COST ESTIMATES
Deed of Real Estate Succession
See the costs for this deed after a death.
Open the calculation module (new tab)
To begin with
After a death, memories remain. And there are matters to arrange. We help you understand what is necessary, which choices you have and who will take the next step.
From the first questions to the declaration and distribution: here you will find explanations, examples and practical tips to proceed with more clarity.
Notariaat Wellens · Unburdening. Always. Everywhere.
“The essential question is not whether you are already done with the loss, but whether you can still allow small parts of life alongside what is gone.”
Your questions, step by step
After a death, much often comes at you all at once. You do not have to figure everything out yourself. We look together at what is urgent and what can wait.
Why do I go to the notaire for this?
The office helps determine who inherits, which choices are possible and how assets, debts and taxes are handled. You do not need to gather everything beforehand to make contact.
What must I arrange when someone dies?
Register the death and notify the banks. Discuss urgent payments with them.
Have heirs, wills and matrimonial agreements investigated and seek advice before you accept the inheritance or divide goods.
Inventory assets and debts and prepare the declaration of estate.
Then arrange the release, possible real estate formalities and division. These steps can partly run in parallel.
How does this proceed and how long does it take?
Not everything has to be done at once, but the declaration of estate does have a legal deadline. That declaration serves to calculate the inheritance tax.
For a Flemish declaration the deadline is normally four months after a death in Belgium. For a death in another country of the European Economic Area (EEA) it is five months; outside the EEA six months.
Blocked bank accounts or disagreements among heirs do not automatically suspend that deadline. The full settlement of the estate can take longer.
Please feel free to contact us if you do not yet have all the documents. We will consider which date counts first and what still needs to be gathered.
Which documents should I provide to the notaire?
Prepare what you already have. You do not need to wait until your folder is complete to make an appointment.
Is a document missing or do you not know where to find it? Check the help for each document. We will discuss what the office can obtain for you and what you still need to provide yourself.
Where can I find this?
Write down full names and contact details. Bring your identity card to the appointment. Report foreign documents or representation; the office will tell you which additional documents are needed.
Where can I find this?
Provide the full text and any amendments. Look in your deed folder or Mijn akten. Not everything is digitally available; if necessary, indicate which office drafted the deed.
Where can I find this?
Request the document from your bank or download it from your own online banking environment. State the date and file reference. Provide statements, never passwords or access codes.
Where can I find this?
Provide the report with date and name of the appraiser. If there is no valuation yet, do not order one without consultation: first discuss what valuation is needed.
Where can I find this?
Request the policy and any payout letter from your insurer or broker. Mention the insured party, beneficiary and contract reference.
Where can I find this?
Request the document from your bank or download it from your own online banking environment. State the date and file reference. Provide statements, never passwords or access codes.
These check marks only remain on the opened page and are not sent to the office.
Request help with missing documentsWhat does the notaire do and investigate?
- Who are the heirs and which arrangements apply?
- What choice does the risk of debt require?
- Which documents are needed for the bank and tax authorities?
- What follow-up steps are required by the goods and the division?
We agree on which searches the office will conduct and which information you, your bank or another expert will provide.
What should I pay attention to before I sign?
Check heirs, goods, debts and what you are signing. A deed of succession, tax declaration and deed of division each have a different purpose.
If there are unknown debts, first discuss your inheritance choice.
Is a passage still unclear? Feel free to ask for an explanation with an example from your own situation. Only sign when you understand what you are agreeing to.
What else must I arrange afterwards?
Check the assessment notice and payments. Arrange insurances, subscriptions, home and digital accounts through the appropriate channels.
Keep the documents and report goods or debts found later.
Which practical tips can help me?
Make one folder with bank letters, invoices and existing deeds. Keep urgent payments separate and do not use the deceased's access codes.
What do these words mean?
- Inheritance choice
- deciding whether and how you accept an estate, or reject it.
- Inheritance tax
- tax on what you obtain from an estate.
- Settlement and distribution
- calculating mutual rights and allocating the goods.
Where can I find more explanation or help?
You do not have to phrase your question in legal terms. Tell what concerns you, what you want to arrange and if an important date is approaching.
We will look together at the next step. We agree in advance on how the office will assist you and what costs are involved.
Ask your question to the officeMake an AppointmentFlemish Tax Administration: the declaration deadlineGeneral explanation for your preparation. The rules and documents that apply to you are determined based on your file.
On this page
Three different questions.
Each with its own answer.
Each with its own answer.
FIRST UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING
In an estate, various matters are intertwined. By explaining them separately, it becomes clear why a file sometimes advances further in one aspect than in another.
Who has the right to the inheritance?
The succession law determines who gets which rights. A certificate or deed helps prove those rights vis-à-vis the bank.
Which tax is due?
The declaration provides the tax authorities with the data to calculate inheritance tax. Filing does not yet divide the goods.
Who ultimately receives which asset?
The settlement and distribution bring claims, debts and agreements together. The home and personal belongings also have their place in this.
GUIDANCE FROM A TO Z
Begin where your question lies.
Each step is clickable. You read what it means, why it is necessary and what you can do practically. Some steps run alongside each other.
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The first days
Who must you contact? What do you protect first, and which act requires prior consultation?
Read the explanation →Who inherits what?
Understand the influence of your relationship form, a will and the rights on the home.
Read the explanation →Accepting or rejecting
An inheritance may also contain debts. What does each choice mean for your own assets?
Read the explanation →Accounts and urgent payments
Why does the bank block, what proof is needed and how do you discuss necessary expenses?
Read the explanation →Assets and debts
What must be on the list, how do you value a home and what information is easily forgotten?
Read the explanation →The tax return in ten steps
From the initial data to the assessment: what does the notaire do and what do you do yourself?
Read the explanation →The home and the distribution
Keep together, take over or sell. How do you make agreements if interests differ?
Read the explanation →Settlement and aftercare
Which documents do you keep and what do you do if information emerges later?
Read the explanation →No form
that you alone have to
try to understand.
that you alone have to
try to understand.
THE DECLARATION OF SUCCESSION
Why does the notaire ask about past gifts? What do you check before signing? When is a declaration truly submitted?
- Ten steps with explanations in plain language.
- At each step: the office and you as heir.
- Tips, examples and official resources.
You tell your story.
We bring the questions
together in context.
We bring the questions
together in context.
HOW OUR OFFICE GUIDES YOU
We examine the documents, explain the consequences and coordinate the legal and fiscal steps. We agree on which follow-up we will take and what remains with you or another party.
You do not need to know the legal terms. However, your knowledge of the family and the assets is indispensable. What the office does not yet know, you can help make visible.
Who does what?Make clear agreements in advance.
What tasks does the assignment include? Who gathers the documents? Who receives the letters? What costs are expected?
Comprehensive support from A to Z takes shape through these agreements. A sale, daily management or additional procedure is not automatically included.
Assignment and costs →What should you bring to the meeting? →Water, energy, subscriptions and social rights →Help with administration and mourning →An example to start with
RECOGNISED IN PRACTICE
You are managing the administration of a deceased relative. Some documents are available, others are still missing. Note what you have already done, who is involved and which question you want to discuss first.
An illustrative example. Your own situation may be different.
Calculate first, discuss afterwards
USEFUL FOR YOUR PREPARATION
Use the official tools at Notaris.be. Cost estimates are indicative; discuss the result for your specific case.
COST ESTIMATES
Decline or accept under benefit of inventory
See the costs of the formality. Discuss your inheritance choice first.
Open the calculation module (new tab)HEIRS
Inheritance guide
Explore who inherits according to the legal rules. This is not a cost calculation.
Open the Inheritance Guide (new tab)Frequently Asked Questions
FROM READING TO PREPARATION
Already a first answer.
What can I do if many things happen to me at once?
Start with one overview: contacts, received letters, ongoing appointments and questions. Use the topics and checklist on this page to divide the preparation. Immediately mention dated letters to the office.
Must one heir collect everything alone?
You can divide practical tasks among yourselves and keep track of who has which information. That alone does not indicate who may legally act. Discuss with the office who provides information and who should be involved in decisions.
Where can I find help with administration?
Our separate page about administration after death bundles practical information for subscriptions and services. The inheritance guide also assists you with the documents for the notaire and the progress of the declaration.
Help with subscriptions and administrationEASY PREPARATION
A checklist for your next step
Choose your subject. You will receive a concrete list of documents with simple explanations and help with what is still missing.
Useful websites on this topic
RELIABLE CONTINUED READING
FROM FIRST QUESTION TO NEXT STEP
You do not have to figure it out alone.
Getting an overview
We bring together those involved, available documents and your questions.
Understanding choices
We discuss what needs to be examined and which decisions lie ahead.
Further settlement
We agree on which formalities the office will handle and what else is required from you.
View my preparation
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