International inheritance lawyers in Valencia for Spanish wills and estates
Our international inheritance lawyers in Valencia help you plan a cross-border succession for your property and other assets in Spain or, if you are an heir, settle the Spanish estate. One team prepares the Spanish will, advises on inheritance and gift tax, drafts the estate documents signed before the notary and takes the inherited property through to registration.
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A Spanish will that works alongside the one at home
You can rely on a will made in your home country, but a separate Spanish will covering your assets in Spain almost always makes the succession simpler and quicker for your heirs. It saves them the translation, legalisation and apostille steps a foreign will involves, and it can record your choice of the law of your nationality to govern your succession under EU Regulation 650/2012, known as Brussels IV. UK nationals keep that choice after Brexit, and can still inherit and own Spanish property without restriction.
We prepare the Spanish will alongside the arrangements you already have, so that the two instruments work together and point in the same direction.
- Drafting Spanish wills under international inheritance law
- Coordination with wills already made in another country
- Advice on succession agreements in Spain
- Legal advice when the will is signed before the notary
- Guidance for the heirs on how the estate is shared
Inheritance and gift tax, planned in advance
Inheritance and gift tax (Impuesto sobre Sucesiones y Donaciones) is a state tax whose reliefs and rates are largely set by each autonomous community, so the rules vary from one region to another. The Valencian Community grants generous tax relief (a bonificación) to close relatives, which substantially lowers the tax payable in most family successions. The tax is paid by each heir on the share they receive, not by the estate as a whole. Heirs living outside Spain are liable on the Spanish assets they inherit, and which regional rules apply depends on where the deceased and the heirs were resident.
That makes the figures worth working through early: before the succession opens if you are planning a will or a lifetime gift, and as soon as it opens if you are an heir. Félix de la Guía advises clients on Valencian inheritance tax and inheritance law.
- Identifying the assets and debts that make up the estate
- Valuing each asset and calculating each heir's share
- Applying the tax benefits available in Valencia and elsewhere in Spain
- Costing each viable option and selecting the best tax and legal route
- Assessing the knock-on effect on income tax (IRPF) and non-resident tax
Settling the estate, with us representing you in Spain
Settling a Spanish estate brings together Spanish certificates, registry and bank records, the will or a declaration of heirs and, for heirs abroad, documents carrying an apostille and a sworn translation. Since Brexit, documents issued in the UK need an apostille under the 1961 Hague Convention.
We can act as your legal representative in Spain before the tax and civil authorities, and take the file from the first deed through to the registration of the inherited property. Where UK probate is also needed, we routinely coordinate it with the Spanish succession so that both sides stay aligned.
- Drafting the settlement and estate distribution documents, structured for tax efficiency and smooth registration
- Calculating and filing the taxes arising from the signed deeds, including Modelo 650 and Modelo 600
- Registering the inherited property at the Property Registry
- Filing with the town hall for the municipal capital gains tax (plusvalía) on inherited property
Your options as an heir, from acceptance to renunciation
An inheritance passes on debts as well as assets, and Spanish civil law gives every heir a choice in how to receive it. You can accept it outright, accept it under the benefit of inventory, which limits your liability for the deceased's debts to the value of what you receive, or renounce it entirely. A renunciation formalised before a notary is final and has tax consequences for the next person in line, so we go through each route with you before you commit to one.
Where the heirs disagree, we also act in will disputes and in deadlocked estates (herencias bloqueadas), so that the inheritance can be shared out.
Why bring your Spanish will or inheritance to our firm?
- One firm for every stage, from the Spanish will to the settled estate
- Legal and tax advice together, with every viable option costed before any deed is signed
- Your Spanish will coordinated with the one at home, and the Spanish succession aligned with UK probate
- Practising in Valencia since 1960, with a team of 25 professionals
Google Reviews
They recommend us
As a French national, my case was handled by an efficient Spanish lawyer, Sonia Garras Gonzales, together with a French colleague.Fast, available and effective.
François G.
Google Review
Excellent service. They listened to what I needed. I highly recommend this firm in Valencia.
Jacques Z.
Google Review
On 8/4 at 6:15pm I sent a tax-related query and the same day at 10:22pm I received a clear, precise reply addressing each of myquestions point by point. My sincere thanks to Mr Felix de Guía Muñoz for his availability and the quality of his answer.
Jean-Paul D.
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A very serious and responsive firm! I needed an opinion on tax residency status in Spain. They replied the next day by email with alot of detail. I recommend their seriousness and expertise 100%!
Sarh F.
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Responsive and professional! Our planned move to Spain this summer will undoubtedly be a success with the firm's help!
Sébastien L.
Google Review
Excellent contact and excellent responsiveness from the team at this well-known Valencia law firm! Worth using for the usual checkson a property purchase, your modelo 720, your tax return, your autónomo business accounting… I highly recommend this French-speaking firm!
Mass M.
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My first contacts with the firm's partners were excellent, clear and honest. I highly recommend the firm.
Eric V.
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