Guides
Cross-border estate guides
Guides are organised by corridor; the first is UK–Spain. Each guide opens with a Legal Snapshot, lists the legal sources it relies on and shows when it was last updated against them.
General information, not legal advice. Each guide shows the date it was last updated against its sources. CrossBorder Estate is not a law firm.
01
The UK–Spain Probate Process, Explained
A UK-Spain estate usually runs as two processes side by side. A UK grant (probate or letters of administration) deals with UK assets; in Spain the heirs accept the…
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Inheriting Spanish Property as a UK Resident
Inheriting Spanish property takes action. A UK-resident heir accepts the inheritance before a Spanish notary, obtains a Spanish foreigner's tax number (NIE), files…
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Spanish Inheritance Tax for UK Residents Inheriting Assets in Spain
A UK-resident heir pays Spanish inheritance tax (Impuesto sobre Sucesiones y Donaciones, ISD) only on assets located in Spain, filing with the State tax agency (AEAT)…
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A UK Will and a Spanish Will: When One Revokes the Other
A later will can revoke an earlier will made in the other country, even when the later will deals only with assets in its own country. Under Spanish law a later complete…
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Inheritance Tax Before Probate: What a UK–Spain Estate Pays First
In a UK–Spain estate Spanish inheritance tax (ISD) falls due first: it is filed and paid within six months counted from the day of death (RD 1629/1991 art. 67), while UK…
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Spanish Forced Shares and a UK Will: When the Children Can Claim
Spanish law reserves part of an estate for certain relatives, the forced heirs, who include the children, and a will cannot take that part away (Código Civil arts 806…
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Living in Spain and Inheriting From the UK: Inheritance Tax
An heir who lives in Spain pays Spanish inheritance tax (ISD) on everything inherited, wherever the assets are, including a house, bank account or investments in the UK…
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Dying Without a Will in a UK–Spain Estate: Who Inherits and How
When someone dies without a will (intestacy), Spanish authorities decide which country's succession law governs the estate under the EU Succession Regulation, starting…
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