Who inherits without a will in Moldova?

The spouse, the children and the parents are the first rank and inherit in equal shares. A child who has died is replaced by their own children.

The spouse is in the first rank. With no children and no parents the spouse takes everything. Siblings and grandparents inherit only if there is no first-rank heir.

Heirs are called in ranks, a nearer rank excluding a farther one: first, the children and the parents; then the siblings and the grandparents; then the uncles and aunts; and so on. If there is no heir, the estate passes to the state.

An unmarried partner does not inherit by law. They inherit only if there is a will.

Some close relatives, such as minor or disabled children and dependants, have a protected share that a will cannot take away. The size is set in the civil code.

The country has its own rules on which law governs an estate. An estate with a foreign element needs advice in each country involved.

Moldova belongs to the Civil law family. Succession law grows out of the legal tradition, so it helps to know how the system works.

Read the Moldova legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
Who owns what in a marriage in Moldova? →

• Legis.md: legislation of Moldova