Frequently asked questions

No. Almost every step of a Dutch estate can be handled remotely. We act on your behalf with notaries, banks, the tax office and the court. Sometimes a signed power of attorney is needed; we tell you exactly how to sign and, if required, have it certified where you live.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

The first legal advice meeting costs a fixed fee of €245, with no time limit. We review the documents you send in advance, explain your rights under Dutch law in plain English, assess the executor's or other heirs' conduct and give you concrete next steps, including what further help would cost. It takes place by video call or phone. Book the consultation.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

You book and pay online in one go, with one of the methods shown at checkout, such as a credit card or iDEAL. As soon as the payment is received, your time slot is secured and you receive a confirmation by e-mail. Received a payment request by e-mail? You can also pay it on our payment page.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

Yes. You can describe your situation through the contact form for a free intake. We reply within 1–2 business days and tell you honestly whether and how we can help, and which next step fits.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

With one specialist: Klaas Zondervan, not a team of assistants. He speaks Dutch and English and is a court-sworn English translator, so documents and conversations do not get lost in translation.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

Klaas is a registered legal adviser (member of the Dutch Association of Legal Advisors, NVRA) and a NOVEX-certified executor and liquidator, often appointed by Dutch courts in complex estates. He is not a member of the Dutch Bar (advocaat). Where a procedure requires an advocaat, we will tell you in advance. See what his memberships mean.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

We work on Dutch time (CET/CEST): Monday to Thursday 9:00–17:00 and Friday 9:00–12:00, except Dutch public holidays. Consultations can be scheduled early in the morning or later in the day to suit clients in the Americas or Australia. The contact page shows the hours in your own time zone.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

Yes. Use the WhatsApp button on this website to send us a message through WhatsApp Business. It is a quick way to ask a short question or send an update. Please do not send identity documents or bank statements via WhatsApp; we will tell you how to send those securely.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

An executor must keep the heirs informed and account for the administration. If reminders do not help, we can formally demand information and, if necessary, ask the subdistrict court to intervene. In serious cases the court can dismiss the executor. Read more about executor problems.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

An executor is appointed in a Dutch will to manage the estate: securing the assets, paying debts and taxes, dealing with banks and authorities and, depending on the powers in the will, handing over or distributing the estate. The executor acts in the interest of all heirs and must account for what they do.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

Yes. On request of an heir or another interested party, the subdistrict court can dismiss an executor for serious reasons, such as failing in their duties, mismanagement or refusing to provide information. The estate does not start over: a successor or the heirs continue the process.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

As an heir, and also as a child claiming the forced share, you are in principle entitled to the information you need to establish your rights, such as an inventory, bank statements and valuations. If this information is withheld, it can be enforced. See your right to information.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

Without a will, Dutch law first looks at the spouse or registered partner and the children. The spouse receives the assets and the children get a claim that is usually only payable after the spouse dies (the statutory division). If there are no spouse and children, parents and siblings inherit, then grandparents, and so on. See Dutch inheritance law.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

A child cannot be fully disinherited in the Netherlands. A disinherited child can claim the forced share: a sum of money equal to half of what they would have inherited without a will. It is not automatic: it must be claimed, in principle within five years after the death. Read more about the forced share.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

Yes. Losing contact does not end your rights as a legal heir. Many children abroad discover a Dutch inheritance years later. Whether and how much you inherit depends on the will (if any), the family situation and whether the estate was already divided.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

For deaths since 17 August 2015 the EU Succession Regulation generally applies the law of the country where the deceased had their habitual residence, unless they chose the law of their nationality in a will. For estates with links to several countries this needs a careful check.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

Every heir chooses between pure acceptance, beneficiary acceptance (with the benefit of inventory) and rejection. With pure acceptance you are in principle personally liable for estate debts, even unknown ones. If debts are possible, beneficiary acceptance usually protects your own assets. Be careful: certain actions, like using or selling estate assets, can count as pure acceptance. Read accepting or rejecting.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

There is no fixed general deadline, but other heirs or creditors can ask the court to set one. If you let that deadline pass, you may be treated as having accepted purely. For a minor or a person under guardianship, special rules and shorter terms apply. Have this checked in time.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

Then an heir who accepted purely may have to pay debts from their own pocket. With beneficiary acceptance the estate is liquidated under the statutory rules (vereffening), and creditors are paid in a legal order of priority from the estate only. A court-appointed liquidator can take this over. See debts of a Dutch estate.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

A liquidator settles an estate under the statutory rules: making an inventory, calling on creditors, selling assets where needed, paying debts in the right order and handing over what is left to the heirs, under supervision of the subdistrict court. Klaas Zondervan is regularly appointed by Dutch courts in complex or disputed estates.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

Heirs must decide together on the estate until it is divided. If one heir blocks the process, withholds information or refuses to sell a property, the court can intervene: by ordering cooperation, deciding on the division, authorizing a sale or appointing an independent liquidator. Read about heir disputes.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

Dutch banks usually block the accounts after a death and ask for a certificate of inheritance (verklaring van erfrecht) before releasing funds. A civil-law notary issues it after checking the will, the family and who may act for the estate. We arrange this for you from abroad.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

All Dutch notarial wills are registered in the Central Register of Wills (CTR). After a death, the register can be consulted via a notary or directly with a copy of the death certificate. If there is a will, the register shows which notary holds it.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

Yes. We arrange the sale of real estate in the Netherlands (and also in Germany or Belgium), including the repayment of the mortgage and the transfer of the proceeds to the heirs, without you needing to travel.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation

Dutch inheritance tax (erfbelasting) depends mainly on where the deceased lived, not on where you live. If the deceased lived in the Netherlands, Dutch inheritance tax may be due, with exemptions and rates that depend on your relationship to the deceased. A return is usually due within eight months after the death. Your own country may also tax the inheritance, so advice helps prevent double taxation.

Copy linkDiscuss my situation