Your Spanish wills: 7 points to consider.(the new European Directive and more)

Michael Davies is a Spanish abogado (solicitor) specialised in estate planning and inheritance for ex-pats in Spain with over 20 years experience dealing with probate and the inheritance tax office. We have offices in Marbella, Almería & Mojacar. Preparing a will for the average retired couple living in Spain with a property or two is not rocket  science but it needs to be done correctly by a specialised firm. We prepare sensible tax efficient wills that will guarantee peace of mind for your family . 

1. Do not underestimate the importance of signing one. It is extremely important that if you have a property in Spain you have a Spanish will.
2. If you already have one, make sure it complies with new European Directive 650/2012 which came into force  on the 17th of August of 2015. For more information about the new Directive that everyone is talking about and for information to  help you determine if your will needs to be changed, please click Directive 650/2012. Who needs to change their Spanish will ?
3. If you have children from other marriages it is perfectly possible to protect both your wife and your children .
4. Makes sure it is sensible from the point of view of Spanish inheritance tax. Does it  make maximum use of the tax exemptions ?  Tax exemptions for non resident descendants and spouse changed in Andalucía in 2014 and are changing again for the better on the 1st of January of 2018. 
5. Look into making sensible use of Life Possessions as an instrument to both mitigate inheritance tax and protect beneficiaries.This is not for everyone but in some circumstances it is very advantageous.
6. Be aware that in some regions of Spain exemption rates have been reduced or abolished during the credit crunch . (for example in Murcia Group II heirs ).
7. Different ways of distributing your estate amongst your loved ones can make a considerable difference to the final tax bill. Talk about your options with your solicitor so that you can made an informed decision. We can sit down and do some number crunching to see what is in your best interest.

Call our Mojacar office on 950 472775  or our Marbella office  951350313  

If you prefer e-mail me on michaeldavies@daviessolicitors.com 

We can have your will prepared and signed within one week from your call. 

If you would like to read up about our costs etc you can click below.

Procedure an cost for a will in Mojacar or Almeria. 

Procedure and cost for a will in Marbella.