Expatica news

Cohabitants receive inheritance rights

10 May 2007

BRUSSELS – With effect from 18 May cohabiting partners will be able to claim limited inheritance rights in the event of the death of one of the partners.

This means that unmarried partners without a will will also be entitled to (part of) their partner’s estate.

Registered cohabiting partners cannot inherit from each other without a will currently. This often causes difficulties: if one partner dies, the other is in danger of being put out of the shared home by the heirs to the deceased. This will no longer be the case from 18 May.

The surviving partner will be given usufruct of the home the couple shared and its contents. The inheritance rights for married couples are more extensive.

The new law will not apply for common law cohabitants or people who live together but are not registered as such.

[Copyright Expatica News 2007]

Subject: Belgian news