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All Posts By

Bernhard Schmeilzl

Business in GermanyCivil actionLitigation in Germany

Chasing Debts in Germany

Some Practical Tips from German Litigation Experts GrafLegal If you are being owed money by a German debtor and this debtor refuses to pay even after having been served a dunning letter from a German lawyer, you will have to obtain a payment order which can then be enforced by a German bailiff (Gerichtsvollzieher) or by the German Court of Execution (Vollstreckungsgericht). Such a payment order is called "Vollstreckungstitel", or just "Titel". To obtain this…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
January 3, 2017
German ProbateGerman Succession & Inheritance Law

Want to Inherit the Debts of your German Relatives?

Of course not! But inheriting debt from a family member who lives abroad is a real risk under German law! The concept of inheriting debts from deceased relatives stuns people, especially lawyers, from common law jurisdictions like Britain or the USA. There the basic rule is: Personal debt dies with the borrower. The executor of the estate will attempt to sell whatever collateral there is and pay off the creditors to the extent possible. All…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
December 16, 2016
German ProbateGerman Tax Law

Deed of Variation and International Succession

Careful when using a Deed of Variation to mitigate UK Inheritance Tax! The Deed may backfire if there are foreign assets or beneficiaries who live outside the UK If someone dies intestate and leaves both a surviving spouse and a child (or children), then UK inheritance tax is due if the value of the estate exceeds GBP 900,000. In these cases, it is tempting to make use of a Deed of Variation in order to…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
November 9, 2016
German Law

Want to become a German?

How to obtain German Citizenship The general rule is that, in contrast to US law, German citizenship is not automatically established through birth on German territory (birthright citizenship), but by descent from a German legal mother and/or a German legal father. In addition, there are other options to acquire German citizenship, in particular naturalisation (Einbürgerung). You can find more detailed information on this website of the German Federal Office. Also, you may contact a German…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
November 9, 2016
German LawGerman ProbateGerman Succession & Inheritance LawGerman Tax Law

Everything about German Inheritance & Gift Tax at one Glance

German residents are subject to German inheritance tax. Always! Many of our blogposts deal with German probate and the tax implications of international inheritance cases (see list below). English solicitors and their clients are often stunned by the fact that German assets which are part of an English estate can trigger significant German inheritance and/or gift tax, in addition to UK IHT. Vice versa, if a beneficiary happens to be resident in Germany (even if…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
October 14, 2016
German Probate

German Probate can be slow if the Testator has disinherited close Relatives

Why do some German Grants take only 4-8 weeks to be issued, others 4-8 months? If a German testator has made a holographic will which disinherits those persons who would have been the heirs under German intestacy rules (more here), then the period the testamentary heirs must be patient is usually at least one or months longer than in other cases. This is due to the fact that German probate procedure rules in section 345…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
October 13, 2016
German Probate

German Wills and Grants of Probate are not on Central Public Record

German Wills are considered to be private and confidential Unlike in England, where Wills and Grants of Probate or Letters of Administration are available to everyone and are easily accessible online, German Grants of Probate and especially German Wills are being considered a private matter. These documents are not publicly accessible. Thus, in Germany, there is no probate search service. Instead, anyone who wishes to obtain information on a certain German inheritance case from the…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
October 13, 2016
Conveyancing GermanyGerman ProbateGerman Succession & Inheritance LawProperty in Germany

Received an Inheritance in Germany? Be ready for Taxes, Taxes, Taxes!

Check the German Capital Gains Tax situation before you sell your inherited property! Waiting a few years may avoid significant taxes. If you have received an inheritance which comprises German assets, in particular German property, this inheritance may or may not trigger inheritance taxes in Germany and / or the UK. We have explained these IHT issues in detail in the following posts: The Perils of German IHT and Gift Tax Basics of German Inheritance…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
October 7, 2016
German ProbateGerman Succession & Inheritance Law

What is a “Vermächtnis” in a German Will? And how to claim it.

In the UK (and many other Common Law Jurisdictions) the property of the deceased passes initially to a personal representative (executor or administrator) who administers the estate by collecting it in, paying creditors and taxes and then passing the balance to the beneficiaries. Under German law, however, there is no such administration of the estate by a personal respresentative. Instead, in Germany (as in France) the heirs inherit their share of the estate of the…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
September 22, 2016
German LawProfessional Regulations

German Lawyers do not Renew their Practising Certificates each Year

How to check whether a German Lawyer (or other Professional) is properly licensed and insured Hiring a foreign lawyer (more here) involves a certain amount of trust, especially if this lawyer is supposed to handle the client's funds abroad. Many potential clients from the UK and the USA therefore ask their potential German attorney-at-law (Rechtsanwalt) to provide a copy of their current practising certificate. This request will, however, baffle a German lawyer (or tax advisor,…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
September 21, 2016