The Right to Inherit - What Happens If You Don't Accept the Property.

The acceptance of inheritance in Ukraine is regulated by the Civil Code. According to the law, the heir has 6 months from the date of the relative's death to submit an application to the notary for the acceptance of the inheritance. If this is not done, it is considered that the person has renounced the property.

What happens if you do not contact to receive the inheritance in Time has been explained by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.

How Much Time is There to Accept the Inheritance

Automatically, heirs are considered to be persons who lived with the testator at the time of his death (if they did not renounce in writing), as well as minors and persons with limited capacity. They do not need to submit an application to accept the inheritance; they automatically receive the property.

However, for other heirs, the conditions are different — they must contact the notary within 6 months. Sometimes people miss this deadline. The reasons can be various:

• long-term business trip;
• could not contact due to war or emergency circumstances;
• undergoing treatment or were temporarily incapacitated;
• did not know about the relative's death because other heirs concealed this information, etc.

What to Do If You Missed 6 Months

Those who missed the six-month deadline for accepting the property can obtain written consent from other heirs. If all who have already accepted the inheritance agree, you have the right to contact the notary or the authorized person at the local government for the registration of your share.

Another option is to submit an application to the court. If there are valid reasons for missing the deadline, the court may grant additional time for filing the inheritance application.