Drawing up Wills

Why You Need an Italian Will

Buying a property in a foreign country is an exciting experience, but it is also important to think of the future and the loved ones that you may one day wish to inherit the important and precious dream that you have made come true.

In order to make the change of title easy and legal, it is advisable to arrange a testamentary succession which complies with both the law of your home-country, and the laws of Italy.

In most cases regarding any immovable assets located in Italy, the Italian law will refer to the foreign law to define the final discipline of any assets left as inheritance. This process is a combining of both nations’ lawful rules, and can sometimes become quite complicated for the executors.

These situations can be easily simplified by the signing of both a British and an Italian will, in observance of the different rules stated by the two legal systems.

For this reason it is strongly recommended that one refers to a trustworthy lawyer in the U.K/Home as well as in Italy to get useful advice and suggestions pertaining to the content and procedures, and also in order to avoid the opening of an intestate succession with the complicated consequences that such a situation implies in Italy.

The Italian procedure for signing a will, like those ones pertinent to the deed of purchase of immovable assets, are very formal and assisted by many strict rules; you cannot simply go to a stationer and buy a typed form to fill in and sign.

In Italy, either you go to a notary’s office with an appointed interpreter and sign the will in Italian or, more advisably, you go to a lawyer who will help you with the formalities of the will, and have you effectively acting as the notary representing yourself.

In Italy, signing a will is more expensive than in other countries. It is a legal deed with many unique formalities, requiring the focussed study of a complex combination of rules.