Unblocking a bank account after death
You can have a bank account unblocked by presenting the bank with either of these two documents:
- a certificate of inheritance from the FPS Finance
- a deed of inheritance from a notary
A certificate of inheritance delivered by the FPS Finance is free, whereas a deed of inheritance drawn up by a notary has to be paid for: a registration fee of 50 euros and a duty on written documents of 7.50 euros, on top of the notary's fees and deed costs.
Conditions for a certificate of inheritance
We can issue a certificate of inheritance if the following conditions are met:
- The deceased did not draw up a will or inheritance agreement (or any other instrument containing a last will).
- The deceased did not have a marriage contract or a deed of amendment to a prenuptial agreement.
- There are no 'incompetent' heirs (such as minors or persons declared legally incompetent).
In all other cases, you have to ask a notary to draw up a deed of inheritance. Moreover, we can always refuse to issue a certificate of inheritance if we cannot identify the heirs with certainty.
Applying for a certificate of inheritance
You can quickly and easily apply for a certificate of inheritance on the MyMinfin platform.
- Sign in to MyMinfin.
- Go to the tab 'Mijn interacties ('My interactions') in the Dutch version.
- Open the section 'Mijn aanvragen van attesten' ('My applications for certificates').
- Select the option 'Nalatenschap - Aanvraag attest van erfopvolging' ('Succession - Application for a certificate of inheritance').
- Go through the six steps and complete all the necessary information.
- Send your application.
Can't apply for the certificate on MyMinfin? Call our Contact Centre at +32 2 572 57 57 to get a paper application form. Keep your national register number and the national register number of the deceased at hand when you call.
We will check whether the deceased or the heirs have any debts.
The certificate will mention:
- either that no debts have been reported for the deceased and the heirs,
- or that debts have been reported but have been paid in the meantime (in that case you should submit the proof of payment before we issue the certificate),
- or that all reported debts have to be paid with the blocked assets. To do so, the bank needs the agreement of all heirs.
Are there any debts mentioned in the certificate you have received from us and would you like to know more about them? No problem. Along with the certificate, we also send you a so-called ‘notification’ showing the contact details of the creditor you have outstanding payments to. You can then contact them directly for more information. If you have already paid the debt in the meantime, you can also contact the creditor to get a ‘release’ of the debt. You can use this release to apply for a supplementary certificate, if necessary.
Good to know: the succession can be handled faster if all tax, non-tax and social security debts (such as personal income tax, property tax or vehicle tax) have been paid before applying for the certificate of inheritance.
The certificate of inheritance will name all the heirs. Looking them up can take some time. In addition, we have to check whether the deceased or the heirs have any tax or social security debts. Those debts have to be retained in order to release the accounts. So keep in mind that it can take up to about four weeks to deliver the certificate.
Therefore, it is advised to check now and then in MyMinfin if the certificate is already available. If you activate your eBox, you will receive an e-mail as soon as the certificate is ready for you.
Unblocking the bank account
When you have received the certificate of inheritance (or the deed of inheritance from the notary), you can make an appointment with the bank to have the accounts unblocked.
To transfer the assets to the names of the heirs, everyone should be present or be represented by powers of attorney. Contact your bank to make the practical arrangements.
Also good to know:
- If you were married or legally cohabiting and your partner has died, you are entitled to an advance payment of up to half the amount on the blocked accounts (up to a maximum of 5,000 euros). This money can be used for urgent expenses.
- A blocked account can still be used to pay some specific bills, such as medical expenses of the deceased. Contact the bank for this too.