Locate a Will · Sant Cugat del Vallès
Before any inheritance can proceed, you need to know whether the deceased left a valid will in Spain. We search the official registry and obtain the certified copy you need — from anywhere in the world.
The Spanish Will Registry
In Spain, every will signed before a Spanish notary is registered centrally in the Registro de Actos de Última Voluntad (Registry of Last Wills), held by the Ministry of Justice in Madrid. This registry records that a will exists and which notary holds the original — but not the will's contents.
To search this registry, you must present the official death certificate. The search can only be requested 15 working days after the date of death (the period during which the registry is updated).
Step by step
We obtain the official certificado de defunción from the Civil Registry (Registro Civil). If the person died outside Spain, we advise on foreign death certificates and their apostille requirements.
The Spanish Will Registry requires 15 working days after death before a search can be submitted. We use this time to gather other required documents and prepare for the next steps.
We submit the official search request to the Ministry of Justice in Madrid. The certificate comes back within a few working days and tells us whether a Spanish will exists and, if so, which notary holds the original.
We contact the notary (who may be in Sant Cugat del Vallès or anywhere in Spain) and request a certified copy of the most recent will. Only the most recent valid will is legally operative.
Two possible outcomes
We obtain the certified copy and review its contents. We identify all heirs and legatees named in the will, check whether the legítima (forced heir share) is respected, and proceed with the acceptance or renunciation process.
If a foreign will also exists, we advise on which takes precedence and how the two interact under the EU Succession Regulation or international private law.
Proceed to acceptance in Sant Cugat del Vallès →We open an intestate (ab intestato) procedure. A notary in Sant Cugat del Vallès or wherever the most assets are located issues a Declaración de Herederos Abintestato — a notarial act that officially establishes who the legal heirs are under Spanish law.
This procedure requires evidence of family relationships (birth certificates, marriage certificates, etc.) for all potential heirs.
Who are the intestate heirs in Sant Cugat del Vallès? →Foreign wills in Spain
Yes, in many cases. A will made in another country can be valid and enforceable in Spain, provided:
We regularly advise British, German, Dutch, Scandinavian, American and other non-Spanish clients on whether their home-country will is valid for assets in Sant Cugat del Vallès. We handle the apostille, translation and notarial recognition process on your behalf.
We search the Spanish Will Registry, obtain the certified copy and advise on next steps — all in English. Contact us and we will start immediately.