Legal Heir Certificate Apostille for Bank Accounts, Property and Pensions Abroad
When a family member dies holding a bank account, pension, shares or property in another country, the foreign institution will want proof of who the heirs are. A legal heir certificate apostille gives that proof international standing. In India the certificate comes either from the state revenue administration (Tehsildar, SDM or a similar officer) or, as a succession certificate, from a civil court under the Indian Succession Act, 1925.
By the INFINITYGRO documentation teamUpdated Facts checked against MEA and HCCH
Birth certificate apostille sample
How do I use an Indian legal heir certificate in a foreign country? Get the certificate from the revenue office or the court, then have it notarised and authenticated by the SDM in Delhi. The MEA then issues the legal heir certificate apostille for Hague countries, such as the UK, USA or Australia. For the UAE, Qatar or China, the MEA attests it and the embassy legalizes it. Pair it with an apostilled death certificate.
Revenue office certificate or court succession certificate?
Indian families use the words legal heir, heirship and succession certificate loosely. Abroad, the difference matters, because a bank or registry may accept one and refuse the other.
Legal heir certificate from the revenue office
State governments issue this through the Tehsildar, SDM or a revenue officer, usually after a local enquiry. It lists the surviving family members of the deceased. In Delhi, the matching service on the e-District portal is called the surviving member certificate. It is used mainly for pensions, service dues, utility transfers and similar claims.
Succession certificate from a court
A civil court grants this under the Indian Succession Act, 1925, after a petition and public notice. It authorises the holder to collect debts and securities, such as bank deposits, shares and bonds, of a person who died without a will. Many foreign banks and fund houses prefer it for financial assets because a judge has examined the claim.
Key facts
| Revenue certificate | Issued by the Tehsildar, SDM or revenue officer of the area, under state rules |
|---|---|
| Court certificate | Succession certificate from a civil court under the Indian Succession Act, 1925 |
| Also called | Heirship certificate, surviving member certificate (Delhi), succession certificate |
| Needed with it | The death certificate of the deceased, usually also legalized |
| Delhi route | Notary (Delhi) then SDM (Delhi) then MEA |
| Apostille countries | UK, USA, Canada, Australia, most of Europe (not Germany), Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Turkey |
| Embassy countries | UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, China and others |
| MEA fee | Rs 50 per document for Apostille; normal attestation is free |
Which one will the foreign office accept?
Ask the institution abroad in writing. Their answer decides which certificate you obtain in India. As a general pattern:
- Employer pensions, insurance payouts and small balances are often released on a revenue legal heir certificate.
- Shares, larger deposits and investment accounts more often need a court succession certificate.
- Property abroad is governed by the law of that country, and a foreign probate or local court step may still follow.
If the deceased left a will, the foreign office may ask for a probate instead. We legalize the Indian papers you hold. We cannot advise on succession law, so please take legal advice on which certificate to apply for.
Timing also matters. A revenue certificate usually comes faster than a court succession certificate, which needs a petition, notice and a hearing. If the foreign deadline is close, tell the institution how long the court step may take and ask whether they will hold the claim open.
Legal heir certificate apostille: the Delhi route
The Delhi route is accepted for most personal documents from any state, including heirship papers issued in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Punjab or elsewhere.
- Notary. A Delhi notary attests the original certificate or the court's certified copy.
- SDM. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate in Delhi verifies the notary.
- MEA. The ministry issues an Apostille or a normal attestation stamp, depending on the country.
Some receiving offices ask for the state route instead, where the issuing state's Home or General Administration Department authenticates before the MEA. Follow their checklist. The MEA checks only the signature of the authenticating officer. It does not confirm who the heirs are. See our MEA Apostille page for more on that stage.
Legal Heir Certificate route by destination country
Each card shows whether the country takes an MEA Apostille or embassy legalization. Click a flag for that country.
UAEEmbassy legalization
QatarEmbassy legalization
KuwaitEmbassy legalization
Saudi ArabiaApostille
United KingdomApostille
United StatesApostille
ItalyApostille
SpainApostille
FranceApostille
ChinaEmbassy legalization
OmanApostille
BahrainApostille
No country matches. Call us: we handle most embassies in New Delhi.
Apostille MEA Apostille is the final stepEmbassy legalization MEA attestation, then the embassy in New DelhiGerman verification verified through the German Embassy
Handling a court succession certificate
For a court-issued certificate, we work from a certified copy issued by the court's copying branch. Photocopies of the original are not enough. If the court order runs to several pages, keep them stapled in order and make sure the court seal appears where it should.
Check spellings against passports before you start. Abroad, a heir named Mohd. on the certificate and Mohammed on the passport can stall the claim. If the spelling differs, ask the court or office about correction, or prepare a supporting affidavit. Our affidavit apostille page covers that document.
Country routes for heirship papers
The UK, USA, Canada, Australia, most of Europe, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Turkey accept the MEA Apostille without an embassy stamp. Vietnam does so from 11 September 2026.
For the UAE, the certificate is attested by the MEA, then by the UAE Embassy in New Delhi, and then by UAE MOFA, which you can complete online in the UAE. Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and other embassy-route countries follow MEA attestation with embassy legalization. China follows the embassy route. Germany does not legalize Indian documents and may instead verify them through its embassy. Our embassy attestation page has the detail.
Documents to send for an heirship claim
- Original legal heir certificate, or a certified copy of the succession certificate
- Death certificate of the deceased, if that also goes abroad
- Passport copy of the applicant heir
- The foreign institution's letter or checklist
Most claims abroad need the death certificate apostille as well, so send both together and save a second courier trip. Each document is apostilled separately.
A legal heir certificate apostille on our all-inclusive Delhi route costs Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per document, covering notary, SDM, the Rs 50 MEA fee and our service. Courier is extra. Embassy fees are extra for non-Apostille countries. The Delhi route usually takes 2 to 3 working days. Regional-language certificates can be translated through our translation service.
Where heirship files usually go wrong
- Applying for a revenue certificate when the foreign bank wanted a court succession certificate.
- Leaving out one heir, which the foreign institution later spots against its own records.
- Sending a self-attested photocopy instead of the original or a certified copy.
- Laminating the certificate, which blocks the stamps.
- Apostilling for a country such as the UAE that needs embassy attestation.
Not sure which path fits? Send us a scan and the foreign checklist through our contact page and we will reply with a written quote.
What the MEA stamps look like
Click any sample to enlarge. Personal details are masked.
Legal Heir Certificate apostille FAQs
Is a heirship certificate the same as a legal heir certificate?
Yes, in most Indian usage. Heirship certificate is simply another name for the certificate listing the legal heirs. A succession certificate is different: it is a court order under the Indian Succession Act, 1925.
Can the legal heir certificate apostille be done if I live abroad?
Yes. A family member in India, or you by courier from abroad, can send us the certificate. You do not need to visit Delhi. We return the legalized papers by tracked courier to an Indian address.
Does the MEA verify that the heirs listed are correct?
No. The MEA only confirms that the authenticating officer's signature is genuine. The contents remain the responsibility of the issuing office or court.
The certificate was issued in Tamil. Is that a problem?
Not for the Indian stages. The foreign office will usually want a certified translation, which we can arrange and legalize along with the certificate.
Can I apostille the surviving member certificate from Delhi?
Yes. It goes through the same notary, SDM and MEA steps as a legal heir certificate from any other state.
What if the certificate is very old or the paper is damaged?
An old certificate can still be legalized if the seal and signature are readable. If the paper is torn or faded, ask the issuing office or court for a fresh certified copy. Many foreign banks also prefer a recent copy, so check whether they set an age limit on the document.
Do I need a separate apostille for every heir?
No. One certificate lists all heirs and receives one apostille. Each heir's own documents, such as a passport copy or affidavit, are separate documents if the foreign office wants them legalized.
Need your Legal Heir Certificate legalized?
WhatsApp a photo of the document and the destination country. We reply with the route and a written quote.