Procedures for Declaring Estate Inheritance with Foreign Elements in HCMC

Settling Real Estate Inheritance for Overseas Vietnamese and Foreign Heirs

Inheritance matters where heirs reside abroad or where the decedent passed away overseas require strict adherence to private international law, the Civil Code, and the Law on Notarization of Vietnam.

1. Consular Legalization of Foreign Civil Status Documents

Death certificates, birth certificates, and marriage certificates issued by foreign competent authorities must undergo consular legalization at the Vietnamese Embassy/Consulate and certified translation into Vietnamese prior to submission to Vietnamese notary offices.

2. Remote Powers of Attorney or Estate Renunciation Declarations

Heirs residing abroad who cannot physically travel to Vietnam may visit the Vietnamese diplomatic mission in their host country to execute a Power of Attorney authorizing a relative or SaigonLex attorney in Vietnam to complete estate declaration proceedings on their behalf.

3. Mandatory 15-Day Public Posting at Commune People's Committees

Estate declarations must be publicly posted for 15 days at the commune-level People's Committee where the decedent last permanently resided or where real estate is situated before notaries may formally sign the notarized certificate.