{"id":213,"date":"2016-02-20T16:47:36","date_gmt":"2016-02-20T15:47:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.avocat-vdb.be\/_new2015\/en\/?page_id=213"},"modified":"2026-03-12T12:31:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T11:31:28","slug":"successions-donations-wills","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.avocat-vdb.be\/en\/field-of-activities\/successions-donations-wills\/","title":{"rendered":"Successions, donations, wills"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"56\" data-end=\"226\">It may happen that, upon the death of a parent or a loved one, the settlement of the estate gives rise to certain legal and financial conflicts between the beneficiaries.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"228\" data-end=\"313\">Very often in such situations, the circumstances are complex and difficult to manage.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"315\" data-end=\"519\">Me Van den Bossche will assist you, in collaboration with the notary of your choice, in understanding your rights and obligations, and in grasping the mechanisms of inheritance and division of the estate.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"521\" data-end=\"734\">If no amicable solution can be found, Me Van den Bossche will advise and assist you in defending your rights and interests as effectively as possible through the procedure best suited to your particular situation.<\/p>\n<hr data-start=\"736\" data-end=\"739\" \/>\n<h1 data-section-id=\"43dvt\" data-start=\"741\" data-end=\"748\">GIFTS<\/h1>\n<p data-start=\"750\" data-end=\"955\">For a gift to be valid, it must be made in the form of a <strong data-start=\"807\" data-end=\"824\">notarial deed<\/strong>, with <strong data-start=\"831\" data-end=\"853\">express acceptance<\/strong> (in the deed itself or notified separately), and, where appropriate, an <strong data-start=\"926\" data-end=\"954\">inventory with valuation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"957\" data-end=\"1104\">All these formalities are required under penalty of nullity, except in the case of a <strong data-start=\"1042\" data-end=\"1075\">manual gift of a movable item<\/strong> (most often a sum of money).<\/p>\n<h2 data-section-id=\"132171z\" data-start=\"1106\" data-end=\"1124\">Authentic gifts<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"1126\" data-end=\"1518\">Deeds involving gifts must comply with the forms prescribed by law, failing which the deed is void. The deed must be executed before at least one notary (Civil Code, art. 931; Law of Vent\u00f4se, art. 9). Acceptance of the gift must be expressly stated, either in the same deed as the offer of the gift or in a later authentic deed which must then be notified to the donor (Civil Code, art. 932).<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1520\" data-end=\"1770\">If the gift concerns movable property, it must be accompanied by an inventory with an estimated value of the items given (Civil Code, art. 948). All these formalities are required under penalty of nullity of the gift (Civil Code, arts. 1339 and 931).<\/p>\n<h2 data-section-id=\"11ell9y\" data-start=\"1772\" data-end=\"1829\">Gifts exempt from the formalities of an authentic deed<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"1831\" data-end=\"1959\">This is the case for <strong data-start=\"1852\" data-end=\"1868\">manual gifts<\/strong>, which involve the transfer of a tangible movable item through delivery from hand to hand.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1961\" data-end=\"2141\">What is essential for the validity of a manual gift is that the donee takes possession of the property as owner. Only tangible movable property can be the subject of a manual gift.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2143\" data-end=\"2249\">Manual gifts remain subject to all substantive rules governing gifts and to the general rules of evidence.<\/p>\n<hr data-start=\"2251\" data-end=\"2254\" \/>\n<h1 data-section-id=\"fdxjf\" data-start=\"2256\" data-end=\"2263\">WILLS<\/h1>\n<p data-start=\"2265\" data-end=\"2406\">For a will to be valid, it must be made in writing and drafted according to specific formal requirements prescribed under penalty of nullity.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2408\" data-end=\"2494\">A <strong data-start=\"2410\" data-end=\"2430\">holographic will<\/strong> must be written, dated, and signed by the hand of the testator.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2496\" data-end=\"2607\">A <strong data-start=\"2498\" data-end=\"2513\">public will<\/strong> is received by a notary in the presence of two witnesses and must follow special formalities.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2609\" data-end=\"2697\">An <strong data-start=\"2612\" data-end=\"2634\">international will<\/strong> combines elements of the holographic will and the public will.<\/p>\n<hr data-start=\"2699\" data-end=\"2702\" \/>\n<h1 data-section-id=\"powhk7\" data-start=\"2704\" data-end=\"2721\">INHERITANCE TAX<\/h1>\n<p data-start=\"2723\" data-end=\"2840\">It is first necessary to distinguish between <strong data-start=\"2768\" data-end=\"2787\">inheritance tax<\/strong> in the strict sense and <strong data-start=\"2812\" data-end=\"2839\">transfer tax upon death<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2842\" data-end=\"3157\">Inheritance tax is a tax calculated on the <strong data-start=\"2885\" data-end=\"2941\">net value of the estate of a resident of the Kingdom<\/strong>, meaning the net value of all assets belonging to the deceased (movable and immovable property located in Belgium and abroad), after deduction of debts (including inheritance taxes paid abroad) and funeral expenses.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3159\" data-end=\"3309\">A <strong data-start=\"3161\" data-end=\"3188\">resident of the Kingdom<\/strong> is a person who, at the time of death, had established their domicile or the center of management of their assets there.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3311\" data-end=\"3522\">The <strong data-start=\"3315\" data-end=\"3342\">transfer tax upon death<\/strong> is a tax calculated on the value of <strong data-start=\"3379\" data-end=\"3420\">immovable property located in Belgium<\/strong>, without deduction of liabilities, inherited from a person who was <strong data-start=\"3488\" data-end=\"3521\">not a resident of the Kingdom<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3524\" data-end=\"3598\">Inheritance taxes are calculated based on the <strong data-start=\"3570\" data-end=\"3597\">inheritance declaration<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3600\" data-end=\"3742\">Assets that were in the possession of the deceased within the <strong data-start=\"3662\" data-end=\"3699\">three years preceding their death<\/strong> are presumed to form part of their estate.<\/p>\n<hr data-start=\"3744\" data-end=\"3747\" \/>\n<h1 data-section-id=\"1axwsvu\" data-start=\"3749\" data-end=\"3767\">APPLICABLE RATES<\/h1>\n<p data-start=\"3769\" data-end=\"3997\">Inheritance tax rates fall under the jurisdiction of the <strong data-start=\"3826\" data-end=\"3837\">regions<\/strong>, and differ depending on whether the deceased had their fiscal residence in the <strong data-start=\"3918\" data-end=\"3936\">Walloon Region<\/strong>, the <strong data-start=\"3942\" data-end=\"3969\">Brussels-Capital Region<\/strong>, or the <strong data-start=\"3978\" data-end=\"3996\">Flemish Region<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3999\" data-end=\"4167\">Inheritance tax rates are <strong data-start=\"4025\" data-end=\"4040\">progressive<\/strong>: they increase according to tax brackets, which vary from one region to another. Each region has its own inheritance tax code.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4169\" data-end=\"4499\">Regardless of the region concerned, these rates also vary according to the <strong data-start=\"4244\" data-end=\"4265\">degree of kinship<\/strong> between the deceased and the heirs. Thus, <strong data-start=\"4308\" data-end=\"4324\">direct heirs<\/strong> (parents and children, spouses, and under certain conditions cohabiting partners) benefit from the <strong data-start=\"4424\" data-end=\"4440\">lowest rates<\/strong>, whereas other heirs are subject to <strong data-start=\"4477\" data-end=\"4498\">much higher rates<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It may happen that, upon the death of a parent or a loved one, the settlement of the estate gives rise to certain legal and financial conflicts between the beneficiaries. Very often in such situations, the circumstances are complex and difficult to manage. Me Van den Bossche will assist you, in collaboration with the notary [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1024,"parent":155,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-213","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.avocat-vdb.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.avocat-vdb.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.avocat-vdb.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.avocat-vdb.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.avocat-vdb.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.avocat-vdb.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1066,"href":"https:\/\/www.avocat-vdb.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/213\/revisions\/1066"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.avocat-vdb.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/155"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.avocat-vdb.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.avocat-vdb.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}