Acceptance or renunciation of inheritance must be made in the form of declarations signed before a specific official and subsequently registered with the Registry of the Voluntary Jurisdiction of the Italian Court in whose district the succession was opened.
The declaration of acceptance/renunciation of inheritance must be signed within 10 years of the date of death of the deceased. It can be done:
- directly at the Registry of the Voluntary Jurisdiction of the Italian Court where it will then be registered;
- at a notary in Italy;
- at Italian Consular Offices;
- at a South African notary public, subsequently legalizing the notary’s deed with an apostille to make it valid in Italy.
HOW TO BOOK THE SERVICE
Italian citizens who wish to sign a declaration of acceptance or renunciation of inheritance at this Consulate General must request an appointment by writing to notarile.johannesburg@esteri.it, including the following information in the email:
- first name, last name, date and place of birth, residential address, and tax identification number of the person who intends to accept/renounce the inheritance (heir);
- first name, last name, date and place of birth, date and place of death, last residential address, and tax identification number of the deceased person.
NB: If the acceptance or renunciation of inheritance concerns an Italian citizen who is a minor, prior authorization from the Guardianship Judge must be obtained.
Those concerned must therefore attend the appointment with:
- a valid Italian identity document (passport or identity card);
- their tax code;
- a copy of the death certificate of the deceased person.
COST OF THE SERVICE
The cost of the service is double that indicated in Article 26 of the Table of Consular Fees. Please note that payments can only be made at the Consulate by debit card.
Documents of acceptance or renunciation of inheritance must then be registered by the interested parties at the Registry of the Voluntary Jurisdiction of the Italian Court in whose district the succession was opened. To verify the registration procedures, interested parties are referred to the websites of the courts themselves.