Private international law - Succession of property

Question

Hello,

I live for 2 and a half year now in Sweden and i am not really familiar with the law. I come from the Netherlands. I just bought a house and I am wondering how the law is in Sweden about the moment that I would pass away. Does the house then go automatically to my parents in the Netherlands or do I have to register that somewhere?

Many thanks for your help!

Answer 1

Hi!

Thank you for your question!

There is a EU regulation regarding jurisdiction and applicable law in matters of succession. "Regulation (EU) No 650/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012".

Since Sweden and the Netherlands are part of the EU, the regulation is applicable to you. If you were to pass away while living in Sweden, Swedish courts have jurisdiction to rule on your succession as a whole (including your house) (article 4 in the regulation). Swedish law is also applicable regarding your inheritance (article 21 in the regulation).

Provided you don't have a spouse or children, your parents are entitled to inherit your house and will do so according to Swedish law (the Swedish Inheritance Code, or Ärvdabalken). Therefore, you don't need to register your parents as beneficiaries. Your parents will inherit your house automatically.

I hope this answers your question!

With regards