Who inherits without a will in Nepal?

The code, where there is one, sets the shares of the spouse and the children when there is no will. For many families religious or customary rules also apply, and they differ from one community to the next.

A spouse with no children generally shares with the parents or takes the larger part of the estate, depending on the code and the community.

Children first, then the parents and the brothers and sisters, then more distant relatives, and finally the state.

An unmarried partner generally has no automatic right to inherit.

Some codes protect close relatives with a reserved share, and religious law limits how much can be left by will. Check the code and the community's rules.

The law of the place where land lies usually governs the land, and the law of the person's last home usually governs the rest. An estate with a foreign element needs advice in the country.

• In some countries each religious community has its own inheritance law, so the rules depend on the person's religion.

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

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

• JuriGlobe, University of Ottawa: world legal systems
• World Bank: Women, Business and the Law (country data on inheritance rights)