General requirements
In principle, the testator must be at least 14 years old and have legal capacity, Art. 662 et seq. CC. In the case of handwritten wills, however, the testator must be of legal age, Art. 688 para. 1 CC. They must draw up the will themselves. Unlike under German law, however, if the estate has been granted to a specific group of people, the testator can leave the actual distribution of the estate to a third party.
Special requirements
There are various types of wills in Spain. The most common forms are dealt with here - the handwritten will and the open will.
The handwritten will must be written, signed and dated in full. If changes have been made, these must be separately cancelled and signed in order to be valid, Art. 678, 688 para. 3 CC. The will must be presented to a notary no later than five years after the death of the testator, Art. 689 CC. Otherwise the will becomes invalid. If someone breaches the obligation to present the will, they are liable for damages. However, the will can also be submitted to the notary before death. In this case, the will is sealed before it is handed over. The testator declares to the notary that the formal requirements have been met; the notary must then verify the identity and testamentary capacity of the testator and notarise the will.
The open will will also public will called. The testator declares his will before a notary, Art. 694 CC. The notary then draws up the will, reads out the deed and files it. Witnesses can be called in at the request of the notary or the testator. Your specialist inheritance lawyer in Düsseldorf and Krefeld, Dr Michael Gottschalk, will be happy to answer any further questions you may have.