Critical
Critical: the strict six-month deadline
Under Article 1154 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, an heir must formally accept the inheritance before a Russian notary within exactly six months of the date of death. Missing this deadline normally means losing the inheritance to the other heirs or to the State. Judicial reinstatement under Article 1155 is possible, but only with a justified reason — start immediately to preserve your position.
Protect your deadline nowRemote procedure
No travel to Russia required
We handle the entire Russian-side procedure locally. You stay in Europe and sign once before a notary in your home country.
- Bilingual notarial power of attorney drafted by us, signed before your local notary, certified with the 1961 Hague Apostille and translated by a sworn Russian translator.
- Our Russian-bar correspondents appear personally before the competent notary in Russia, open the inheritance file and obtain the certificate of inheritance on your behalf.
- Re-registration of the inherited property at Rosreestr, release of bank accounts and lawful repatriation of funds to your European bank — fully managed remotely.
You do not need to apply for a visa or book a flight. Correspondence, evidence gathering, notary appointments and all administrative steps are coordinated through our Hamburg office and our Russian correspondent network. You receive a written progress report in your language at every milestone.
Documents
Documents we need to start the file
With these six items we can open the mandate and have the Russian notary register the inheritance file straight away:
- Death certificate of the deceased (original local or foreign certificate).
- Proof of kinship: birth certificate, marriage certificate, additional civil-status documents where relevant.
- Heir's passport in a notarised copy.
- Last registered residential address of the deceased in Russia (determines the competent notary).
- Known information about the estate: apartment address, bank, company name — whatever you already have.
- Any existing will, if one was made.
Every document issued outside Russia must carry the 1961 Hague Apostille and be translated into Russian by a sworn translator. We coordinate the apostille and the translation for you so nothing slows the file down.
Common concerns
Typical situations European heirs bring to us
Heirs based across Europe contact us with five recurring scenarios. Each one is solvable, provided we act in time and meet the strict Russian formal requirements.
The challenge
Why Russian inheritance is uniquely demanding for European heirs
Russian succession law is codified in Part Three of the Civil Code (Articles 1110 et seq.). The estate vests in the heirs by operation of law at the moment of death, but acceptance must be perfected before a Russian notary within six months. Title is evidenced by a single document: the Russian certificate of inheritance (свидетельство о праве на наследство).
- Strict six-month deadline from the date of death (Article 1154 of the Russian Civil Code).
- Exclusive jurisdiction of the notary at the last registered residence of the deceased in Russia.
- All foreign documents must be apostilled under the 1961 Hague Convention and translated into Russian by a sworn translator.
- Russia does not recognise the European Certificate of Succession, the UK Grant of Probate or any foreign title as a direct inheritance instrument.
- Property is re-registered at Rosreestr; bank accounts are released at each bank separately; corporate shares are transferred at the company register or registrar.
- Enhanced foreign-exchange controls since 2022 affect any repatriation of funds to Europe.
- A mandatory reserved share (обязательная доля) protects dependants and can override a will.
- Russia suspended several income-tax treaties in 2023; later resale of inherited property must be planned with cross-border tax advice.
Practically, no step in the Russian procedure happens automatically. There is no central executor as in common-law jurisdictions: each heir must personally — or by attorney — file the acceptance with the correct notary, gather translated civil-status evidence, and then pursue each asset before its specific registry. Our firm consolidates the entire path into a single mandate, from drafting the power of attorney to wiring the sale proceeds to your European bank account.
What we do
Our services for European-resident heirs
We act exclusively for foreign beneficiaries of estates located in Russia. The mandate is run in English (or German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch or Polish on request) and the Russian-side work is handled by qualified members of the Russian bar.
Acceptance
How acceptance of a Russian inheritance works in practice
Acceptance is a formal notarial act that must be completed within six months of the date of death. The heir (or their attorney) files a sworn declaration before the notary at the last registered residence of the deceased in Russia. The notary opens the inheritance file and issues the certificate of inheritance after the six-month period.
- 1
Identify the competent notary
Under Article 1115 of the Civil Code, exclusive competence lies with the notary at the last registered residence of the deceased. Where the residence is unknown, competence shifts to the place where the most valuable estate asset is located.
- 2
Determine the heirs and statutory order
In the absence of a will, Russian law calls heirs in eight successive orders: spouse, children and parents rank first, in equal shares. The surviving spouse additionally retains their matrimonial share of community property.
- 3
Gather and apostille civil-status documents
Death certificate, birth and marriage certificates proving kinship, the heir's passport — all apostilled under the 1961 Hague Convention and translated into Russian by a sworn translator.
- 4
Issue a bilingual power of attorney
Signed before a notary in your country, apostilled and translated. Each authorised act must be listed by name — generic language is rejected by Russian notaries.
- 5
File the acceptance declaration
The attorney appears before the Russian notary, files the acceptance and produces the apostilled evidence. The file is officially opened in your name.
- 6
Receive the certificate of inheritance
After the six-month period the notary reviews all registrations, determines the estate composition and issues the certificate. This is the master title used to re-register every asset in your name.
Direct answer: who inherits where there is no will?
The spouse, the children and the parents of the deceased in equal shares (first order). European-resident descendants of a person domiciled in Russia retain their full succession rights irrespective of nationality or residence.
Direct answer: where is the declaration filed?
Before the notary of the administrative district covering the last registered residence of the deceased in Russia. Any notary outside that district must decline jurisdiction.
Direct answer: what does it cost in Russia?
Russia has abolished inheritance tax (2006). Only a notarial state fee is due — 0.3 % of the appraised value for close relatives (capped at RUB 100,000) and 0.6 % for other heirs (capped at RUB 1,000,000). Translation and legal fees are additional.
Missed deadline
Six-month deadline missed — what to do
A missed deadline does not automatically extinguish the right to inherit. Article 1155 of the Civil Code provides two reinstatement routes — judicial and extrajudicial. Both require prompt action within six months of the obstacle ceasing.
Judicial reinstatement (Article 1155)
The Russian court evaluates whether the delay was justified: residence abroad, lack of knowledge of the death, illness, delay in obtaining apostilled foreign documents. European heirs typically have strong grounds; late notification, postal delays and disrupted administrative channels are recognised as valid reasons.
Extrajudicial reinstatement with co-heirs' consent
If every co-heir who has already accepted gives notarised consent to include you, the notary can reissue the certificates without going to court. Faster, but requires unanimity.
Tacit acceptance through factual conduct (Article 1153)
If, within the six-month window, you actually used, maintained, paid utilities for or insured the estate — even from Europe via a relative — Russian law treats this as tacit acceptance. Bank statements, transfers and invoices become decisive evidence.
Real estate
Inheriting real estate located in Russia
European heirs may freely inherit and register Russian residential and most commercial real estate in their name with Rosreestr, the federal registry. Agricultural land and border zones are restricted and may have to be divested within one year.
Step 1 — asset-specific certificate of inheritance
The notary issues a certificate identifying the property by cadastral number, address and the heir's quota. Without it no Rosreestr application is admissible.
Step 2 — Rosreestr registration
Submission of the certificate, identity papers and proof of state duty payment. Typical processing 5 to 12 working days, with delivery of an EGRN extract evidencing your title.
Step 3 — subsequent sale or letting
Many European heirs choose to liquidate. We draft the sale and purchase agreement, supervise notarial signature where required, manage escrow, clear utilities, and arrange repatriation of the proceeds under the current foreign-exchange regime.
Tax treatment in Russia and in your home country
Russia: no inheritance tax. A subsequent sale is taxed at 13 % or 15 % on the gain if the holding period is below the threshold (typically five years). Home jurisdiction: depending on residence, worldwide inheritance and capital-gains tax may apply; the suspension of certain income-tax treaties in 2023 requires coordinated tax planning — we work alongside your tax adviser.
Bank accounts
Inheriting Russian bank accounts and repatriating the funds
Russian banks release inherited balances only against an original certificate of inheritance that names the account, after internal compliance review. European-resident heirs can repatriate the funds, but today this requires a precise legal and banking structure.
Locating the accounts
The notary issues a request to the Federal Tax Service (ФНС), which is legally bound to disclose every account held in the deceased's name. This avoids missing deposits, securities accounts or precious-metal accounts.
Account-specific certificate
The notary lists every bank, account number and quota in the certificate. Each branch then processes the release separately on production of the original.
Release and lawful transfer to Europe
Funds are first released to a Russian non-resident account in the heir's name and then transferred abroad in line with the Central Bank's directives. For sanctioned banks we organise alternative routing and coordinate compliance on both sides.
Securities accounts and financial instruments
Inherited securities are transferred through the register (NSD or independent registrars). Where cross-border settlement is currently impossible, we arrange custody with a non-sanctioned Russian broker pending an exit window.
Power of attorney
The power of attorney — the master document for European heirs
The bilingual notarial power of attorney is the single document that allows a Russian lawyer to act in your name without you ever travelling. Its drafting must meet strict Russian standards; a generic European general power of attorney is routinely rejected by Russian notaries.
Mandatory contents
Each authorised act listed by name: filing the acceptance, signing Rosreestr applications, opening and closing bank accounts, signing sale agreements, representing the heir before Russian courts. General formulations are not admissible.
Notarial signature and apostille in Europe
Signature before a notary in your country, then apostille issued by the competent authority. We provide the bilingual draft and a step-by-step procedural sheet for your local notary.
Translation and acceptance in Russia
The apostilled deed is translated by a sworn Russian translator and presented to the Russian notary. From that moment your lawyer in Russia can perform every act listed in the deed.
Duration and revocation
We typically issue powers of attorney for one to three years. Revocation requires a notarial revocation deed and notice to the attorney; we handle the revocation at the end of the mandate.
Why ELFG
Why European clients choose European Law & Financial Group
European Law & Financial Group is an international legal advisory boutique headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. We have been handling cross-border Russian inheritance matters since 2010 and run dozens of European-side mandates every year.
Case studies
Representative mandates
Situation
Client based in London learned of her father's death in Saint Petersburg nine months after the event. The six-month deadline had expired and a half-sister in Russia had accepted the entire estate.
Action
Court action under Article 1155 evidencing the late notification, combined with parallel out-of-court negotiation with the co-heir.
Outcome
Reinstatement obtained, certificate of inheritance reissued for a 50 % share, apartment re-registered at Rosreestr within four months of the judgment.
Situation
Couple residing in Dublin, heirs of an apartment in Moscow and a term deposit at a major Russian bank. No possibility of travelling.
Action
Bilingual power of attorney drafted, apostille coordinated, acceptance before the Moscow notary, certificate of inheritance obtained, Rosreestr registration, bank release, repatriation.
Outcome
Apartment sold at market price within five months; net proceeds and deposit repatriated to the Irish account under the current foreign-exchange regime.
Situation
Heir based in Manchester, beneficiary of a 25 % participation in a Russian OOO. The remaining members refused consent to admission.
Action
Claim for payment of the real value of the participation based on the last audited accounts; valuation litigation before the commercial arbitration court.
Outcome
Settlement at 2.1 times the company's initial offer; funds received on the UK account within four months of the judgment.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Related language versions and resources
Contact
Speak to a Russian inheritance lawyer today
Book a structured first consultation with our cross-border team. We assess the estate composition, the deadline status and a realistic timeline, then confirm a fixed-fee scope of work in writing.
Do not miss the six-month deadline
Every day that passes without formal acceptance shortens your options. Send us a short description of your case today — we will review the status of the deadline within 24 hours and propose the next step that preserves your rights.