Under Turkish Inheritance Law, a foreign national who is the next of kin of a deceased person is the legal heir and inheritor of the estate left behind. As a rule, this estate is divided according to the laws of the deceased person’s own nation. For example, the estate of a British person who passes away in Turkey is distributed to the heirs in accordance with the British Inheritance Law; under which the spouse is entitled to half of the estate and the children are jointly entitled to the other half.
Under Turkish law, foreign nationals are granted the same civil rights as Turkish citizens. This rule of law applies to the heritage law as well.
The exception to this rule is the real estates within the estate. Due to the national importance of the real estates, the real estates within the estate of a deceased foreign national are inherited in accordance with the Turkish Inheritance Law. In Turkish heritage law, the spouse is entitled to 1/4th whereas the children are jointly entitled to 3/4th of the estate.
Foreign nationals who suffer the loss of a relative in Turkey often face legal challenges when it comes to determining the heirs, determining the types, values and locations of all of the assets in the estate that the deceased person leaves behind, and legally acquiring the ownership of the shares of the estate that the foreign heirs are entitled to. In order to overcome such legal challenges and avoid the risk of losing the claim to the estate altogether, foreign nationals who inherit an estate are highly recommended to consult with an inheritance lawyer who has experience in heritage cases.
Antalya Lawyer Baris Erkan Celebi and his Antalya Law Firm offer legal services to foreign inheritors in Turkey. These services include obtaining affidavit of heirship, determining all the assets of the estate, and assisting the heirs to legally inherit the estate in accordance with their legal shares, whether these shares are disputed or not.
