Name an executor
Choose someone who can list and protect assets, deal with debts and explain the estate accounts to the heirs.
Estate planning and inheritance in Mainland China.
Make a will for assets in Mainland China, choose an executor and help your family prepare the documents banks and property registries will ask for.
Check what you own before deciding who inherits
Separate your own assets from your spouse’s share of marital property. Your will can only deal with what belongs to you. You may also need to reserve a share for an heir who cannot work and has no source of income.
Ask a Mainland Chinese lawyer or notary which will form suits you. Handwritten, printed and recorded wills have different signing and witness requirements.
Check printed or video wills carefully
These generally need at least two eligible witnesses, along with the required signatures, identifying details and dates.
Keep proof of family relationships
Banks and registries may ask for death, marriage and kinship records as well as ownership documents. Ask what they will accept.
If someone has passed away in Mainland China
Step 01
Find the will and ownership records
Gather the death certificate, family records, property documents and account information. Separate marital property first.
Step 02
Confirm the estate administrator
Check who was named as executor. If nobody was named, the heirs need to arrange who will administer the estate.
Step 03
Resolve shares and debts
Check the heirs’ rights and any required provision for dependants. Deal with taxes and valid debts before distributing assets.
Step 04
Complete each transfer
Ask the banks and registries which inheritance evidence they require. Overseas documents may need additional certification and translation.
China questions
No. Several forms are recognised. A notarised will can help prove your wishes, but it does not automatically override a later valid will. Ask a lawyer to check conflicts between versions.