Sources and method – Inheritance & Estates

All information comes from statutes, court announcements and pages of authorities or associations. Uncertain points are listed openly below.

List of sources

Federal Ministry of Justice (Bundesministerium der Justiz), Gesetze im Internet: BGB §§ 195, 199 (also para. 3a), 206, 210, 307, 1371, 1922 (via BGH announcement), 1924, 1925, 1931, 1933, 1936, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1954, 1960, 1967, 1968, 1975, 1980, 1990, 2014, 2038, 2042, 2229, 2233, 2247, 2259, 2267, 2276, 2303, 2306, 2317, 2325, 2332, 2353; SGB XII § 74; BerHG § 8; StGB § 274; FamFG § 343; GNotKG §§ 34, 40, 103 and KV Nr. 12210, 23300; RVG § 44 and VV Nr. 2500. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
Federal Ministry of Justice (Bundesministerium der Justiz), Gesetze im Internet: ErbStG §§ 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 30, 31. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht), press release no. 48/2026 of 30 July 2026 (oral hearing on 12 October 2026, 1 BvF 1/23) and press release no. 49/2026 (oral hearing on 13 October 2026, 1 BvR 804/22). Retrieved 20 September 2026.
Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof), press release on the judgment of 12 July 2018 (III ZR 183/17, inheritability of a user account); judgment of 8 October 2013 (XI ZR 401/12, BGHZ 198, 250, proof of succession towards banks). Retrieved 20 September 2026.
Central Register of Wills of the Federal Chamber of Notaries (Zentrales Testamentsregister der Bundesnotarkammer), page "Im Sterbefall"; Regulation (EU) No 650/2012 (EuErbVO) via EUR-Lex; Verbraucherzentrale, guide "Erbe ausschlagen". Retrieved 20 September 2026.

Uncertain and open points

Court fees: fee rates and calculation (GNotKG) are documented; specific euro amounts from table B are not given, and fees for the European Certificate of Succession are not covered.
Burial obligation, burial deadlines and cemetery requirements are state law of the 16 federal states and have not been checked individually here. Death grants and benefits from insurers or the pension insurance are not covered.
Inheritance tax on business assets (§§ 13a, 13b ErbStG), cross-border aspects, provisional heirs and executorship are not covered in depth.
Competent probate court (Nachlassgericht): the habitual residence at the time of death is decisive (§ 343 FamFG); special rules of the federal states have not been checked. Parents' compulsory portion (§ 2309), withdrawal of the compulsory portion, set-off and equalisation are not checked in detail.
Estates with a foreign element: only the basics of the EuErbVO. Succession under foreign law is not covered.

What this platform does – and what it does not

Wegweiser explains inheritance law in plain language and states legal bases, deadlines and figures from the sources named. It does not replace legal advice or an assessment of your individual case. It names no local advice centres, addresses or phone numbers other than nationally documented offices. No personal data is stored. The six-week deadline for disclaiming an inheritance is strict: if in doubt, get advice early.