Who inherits without a will in Venezuela?
In Venezuela the spouse inherits a share equal to each child's, and half of the estate with the parents or siblings.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
A spouse and children survive
The spouse inherits a share equal to each child's.
A spouse survives, but no children
With the parents or the siblings the spouse takes half of the estate. With none of them, the spouse takes everything.
No spouse: who comes next
Descendants first; then the parents; then the siblings; then other relatives up to the fourth degree. If there is no heir, the estate goes to the nation.
A partner who is not married
A stable union of fact is treated like a marriage for inheritance if it meets the legal conditions.
What a will cannot take away
Descendants, parents and the spouse have a reserved share (the 'legítima') that a will cannot take away.
If the person or the property is abroad
The country has its own rules on which law governs an estate. An estate with a foreign element needs advice in each country involved.
Understand the legal system first
Venezuela belongs to the Civil law family. Succession law grows out of the legal tradition, so it helps to know how the system works.
Read the Venezuela legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
Who owns what in a marriage in Venezuela? →
Official sources
Take it further
The family and property rules of a European country in one PDF, with questions for a local lawyer.
A complete, editable will in Word and PDF.
Keep property out of probate, with clear fill-in fields.
How trusts work and why courts enforce them.
A short PDF reference book with self-check questions.
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TheLawToKnow Tools’s inheritance guide is an educational overview of general rules. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace the official source or a lawyer in the country. Report a mistake.
