of the Ministry of Justice of the Autonomous Community where it resides. In order for the notary to be authorized to issue a copy of the will, it is obligatory to present the certificate of last will, in addition to the literal certificate of death.

As it is a document issued by a public administration, the corresponding rate of € 3.66 must be paid. To do this, you must fill out form 790 and deliver it to the nearest bank to pay it. Once the document is stamped, it is necessary to present it before the General Registry of acts of last will or the Territorial Management of the Ministry of Justice of the Autonomous Community. This form can be downloaded on the Internet, in the Civil Registry or in the Management itself.

Persons authorized to request the certificate of last wills

The certificate of last wills can be requested by all citizens who believe that they can be heirs or have some type of interest in the inheritance. Therefore, it is not necessary for the applicant to be familiar with the deceased.

In this way, the corresponding Management will issue this certificate to all those persons who deliver the literal certificate of death and have made the payment of the fee presented in the form 790.

When can you request the certificate of last wills?

The law does not specify a specific time to request the certificate of last wills, since it depends on when the person dies, but it does mark some deadlines.

Those interested can register in the Civil Registry the death of a person 24 hours after their disappearance, and it usually takes about 10 days to issue the literal death certificate necessary to request the certificate of last wills.

Once you have a copy of this certificate, you can request the certificate of last wills, respecting the term of 15 days required by law since the disappearance of the person .