Who inherits without a will in Taiwan?
In Taiwan the spouse inherits an equal share with the children, and half with the parents or the siblings.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
A spouse and children survive
The spouse and the children share equally, as if the spouse were one more child.
A spouse survives, but no children
With the parents or with the siblings the spouse takes half of the estate. With the grandparents the spouse takes two thirds. With none of them, the spouse takes everything.
No spouse: who comes next
Four orders, the nearer excluding the farther: first the children; then the parents; then the siblings; then the grandparents. If there is no heir, the estate goes to the local government.
A partner who is not married
An unmarried partner does not inherit by law. They inherit only if there is a will.
What a will cannot take away
Close relatives have a reserved portion, half of the share they would receive by law for the children and spouse, and a third for the parents, siblings and grandparents.
If the person or the property is abroad
Taiwan generally applies the law of the person's nationality to the estate.
Understand the legal system first
Taiwan 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 Taiwan legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
Who owns what in a marriage in Taiwan? →
Official sources
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TheLawToKnow Tools’s inheritance guide is an educational overview of general rules. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace the official source or a lawyer in the country. Report a mistake.
