General Information

In Germany, the heir proves his/her legal right by a Certificate of Inheritance which is issued by the competent German probate court upon notarized application. It is normally required by banks or land register if the inheritance includes real estate or bank account(s) in Germany.

To obtain a Certificate of Inheritance, you have to fill out the questionnaire, which can be found below and send it with the required copies of the documents (as indicated on the questionnaire) to the German Consulate in Toronto.

We will make a draft of your application and call you in order to make an appointment for the required affidavit and notarization. We might also request more documents in some cases. This can take up to 3 months from the time that all the requested documents are in order. Please note that there will be a fee for the affidavit and the notarization. The application and the certified (and if not issued by a German authority: legalised and translated) documents can then be sent to the competent probate court in Germany. There will be an additional fee for the actual Certificate of Inheritance.

Additional Information in Restitution Matters

In restitution cases, the certificate of inheritance will be issued by the probate court (“Nachlassgericht”) free of charge. However, there is a fee for the notarization of the application at the German mission which is payable in cash (equivalent in C$ according to the daily exchange rate) or by internationally accepted credit card (card will be charged in Euro, additional charges by the credit card company may apply).

The Certificate of Inheritance will be issued by the probate court (“Nachlassgericht”) free of charge only, if it is sent directly to the German office, dealing with the restitution claim (Landesamt/Amt zur Regelung offener Vermögensfragen, abbreviated: LAROV or AROV). A notarized copy of the certificate however, may be sent to a representative or to the applicant himself/herself.