The German right to a compulsory portion protects the direct relatives of the testator from being completely disinherited. The right to a compulsory portion is based on the constitutional principle of family solidarity. The compulsory portion is not a genuine inheritance right, but must be actively enforced by the person entitled to the compulsory portion […]

If the deceased failed to make a testamentary succession arrangement, the estate is distributed in accordance with statutory inheritance law. Inheritance is determined according to a statutory order of precedence based on the degree of kinship to the deceased person.

What happens if someone dies without leaving a will or an inheritance contract? In this case, the statutory succession applies in Germany, which we explain in this article.