Pärimisreeglid

Pärimisreeglid, or inheritance rules, in Estonia are governed primarily by the Law of Succession Act. This legislation outlines how a person's assets and liabilities are transferred to their heirs after their death. The rules distinguish between two main types of succession: testamentary succession and legal succession.

Testamentary succession occurs when the deceased has left a valid will, specifying how their property should be distributed. This allows individuals to have significant control over their estate, naming specific beneficiaries and even imposing certain conditions. However, even with a will, Estonian law provides for a "forced heirship" provision, ensuring that certain close relatives, such as descendants, parents, and surviving spouse, are entitled to a portion of the estate, regardless of the will's contents.

Legal succession, on the other hand, applies when there is no valid will, or if the will does not cover the entire estate. In such cases, the law dictates the order of inheritance based on kinship. The closest relatives inherit first. The primary heirs are typically the descendants of the deceased. If there are no descendants, then the inheritance passes to the parents of the deceased. If neither descendants nor parents are alive, the inheritance devolves to their descendants, and so on. The surviving spouse also has a specific place in the order of legal succession, inheriting alongside descendants or parents, depending on the circumstances.

Upon a person's death, heirs acquire the deceased's entire estate, including both assets and debts, as a single unit. They have a period of time to decide whether to accept the inheritance or renounce it. Renunciation is important if the deceased's debts significantly outweigh their assets.