When does a will come into effect after death?

It is impossible to know all the laws of a particular country, so citizens become interested in their rights and responsibilities only when they need it. For example, many disputes arise during inheritance.

This area is one of the most problematic in the country. When resolving inheritance disputes, people meet in court, trying to prove their point of view. But it’s not always possible to do this. Today we will be interested in the order of inheritance.

When does a will come into force? What is necessary to draw up a testamentary document? What difficulties do people encounter in the process of obtaining property by inheritance under a will? Next, we will try to understand all this and more.

In the end, we will try to study the basics of inheritance law in Russia.

When does a will come into effect after death?

Types of inheritance

To begin with, it is worth paying attention to the fact that people can enter into inheritance in different ways. In Russia, there are only two options for the development of events. What are we talking about?

Let's focus on the second step. It is the least problematic, but in order to use it, you need to make preliminary preparations. It is carried out during the life of the testator.

Inheritance by law - characteristics

When does a will come into force? Before answering this question, a person must understand what this or that type of inheritance is. This knowledge can help when drawing up a will.

Inheritance by law is a way of receiving property and some obligations of the deceased by his relatives by inheritance. Third parties will not be able to act as claimants for property in this case under any circumstances.

Inheritance “by law” will be carried out in order of priority. The closer the relationship, the higher the chances of receiving property. This is the most problematic option for heirs, but there is no need to prepare for it in advance.

When does a will come into effect after death?

Description of inheritance by will

Therefore, we will focus on another scenario. When does a will come into force? This is not the most difficult question. We will answer this a little later.

Inheritance by will is a method of receiving property by inheritance by the persons specified in the testamentary document. In this case, the heirs can be any people and even organizations. Only first, during his lifetime, the testator must correctly draw up a will. Otherwise, the document will have no legal force.

A will is...

What is a will in general? This is a document expressing a person’s desire to divide property between his heirs after his death. We can say that this is the name given to the last will of a citizen, endowed with legal force.

With a will you can:

  • determine the circle of persons among whom the property of the deceased will be distributed;
  • allocate shares in property to one or another recipient;
  • indicate which property will belong entirely to whom.

Very comfortably! The main thing is that the mentioned paper is drawn up in good faith. The legal validity of a will drawn up by a person in an inadequate state or under blackmail will be refuted. For example, in court.

General entry period

The entry into force of a will raises many questions among citizens. However, this is not the most difficult question. To get the most accurate answer, you need to study the legislative framework of the topic.

Let's start with the general period of inheritance. At the moment it is 6 months. The countdown begins from the moment of death of the owner of this or that property.

Within the specified period, the heirs must inform whether they are ready to receive the inheritance. In case of “silence”, it will be considered that the potential recipient of material benefits has renounced his inheritance rights. This applies to both inheritance by law and by will.

When does a will come into effect after death?

Common death

When does a will come into effect? After the death of the testator. It is at this moment that the will document is opened.

It is worth paying attention to the fact that the date of death of a potential testator is sometimes in doubt. Therefore, possible life circumstances will be discussed below. They will help you understand from what point in a given case a testamentary document should be considered valid.

Let's start with the ordinary death of a person. In this case, the death is recorded by a medical certificate. It is issued to the relatives of the deceased. After this, a death certificate of the established form is issued.

When does a will come into force? After the death of a person, from the date indicated in the certificate of the established form. It will be transferred to a special form in the registry office from the medical report. This is the simplest scenario out there.

Declaration as dead

The second scenario is that the person is declared dead. When does a will take effect in these circumstances?

According to current laws, from the moment a court order is issued declaring the testator dead. At this time, the opening of a will or inheritance “by law” occurs, and the six-month countdown begins.

Day of supposed death

Sometimes it happens that a person is declared dead, but the day of his actual death is unknown. The court may specify a specific date for the person's death. If the day of death coincides with the day of the expected death, then the will comes into force from the moment specified in the court ruling.

However, in this case you will have to deal with some peculiarities. What is it about? The countdown of the six months allotted for accepting the inheritance will begin from the moment the person is declared dead, and not from the date of his expected death. Fortunately, this option almost never occurs in practice.

When does a will come into effect after death?

How to make a will

Now it’s clear how long it takes for a will to come into force. As already said, this is not the most difficult question. Much more problems are caused by directly entering into an inheritance and drawing up a testamentary document. We will clarify such issues further.

Let's start by making a will. To complete this paper, you need:

  1. Write the text of the testamentary document. This must be done according to established rules. A little later we will consider the principles of drawing up a will.
  2. Generate a package of documents for further manipulations.
  3. Contact a notary and pay for his services.
  4. Certify the will.

That's all. Now all that remains is to wait. If a citizen correctly draws up the appropriate paper, then after the death of the testator the will comes into force without any problems. Otherwise, the document can be challenged in court and canceled.

Rules for making a will

A few words about how to correctly draw up a will. The legal force of the document will depend on this. As already mentioned, you will have to follow many rules and nuances.

For a testamentary document to be recognized as valid, it is necessary:

  1. Draw up a document by hand. Printed sample wills are easy to revoke.
  2. Write the text of the will in the presence of witnesses.
  3. Be sure to register the document with a notary. To do this, you will have to invite at least two witnesses.
  4. When writing the text of a will, follow the rules of business correspondence and structure (heading - title - main part - list of documents - conclusion).
  5. Clearly indicate information about the inheritance and heirs. Any typo can cause huge problems in the future.

That's all. These principles will help you cope with the task. A will takes effect on the day of the testator's death if the document is properly executed. Otherwise, it can be easily annulled in court.

When does a will come into effect after death?

Documents for a will

A will for an apartment comes into force on the date of death of the testator or on the date the person is declared dead. And nothing else.

What documents are needed to register a will with a notary? Typically this requires the following papers:

  • identification;
  • testamentary document;
  • USRN extracts for real estate;
  • certificates of ownership of this or that property;
  • copies of passports of heirs (preferably);
  • certificates of marriage or divorce;
  • certificate of mental health of the testator.

The last paper is not mandatory, but its presence makes life much easier for the heirs. With the help of this component, it will be possible to prove to the court the full health of the testator.

How to receive an inheritance - instructions

We found out when a will comes into force. The time period allotted for receiving property by inheritance has also been sorted out. How to receive an inheritance under a testamentary document?

The following instructions will help you cope with this kind of task:

  1. Wait until the testator dies or is declared dead by the court.
  2. Apply with previously prepared certificates to the notary office at the place of opening of the inheritance and formalize consent to accept the property.
  3. Wait 6 months from the entry into force of the will.
  4. Go to the notary again and receive a notarized certificate of acceptance of the inheritance.
  5. Re-register rights to certain objects, if necessary.

Doesn't sound that scary. Only in reality, it is inheritance issues that cause the bulk of conflicts between relatives and other heirs.

When does a will come into effect after death?

Documents for receiving inheritance

The will comes into force after the testator dies or is declared dead. How to get an inheritance?

The potential recipient must take with him to the notary office:

  • your passport;
  • certificate of death of the testator;
  • will;
  • statements of relationship with the testator;
  • a copy of the deceased's passport;
  • court ruling declaring a person dead (if any);
  • extracts for this or that property;
  • a certificate from the last place of residence of the deceased.

In reality, everything is simpler than it seems. Having a will simplifies the inheritance process. Especially if the testator correctly executed this document during his lifetime. The will comes into force from the moment of death of the potential testator. Everyone needs to remember this.

Where does the discovery take place?

It is worth paying attention to one more point. We found out when the will comes into force. Where does the opening of a testamentary document take place?

There are various options for the development of events. Here are the options found in real life:

  1. The opening of the envelope with the inheritance document takes place at the place of residence of the deceased. This is the most common case.
  2. The discovery takes place where a person supposedly lived and died. This option is extremely rare. Therefore, they simply do not pay attention to it.
  3. The document is opened in the place where most of the property being inherited is located.

As a rule, most often the procedure is carried out according to the last registration of the testator, in the same office in which the will was drawn up.

When does a will come into effect after death?

Results

We found out when the will comes into force. Moreover, the key aspects of the design of the relevant paper were presented. We hope the suggested tips will help you cope with the task.

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After death, the will comes into force immediately. Moreover, if a citizen has indicated that he wants to create an inheritance fund, he can immediately dispose of the property.

When does a will come into effect after death?

In a situation when a person first encounters inheritance rights, he, as a rule, has a significant number of questions regarding legal issues.

When does a will come into effect after death?

In addition, everything is complicated by the mental state that arises due to the loss of a loved one. In order to behave correctly at the right moment, it is worth studying in detail the data on the inheritance procedure.

After the death of the testator, a countdown is made, after which the persons designated as heirs will have the right to exercise their rights.

The will comes into force on the next day after:

  • Death of the testator
  • Making a court decision on the basis of which the death of the testator will be recognized
  • Birth of an heir after the death of the person who made the will
  • Refusal of the heir who was first in line to accept funds or property

How to draw up a will?

The question of correct drafting is not accidental, because if serious mistakes are made, the will can simply be declared invalid.

It is worth considering the details of the correct drafting of the document in more detail:

  • First of all, it is worth noting that when drawing up a will, one must be guided by the principles of freedom of will and secrecy of disposal.
  • If the text does not include all the property owned by the testator, then the unspecified property will be distributed among the heirs in the manner prescribed by law
  • The testator has the right to independently determine the heirs and the share due to them, while he may completely deprive one or more heirs of the right to claim the inherited property
  • The text may indicate orders that relate to property not yet acquired by the citizen
  • A will must be drawn up in writing and certified by a notary; it is also necessary to have the personal signature of the testator or the signature of an authorized representative in the event that the citizen is not able to independently sign the document
  • It is noteworthy that a person can cancel the document or change the text at any time. In this case, the involvement of any third parties will not be required

The concept of a closed will

A fairly common type of will, which has a number of features and difficulties, for example:

  • The contents of a closed will are unknown to anyone, not even the notary. Only the testator himself knows reliable information about what the text of the document is.
  • The document is transferred to the notary's office in a closed envelope, which is opened only after the death of the citizen within fifteen days. The text is read out in the presence of all heirs and witnesses.
  • After the information is announced, a protocol will need to be drawn up, which will indicate the text of the will.
  • A closed will comes into force after it has been promulgated.

A will that was made in emergency circumstances

When does a will come into effect after death?

In this case, it is worth considering the following distinctive features:

  • It is assumed that when drawing up such a document, the testator was in a dangerous situation, and there was a real threat to life. Only in this case the document comes into force
  • It is noteworthy that documents of this type do not require notarization
  • In order for the document to come into force, a trial will be required, the main purpose of which is to confirm the existence of emergency conditions that directly threatened the life of the testator
  • Additionally, it should be noted that the heirs must have time to exercise their rights to the inheritance, because deadlines are quite limited

The procedure for entering into inheritance under a will

In order to correctly enter into inheritance rights, a citizen will need to perform a number of actions. From a legal point of view, the procedure for entering into an inheritance is an expression of the will of the heir to acquire the property rights and obligations of the testator. In general, the inheritance procedure can be represented as follows.

Actions to enter into inheritance

  • First of all, you will need to come to the notary with a statement written in the prescribed manner
  • Provide the notary with a package of documents, which will be discussed in more detail below
  • Pay for the services of a notary office, as well as pay the state fee
  • In a situation where real estate is present among the inherited property, it will be necessary to contact Rosreestr to register property rights
  • Additionally, there are some nuances when inheriting vehicles, which can be resolved by contacting the traffic police

Required documents

Depending on the content of the inheritance, the package of documents will also change, for example, for real estate it will be necessary to submit documents confirming ownership, etc.

In any case, the basic list of documents will remain unchanged and will include the following:

  • The will itself, because This is the main document confirming the rights of the heirs.
  • Document confirming the death of the testator.
  • An application written in the prescribed form.
  • Heir's passport.

Deadlines

The period for entering into inheritance under a will may be:

  • Three months, if the first heir in line renounces his share
  • Six months is the standard period applicable in all other cases

A will is the last will of the deceased, which is not guaranteed to him by current law. Thanks to the preparation of such a document, resolving inheritance issues becomes significantly easier, and the procedure itself becomes more transparent.

Important aspects of inheritance law: when does a will come into force?

Most people in our country ignore making a will, which is why after their death, relatives inherit their property by law. But if the deceased left such a document, it is important for the relatives of the deceased to know when the will comes into force so as not to miss this deadline.

This point is very important, because if you do not take it into account, you may be left without an inheritance altogether. To understand it, you need to understand what kind of document it is, how it is drawn up, on what basis it is done and how it operates.

When does a will come into effect after death?

A testamentary disposition is a unilateral transaction. This means that the testator, when drawing it up, is not obliged to consult with anyone about how he will dispose of his property. In addition, he is not obliged to inform anyone about the essence of the transaction, its content and its existence in general. The paper should not contain the signatures of the persons indicated on it.

Moreover, it must be signed by the testator.

In it, the testator can not only indicate the persons to whom the property will be transferred, but also what shares are due to them. He can indicate at his disposal persons who are not relatives of this person, and he has the right to bequeath to them even the most valuable property - an apartment, a car, land, etc.

Any legally capable person who has reached the age of majority can draw up such a document. The paper must be notarized by an appropriate specialist. If a person does not have the opportunity to assure her, this can be done by resorting to the help of any other official.

For example, the following persons may be authorized to certify a document:

  • The head physician of the hospital, if the person is being treated in this institution;
  • Commander of a military unit, if the testator serves in it;
  • The director of a nursing home, if the person resides there;
  • The head of the correctional institution, if the testator resides in one.

The testamentary document must be signed exclusively by the testator himself. Representatives and proxies cannot do this, even if they have a general power of attorney.

This type of document cannot be compared with a deed of gift. The second is a bilateral transaction, which usually becomes valid during the life of the donor - from the moment of its signing. In the case of a will, it comes into force only after the death of the testator.

It is provided for by law, and when drawing up the document, all rules and regulations must be taken into account. Otherwise, after the death of the testator, it may turn out that the testamentary disposition is invalid and therefore cannot enter into force.

If the paper is not drawn up legally, it can be easily contested, which is why the successors in the will will not receive the property due to them by the will of the testator.

First of all, it is necessary to take into account the basic principles of drawing up a testamentary disposition:

  • Personal and sole participation in the preparation and signing of the document. Firstly, the will must be drawn up by only one person, and not several, regardless of their kinship and other relationships connecting them. Secondly, the paper must be signed personally by the testator. In exceptional cases (for example, the testator is seriously ill), the signature of the person who applied the hand is allowed. The latter must be legally capable, of full age and not have an interest in the testator’s inheritance;
  • Freedom. A person has the right to dispose of property as he wishes. When the testator dies, the property will pass to the person named on the document. This will be so, even if this choice seems illogical and unfair to his relatives and others. No one has the right to put pressure on the testator, to express their demands and desires when drawing up a document;
  • Eligibility. The person drawing up the document must be legally competent and an adult. When performing these actions, a person must be guided by applicable laws and requirements.

Only if these principles are observed will the testator's testamentary disposition come into force when the latter dies.

There are a number of points to consider when drafting the document:

When does a will come into effect after death?

  • If the testator does not bequeath all of his property, the remaining part will be distributed among the primary heirs according to the law. For example, a person decided to bequeath his apartment to someone, but did not mention anything about his car. In this case, the apartment will go to the heir under the will, and the car to the closest relatives, among whom, by the way, may be the person who inherited the housing;
  • The testator has the right to deprive someone of the right to inherit his property by indicating this in his order. But it is important to take into account that he does not have the right to deprive compulsory heirs of their inheritance. These include minor children of the testator, as well as incapacitated relatives, spouses who were dependent on the testator before the death of the latter;
  • A person has the right to dispose of not only the property that he has at the time of writing, but also that which he will acquire during his lifetime in the future;
  • The document may name a designated successor for an heir who may have passed away by the time the will takes effect.
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The testator has the right to cancel the concluded transaction at any time, without giving any reasons, by contacting a notary. In the same way, he has the right to make any changes to it. The main thing is that this should happen solely by his will. In this case, all principles for drawing up such an order and the rules of procedure must be observed.

When the time comes for the transaction to come into force, the last version of the testamentary disposition will be taken into account. It is possible to record several papers if their contents do not contradict each other and they deal with different hereditary objects.

Usually, only a passport is required from the testator. But under different circumstances, other documentation may be required. For example, if the testator has reached retirement age, it is possible that the notary will request a certificate confirming the testator’s legal capacity.

By the way, a specialist has the right to request such a certificate from any person drawing up an order. This will protect all participants in the inheritance process from clarifying controversial issues or from any relatives citing the fact that the deceased was incompetent.

It would be useful to provide documentation for the property transferred as an inheritance estate.

For example, if a will is being drawn up for an apartment or house, the following papers should be provided:

  • Certificate of ownership of the inherited property;
  • Cadastral, technical passport.

These papers are needed not only to confirm ownership rights, but also to correctly draw up a description of the inherited property.

The heirs need to know about this in order to open an inheritance case in a timely manner (this is done at the notary) in order to accept the inheritance.

A well-drafted will has legal force from the moment the document is written, but it comes into force only after the death of the testator.

When does a will come into effect after death?

In this regard, the heirs need to contact a notary as quickly as possible and open an inheritance case.

Speaking about the time after which a will comes into force, you need to understand that the six months allotted for this by law expire not from the moment the inheritance case is opened, but exclusively from the day the testator died.

This rule applies when accepting any type of property, regardless of whether you need to inherit an apartment, money, or other movable and immovable property.

At the same time, there are other situations that are the reason for opening an inheritance case:

  • The birth of an heir who was specified in the testamentary disposition. Often a document is drawn up by a person for his unborn children, grandchildren or persons who are not relatives. If the testator died before the birth of such heirs, the inheritance case is opened within six months from the date of birth of the successor;
  • Refusal of the heir from his part of the inheritance. If the testamentary disposition, in addition to the abandoned heir, indicates other successors, his share is divided between them in equal parts. If the refused heir is the only figure in the transaction, the inheritance is divided according to the law between the closest relatives of the deceased - the first-priority successors - in equal shares.

As for the latter case, the time after which the will comes into force for the remaining heirs depends on when and how the renounced successor declared his refusal.

  • If he did this by means of an application to a notary, drawn up in accordance with the law, before the expiration of the period for accepting the inheritance (6 months), the remaining successors must accept his share before the expiration of a similar period;
  • If the person who renounced the inherited property missed his deadline for accepting the property, the remaining heirs are given 3 months from the date of expiration of the main period to enter into inheritance rights.

The law provides the opportunity to challenge a will, in which case the order can only come into force after the end of the litigation. This can happen partially, completely (if the plaintiff lost the court) or not enter into it at all if the transaction was declared void or invalid.

The period for challenging a transaction is 3 years, but in some individual situations it can be a longer period, which is determined only by the court.

The procedure for registering an inheritance is the same for any case - acceptance of an apartment, house, car, land or other property. It begins with contacting a notary, providing the necessary documents, and ends with receiving a certificate of ownership.

Sometimes heirs confuse the timing - how long does it take for the will to come into force and what is the deadline for accepting the inheritance. It should be understood that the testator’s order becomes effective on the day of death of this person, and six months from this day are given for the acceptance of property, during which (and not after) the inheritance must be formalized.

When does a will come into force after death in Russia?

In Europe, a culture of postmortem disposal of property has developed for centuries. Europeans see nothing wrong with thinking at a young age about what will happen to the property they have acquired and who will get it.

In Russia, the tradition of official distribution of movable and immovable property is beginning to gain strength.

When a will comes into force, and what conditions are needed to enter into legal rights, the relatives of the deceased in a difficult situation of loss often have many questions.

Features of will law

When does a will come into effect after death?

The essence of the wording of the will:

Must be drafted on the basis of free will.

An owner who wants to dispose of his property does so under any conditions, unless they contradict accepted laws. You can transfer it to both individuals and legal entities, at your discretion.

The authorized representative must keep the instructions confidential.

The originator is not obligated to share the decision with potential beneficiaries. This data is strictly confidential information.

Features of drawing up a testamentary disposition

Nuances taken into account when drawing up a declaration of will:

  1. The drafter of the declaration of will determines the circle of recipients. Is not obliged to indicate the reasons for such a decision, even if it deprives the legal beneficiaries of their rights or transfers property to third parties. This right is limited by Article 1149 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, which describes the specifics of allocating mandatory shares.
  2. Distribution of only part of the property is allowed. The rest is distributed among the undesignated heirs, according to the law, in order of priority.
  3. Not only the property available at the time the document was written is mentioned, but also the property that is planned for acquisition.
  4. The circle of heirs who are the main ones must be indicated. To clarify possible life situations, additional beneficiaries are also appointed. For example, if the principal voluntarily refuses to inherit, they are deemed unworthy to receive the property.
  5. The drafter of the will can set any conditions, if they do not contradict the current legislation, under which someone receives property. This right is called “testamentary refusal”.
  6. Does a will have retroactive force - it is changed by the drafter at any time, revoked, or canceled (Civil Code of the Russian Federation, Article 1130). In this case, interested parties learn about the fact only after the death of the testator. Each new document cancels the previous one (partially or completely).
  7. Principles for drawing up a declaration of will: only in writing, with a personal signature, must be notarized. There are only a few rules under which it can deviate from such norms (certified by other officials in addition to the notary, signed by other persons, drawn up in special circumstances).

Effective time

When a posthumous disposition comes into force: the single period after which entry into inheritance is allowed is six months. The countdown of these six months begins on the day after the following events:

  •  death of the drafter of the will;
  •  the court decides to recognize the person who made the will as dead;
  •  the birthday of the heir who was conceived during the life of the maker of the will, if he himself dies;
  •  The recipients indicated in the document refuse to inherit, or they are recognized as unworthy to receive the property.
  • When does the will come into effect after the death of the will: in most cases, the day after his death.

What is a “closed will”

The specifics of the expression of will can be an absolute secret from everyone, even from a notary. Only the originator, who transfers the closed envelope to the notary's office for safekeeping, knows about its contents.

How the envelope is opened and the postmortem order is announced: within 15 days, interested parties must bring to the notary a death certificate (or a document recognizing the maker of the will as deceased in court).

The declaration of will is read out in the presence of witnesses and potential heirs. At the same time, the entire process is recorded from the moment the envelope is opened and the text is read out. The protocol lists the persons indicated in the document, affixes signatures indicating that those present are familiar with the contents of the will, and the signature of a notary.

The original document is transferred to the notary for further storage, copies are made to all heirs.

How long does it take for the will to come into force - on the day it is read, and not on the day after the death of the document maker. This is the difference between a closed expression of will and an open one.

Further, the procedure for entering into inheritance rights is no different from an open will. The actual heirs identified by the deceased, as well as beneficiaries who have a mandatory share determined by Russian legislation, must submit a package of necessary documents to the notary. And a statement of readiness to take over.

Extraordinary circumstances and drafting a declaration of will

Life situations, when a person’s will to dispose of property is formalized in situations that are dangerous to his life, are considered emergency. Does not require notarization.

A posthumous order drawn up under special conditions is valid, but before that there will be a trial in court.

It must confirm that the expression of will is legal and that there really were extraordinary special circumstances.

If the court confirms the document drawn up in these conditions, it will enter into legal force the next day after the end of the meeting.

Restoration of rights to inheritance

If the heir does not meet the deadline established by law and does not express a desire to enter into the inheritance six months before, there are two ways to restore your inheritance rights:

  1. Outside of court proceedings, if the persons who accepted the inheritance give written consent to this action.
  2. By judicial procedure, if other heirs are against (at least one person).

In the second case, it is necessary to collect a package of documents for the court. The remaining heirs will be responsible. In the case where the property is transferred to the state, the defendant will be a municipal institution.

The package of documents must contain evidence of the fact that the missed deadline for entering into inheritance was for valid reasons.

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When does a will come into effect after death?

I knew before that, according to the law, I could not immediately take possession of the inherited property, but somehow I did not imagine that I would have to wait almost six months to make sure whether I had the right to the property at all.

Everything would be fine, but all these six months I had to pay utility bills for the apartment, and also pay some amounts of taxes for the land.

A visit to a lawyer asking me to accurately answer the question of whether I am an heir did not yield any results, so I just had to wait until the moment of “discovery” of the inheritance mass arrived.

Perhaps one of the most common questions asked by users in probate law is when a will comes into effect. People are equally interested in when they can begin to formalize their own right to property and when exactly the testamentary act will “open”. However, this is exactly what I will talk about in detail in my article.

The essence of a will and the basic principles of its preparation

To answer the question of when a will comes into force after the death of the owner of the property, you will first need to decide what kind of act we are talking about and highlight its characteristic features.

All issues related to the execution of the document, the timing and procedure for inheriting property are regulated by the Civil Code of the Russian Federation in Part 3. There is no special code or other legislative acts in this area, but there are separate provisions in the RF IC and in the Tax Code of the Russian Federation.

It is worth paying special attention to the Federal Law “On Notaries”.

The main principles used when drawing up a will are freedom and privacy of the wishes of the owner of things or money. In the first case, we are talking about the fact that only a citizen can decide to whom and in what part the property will be transferred after his death, and in the second, that the testator is not obliged to inform the heirs about his decision and the contents of the will.

Peculiarities of registration of a testamentary act

To move on to the issue related to the period of entry into inheritance of property, it is worth first considering the features that should be taken into account when drawing up the act:

  • the circle of successors is determined by the owner, and we are not always talking about the relatives of the deceased. The only limitation can be the right to an obligatory share of property;
  • It is possible to transfer part of the property by will, and other property will be distributed among the successors according to the law;
  • in addition to the main inheritors, the owner of the property has the right to appoint additional ones, in case the main ones die earlier;
  • it is also possible to formalize testamentary refusals for certain citizens;
  • The testator has the right to cancel the document at any time, and he can also make changes to the document.

Mandatory conditions when drawing up a deed are the choice of a written form and personal signature by the testator. In addition, the document must be certified by a notary or certified in another manner prescribed by law. Without compliance with such requirements, the act will be declared invalid.

When does a will come into force after the death of the owner of the property?

The Civil Code of the Russian Federation stipulates a single period for accepting an inherited estate - 6 months. It is during this time that the applicant for property is obliged to apply to the notary with an application, and then receive a document on the right of inheritance. The reporting of the 6-month period begins from the moment when the testamentary act entered into legal force, namely, on the next day after

  • death of the testator;
  • signing an act by a judicial authority recognizing the owner as deceased;
  • the moment of birth of a successor conceived during life, but after the death of the citizen;
  • prohibition or personal refusal to accept the property of people who have the main right to the inherited estate. Here, the period for accepting an inheritance may no longer be 6, but only 3 months.

Usually, the date of acquisition of an act of legal significance is the future day after the death of the owner, and until that moment it will not be possible to obtain any information on this issue or take ownership rights. During his lifetime, the testator has the right to amend the document any number of times, but the last option that was adopted will remain valid.

Features of the “opening” of a will, taking into account the choice of the form of the act

A closed will requires disclosure to all possible successors.

This must happen within 15 days after the death of the testator, and before that, the notary must submit a complete package of documentation certifying the fact of the citizen’s death.

The moment the act is read becomes the day when the document acquires legal force. An open document becomes effective the day after the death of the testator.

A deed drawn up under special circumstances, for example, when there is a threat to the life of the testator, does not require notarization, however, litigation often arises here. After confirmation of the authenticity of the act by the judicial authority, the document becomes valid on the day following the issuance of the decision.

Instead of results

Having finished the material, it is worth drawing some conclusions on the topic:

  1. For situations related to inheritance by law, the period for accepting an inheritance is six months or three months. In the case of a will, the right of the successor begins to operate on the next day after the death of the testator.
  2. In the case of closed wills, it may take up to 15 days to open the deed.
  3. For a document written in special circumstances, a special check is provided, and in some cases, a judicial review of the inheritance case.

When a will comes into force - what the heirs need to know

The entry into force of the will is the date from which the recipients of the inheritance can exercise the right to dispose of it. This is only possible if the document has legal force. To do this, it must be correctly drawn up and certified by a notary (with the exception of some cases).

The drafting and entry into force of the document is regulated by the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. There is no special legislation for this legal procedure.

The procedure is also carried out in accordance with the clauses of the Federal Law “On Notaries”, the provisions of the Insurance Code and the Tax Code. The will comes into force from the moment specified in the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.

After a given date, the heirs have the right to contact a notary organization to receive the property or funds due to them.

Features of the entry into force of the document

How long does it take for a will to come into force? This happens immediately after the death of the testator. You can receive all rights due after the probate of the will is completed and only if you have a death certificate. To carry out the procedure, you will need to draw up an application according to the accepted sample. The following documents are attached to it:

  • Death certificate;
  • Passport of the recipient of the property;
  • Certificate of residence;
  • Papers that testify to the family ties of the testator and heirs.

The time frame for the entry into force of the document is limited and is 6 months. If, during this time, the heir has not applied to the notary's office, he will have to obtain the consent of other heirs to acquire rights under the will.

If consent cannot be obtained, the matter is resolved through a judicial authority. To initiate the procedure, you need to draw up a statement of claim. Consent also requires compliance with certain conditions. This is the presence of a notary when drawing up a document.

The second option is to have the signatures of the heirs certified by a notary.

The lengthy procedure for acquiring rights takes place during court proceedings. The court establishes that there are valid reasons why the established deadlines for entering into inheritance have been missed.

When does a will come into force after the death of the testator?

After death, the time frame within which the heir can exercise his rights is counted. When does a will come into effect after death? This happens the next day, and the basis for issuing the inheritance is the following circumstances:

  • Death of the testator;
  • Making a decision by a judicial authority to recognize the death of the testator;
  • The birth of an heir after the death of the person who made the will;
  • The heir who was first in line refuses to accept the funds or property assigned to him according to the will of the testator.

In the latter case, the time frame for accepting the inheritance is reduced and is three months.

The time limit for a will to come into force is 6 months.

Features of the entry into force of a will for an apartment

When does a will for an apartment come into force after death? This happens the day after the death of the testator. To obtain all rights, you must go through the following procedures:

  1. Applying to a notary with an application and documents, including a death certificate;
  2. Preparation of title documents for real estate, which includes a privatization agreement, an extract from the Unified State Register;
  3. Issuance of a document on the right to inheritance;
  4. Registration of real estate in Rosreestr.

When registering an apartment, you will need to pay a fee. Almost similar rules apply to inheriting a house.

Nuances of the entry into force of closed wills

A closed will is a document whose contents are known to one testator. Even the notary does not know about the paper points. The document is submitted to the notary's office in a closed envelope. In order to obtain inheritance rights, you will need to provide documentation confirming the death of the testator. This could be a death certificate.

The envelope is opened within 15 days after confirmation of death. The document must be read in the presence of all heirs, as well as witnesses.

Based on the results of the procedure, a protocol is drawn up, which indicates the text of the will and the persons participating in the announcement of the will of the deceased.

The document comes into force after the envelope is opened and the contents of the paper are announced.

A closed will comes into force after its publication.

How should heirs behave correctly if there is a deed of gift, is it necessary to enter into an inheritance? Read about this in our article. Find out here which is more beneficial for testators and heirs: a deed of gift or a will. Before registering the transfer of property using one of these methods, you must carefully weigh the pros and cons.

Will made in emergency circumstances

Such a document does not imply certification by a notary. It is assumed that the testator is in circumstances that pose a threat to his life. In this case, there are features of the entry into force of the document. This occurs only after legal proceedings have taken place regarding the validity of the existence of emergency conditions.

The will comes into force quickly, but the heirs need to have time to exercise their rights, since the time frame for this action is limited. In some cases, the entry into force of the document is preceded by court hearings.

When does a will come into effect after death? Link to main publication