{"id":1084,"date":"2023-06-15T12:41:16","date_gmt":"2023-06-15T10:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rechtsanwalt-erbrecht.eu\/internationales-erbrecht\/erbrecht-in-drittstaaten\/der-deutsch-englische-erbfall\/gibt-es-in-england-und-wales-ein-pflichtteilsrecht\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T17:47:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T15:47:42","slug":"is-there-a-law-on-compulsory-portions-in-england-and-wales","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.rechtsanwalt-erbrecht.eu\/en\/internationales-erbrecht\/erbrecht-in-drittstaaten\/der-deutsch-englische-erbfall\/gibt-es-in-england-und-wales-ein-pflichtteilsrecht\/","title":{"rendered":"Is there a right to a compulsory portion in England and Wales?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What are the conditions for the validity of wills?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the individual will, English law also recognises the joint will and the mutual will. However, the contract of inheritance is not recognised in English law. Nevertheless, it is possible to contractually undertake to make a specific testamentary disposition (contract to make a will).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under English law, a formally valid will can be made under the following conditions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Firstly, the testator must have testamentary capacity and be able to understand the content and implications of the will.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. The will must be in writing and must be signed by the testator themselves or by another person on the instructions and in the presence of the testator. The will must also be signed or recognised in the presence of at least two witnesses, who must also sign the will.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Is there a right to a compulsory portion in England and Wales?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    English law does not recognise a compulsory portion as in German law. Under certain circumstances, however, the Inheritance Act 1975 can grant corresponding protection in the form of so-called \u201efamily provision\u201c.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This allows the courts, at their discretion, to grant needy relatives rights against the estate upon application. This is possible if the person otherwise entitled to inherit has either not been provided for at all or not sufficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Eligible applicants are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • The surviving spouse<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • A former spouse on condition that he or she has not remarried<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • A descendant of the testator<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Any person who was treated as a child in a marriage of the deceased<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Any person who received maintenance from the deceased immediately before death,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Any person who lived with the deceased in the two years prior to the deceased's death.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      However, it should be noted that the Higher Regional Court of Cologne stated in its judgement of 22 April 2021 that the lack of a right to a compulsory portion in English law is contrary to public policy from a German perspective (Ref.: 24 U 77\/20). According to this judgement, from a German perspective, the right to a compulsory portion standardised in Sections 2303 et seq. BGB, which in principle guarantees family members an irrevocable and needs-independent minimum economic share in the estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The appeal against the judgement of the Cologne Higher Regional Court was rejected as unfounded by the BGH in its judgement of 29 June 2022, IV ZR 110\/21.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Welche Wirksamkeitsvoraussetzungen f\u00fcr Testamente gibt es? Das englische Recht kennt neben dem Einzeltestament auch das gemeinschaftliche Testament (joint will) und das gegenseitige Testament (mutual will). Jedoch ist der Erbvertrag im englischen Recht nicht bekannt. Dennoch gibt es die M\u00f6glichkeit sich vertraglich zu verpflichten, eine bestimmte letztwillige Verf\u00fcgung zu treffen (contract to make a will). Nach […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":1082,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1084","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t