{"id":368,"date":"2009-11-04T17:45:30","date_gmt":"2009-11-04T17:45:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/decotta.wpsine-dev.com\/questions-and-answers-on-spanish-estates-by-jon-sutton\/"},"modified":"2009-11-04T17:45:30","modified_gmt":"2009-11-04T17:45:30","slug":"questions-and-answers-on-spanish-estates-by-jon-sutton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/decottalaw.com\/da\/questions-and-answers-on-spanish-estates-by-jon-sutton\/","title":{"rendered":"Questions and Answers on Spanish Estates, by Jon Sutton"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/o:smarttagtype><\/o:smarttagtype><\/o:smarttagtype><\/o:smarttagtype><\/p>\n

Jon<\/st1:personname>
\nSutton<\/st1:personname> is a Solicitor and Registered Foreign Lawyer at De Cotta
\nMcKenna y Santaf\u00e9, at their office in Co\u00edn.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/o:p>Question:<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p>Is it necessary for clients who own property in Spain<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>
\nto have a separate Spanish Will?<\/strong><\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/o:p>Strictly speaking, it is possible to have one English form
\nwill to cover all your assets, moveable or immoveable throughout the world. The
\nSpanish Civil Code permits this in Spain<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>.
\nHowever, the practicalities are somewhat different. The procedure to utilise an
\nEnglish form will in Spain<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>
\nis tortuous and can lead to delays of several months if not years.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/o:p>It is far more practical for clients to have a separate
\nSpanish will for their Spanish assets. This should be drafted by a Spanish law
\nfirm accustomed to dealing with British clients. It can be drafted in both
\nlanguages. It must be signed in front of a notary. A translator (usually a
\nrepresentative from the law firm) must attend if the testator cannot speak good
\nSpanish. The notary is then obliged to register the will with the central wills
\nregistry in Madrid<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>. It is now
\neven possible to sign a Spanish will in your home country.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/o:p>Spanish law does not require the will to name executors.
\nHowever it is possible (but not mandatory) to name \u2018Albaceas\u2019 whose permission
\nmust be sought when dealing with the estate, although the property does not
\nlegally vest with them. The partners of the law firm who draft the will are
\noften named as Albaceas.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/o:p>One important thing to look out for is that the Spanish will
\ndoes not accidentally revoke an existing English will and vice-versa. This is
\nwhy it is important to use a firm which is accustomed to dealing with British
\nclients. Similarly, lawyers should use an appropriately worded revocation and
\njurisdiction clause when drafting English form wills for clients who already
\nhave a Spanish will.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/o:p>The cost of making a Spanish will is reasonable. Having one
\nwill save beneficiaries a significant amount of money and complications in the
\nfuture.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/o:p>2) What is the position in respect of inheritance tax in Spain<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>
\nfor UK<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>
\nresidents who own property there?<\/strong><\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/o:p>In Spain<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>
\nthe inheritance tax payable is charged to the beneficiary individually rather
\nthan to the estate. This means that each beneficiary has their own tax free
\nallowance which depends upon their relationship to the deceased and their
\nresidential status. Also the tax is charged on a sliding scale basis, starting
\nat 7.65% (for the first \u20ac7993.46 after the tax free allowance) up to 34% (for
\nanything over \u20ac797,555.08). The consequence of this is that it is tax efficient
\nto have as many beneficiaries as possible, particularly if they are related
\nthrough blood or marriage. A parent, spouse or child (over 21) receives a tax
\nfree allowance of just under \u20ac16,000, younger children receive more,
\ngrandparents and grandchildren receive an allowance of just under \u20ac8,000. There
\nis an uplift of tax if the beneficiary has pre-existing personal wealth in Spain<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>
\nof over \u20ac402,678.11. There is also an uplift of 100% if the beneficiary is not
\nrelated to the deceased. This means the maximum rate of inheritance tax that
\ncould be applied is a horrendous 81.6%. Thankfully, this is very rare.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/o:p>Each autonomous region e.g. Andaluc\u00eda, Cataluyna etc also
\nhas its own tax allowances. However, these only apply to residents of that
\nregion. For example in Andaluc\u00eda, if a parent, spouse or child receives less
\nthan \u20ac175,000 and both the beneficiary and deceased were residents of Andaluc\u00eda
\nat the time of death, there is no tax to pay for that beneficiary. This appears
\nto be discriminatory in that residents of other EU states do not qualify and
\ncould well be challenged in the European Court of Justice. <\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/o:p>Clearly when dealing with an estate which involves Spanish
\nproperty, assistance should be sought from a lawyer practising in the region
\nconcerned.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/o:p>Jon<\/strong><\/st1:personname>
\nSutton<\/strong><\/st1:personname> is a Solicitor
\nand Registered Foreign Lawyer at De Cotta McKenna y Santaf\u00e9, a law firm
\nspecialising in dealing with all aspects of Spanish Law for English speaking
\nclients. Their new offices are at:<\/o:p><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/o:p>Centro Comercial La
\nTrocha, <\/o:p><\/strong><\/p>\n

Spanbox B220, <\/o:p><\/strong><\/p>\n

Apartado 178 <\/o:p><\/strong><\/p>\n

29100 Co\u00edn M\u00e1laga <\/o:p><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/o:p><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tel (0034) 951 315
\n161 <\/o:p><\/strong><\/p>\n

Fax (0034) 951 315
\n162<\/o:p><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/o:p><\/strong><\/p>\n

or <\/o:p><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/o:p><\/strong><\/p>\n

Email jonsutton@decottalaw.net<\/a> <\/o:p><\/strong><\/p>\n

website: www.decottalaw.com<\/a><\/o:p><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/o:p><\/p>\n

 <\/o:p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jon Sutton is a Solicitor and Registered Foreign Lawyer at De Cotta McKenna y Santaf\u00e9, at their office in Co\u00edn. Question: Is it necessary for clients who own property in Spain to have a separate Spanish Will? Strictly speaking, it … Forts\u00e6ttes<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,43],"tags":[],"office-cat":[],"service-cat":[],"yoast_head":"\nQuestions and Answers on Spanish Estates, by Jon Sutton - De Cotta Law<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/decottalaw.com\/da\/questions-and-answers-on-spanish-estates-by-jon-sutton\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"da_DK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Questions and Answers on Spanish Estates, by Jon Sutton - De Cotta Law\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jon Sutton is a Solicitor and Registered Foreign Lawyer at De Cotta McKenna y Santaf\u00e9, at their office in Co\u00edn. 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