The surviving spouse is a legal heir (see the concerning dispositions below) and also entitled to reserved portion. The same applies to the registered partners (exclusively persons of the same sex).

However, the non-registered partner can only inherit if he/she is named as heir in the last will of the testator (the non-registered partner is never entitled to a reserved portion).

In the case of spouses and registered partners, the extent of the matrimonial common and separate property exerts influence the inheritance of the deceased. The spouses and the registered partners can deviate from the legal dispositions on the common and separate property in their marriage contract drawn up in as authentic act by a notary or as private act countersigned by an attorney. You can find further information on this topic on the website: http://www.coupleseurope.eu/