Succession / Inheritance — in Spanish and Italian.

Definition

The transfer of a deceased person's estate.

Spanish and Italian equivalents

In Spanish, Succession / Inheritance is rendered as Sucesión / Herencia; in Italian, as Successione / Eredità. The English entry lists two forms — Succession and Inheritance — which practice treats as interchangeable or closely related. Spanish usage admits more than one form (Sucesión / Herencia); the choice depends on the country and on the type of document. Italian likewise admits more than one form (Successione / Eredità), with the choice driven by the document type and context. Spanish equivalents follow Argentine (Rioplatense) usage where it differs from European Spanish. In a certified translation the equivalent is chosen for the target jurisdiction; where the concept has no exact counterpart, the source term is kept alongside a functional explanation.

Translating Family & Succession Law terminology

Family and inheritance documents are the ones most often translated for immigration, citizenship and probate. Marital-property regimes (sociedad de gananciales, comunione dei beni), forced heirship (legítima, legittima) and the distinction between separación and divorcio, or separazione and divorzio, have no American analogue and cannot be silently converted. Vital records add their own conventions — double surnames, the Italian estratto per riassunto, annotations in the margin — which a certified translation must reproduce faithfully for USCIS, consulates and courts.

Related terms in Family & Succession Law

• Marriage — Matrimonio
• Civil union / Partnership — Unión civil / convivencial
• Cohabitation — Concubinato / Unión convivencial
• Spouse — Cónyuge
• Prenuptial agreement — Capitulaciones / Convención prematrimonial
• Matrimonial property regime — Régimen patrimonial del matrimonio
• Community of property — Comunidad de bienes / ganancial
• Separation of property — Separación de bienes
• Divorce — Divorcio
• Legal separation — Separación personal / legal
• Annulment — Nulidad del matrimonio
• Alimony / Maintenance — Alimentos / Cuota alimentaria
• Child support — Cuota alimentaria (hijos)
• Custody — Tenencia / Custodia
• Joint custody — Tenencia compartida
• Parental authority — Responsabilidad parental / Patria potestad
• Visitation rights — Régimen de visitas / comunicación
• Filiation / Parentage — Filiación
• Adoption — Adopción
• Acknowledgment of paternity — Reconocimiento de paternidad
• Guardianship — Tutela
• Curatorship — Curatela
• Emancipation — Emancipación
• Minor — Menor de edad
• Estate — Acervo hereditario / Patrimonio
• Heir — Heredero
• Forced heir — Heredero forzoso / legitimario
• Legatee — Legatario
• Will / Testament — Testamento
• Holographic will — Testamento ológrafo
• Public will — Testamento por acto público
• Intestate succession — Sucesión intestada / ab intestato
• Testator — Testador
• Executor — Albacea
• Reserved portion / Legitime — Legítima / Porción legítima
• Disposable portion — Porción disponible
• Acceptance of inheritance — Aceptación de la herencia
• Renunciation of inheritance — Renuncia a la herencia
• Partition of estate — Partición de la herencia
• Domestic partnership — Unión convivencial registrada
• Paternity test — Prueba de paternidad / ADN
• Surrogacy — Gestación por sustitución / subrogada
• Foster care — Acogimiento / Guarda
• Spousal support — Cuota alimentaria entre cónyuges
• Codicil — Codicilo
• Living will / Advance directive — Directivas anticipadas / Testamento vital
• Estate inventory — Inventario sucesorio

Browse the full Family & Succession Law area, return to the dictionary index, or search all 712 terms in the interactive dictionary (also available as a PDF).

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This page is for general orientation only. It is not legal advice and does not substitute for advice from licensed counsel in the relevant jurisdiction. Terminology varies between countries and between civil-law and common-law systems; the equivalents shown here are the most common in cross-border practice.