Inheritance · Basics

Who inherits by law – inheritance groups explained

Reading time: 4 min

Before you start searching for your uncle's or great-grandmother's name, it's worth knowing one thing: not every relative automatically inherits. If the deceased left no will, statutory inheritance applies according to four inheritance groups — and they're always searched in order, starting with the first.

How the order works

If even one person inherits within the first group, the second group doesn't apply at all. Only when nobody in a given group inherits does it move on to the next.

I.

Children and spouse

They inherit in equal shares. If a child doesn't inherit (e.g. died earlier), their share passes to their own children.

II.

Spouse, parents, and people in the shared household

Applies only if nobody from the first group inherits. This also includes people who lived with the deceased in a shared household for at least a year before death and cared for it.

III.

Siblings and people in the shared household

Applies if neither a spouse nor parents inherit. It includes people living with the deceased in a shared household for at least a year before death.

IV.

Grandparents, and if none of them inherits, their children

That is, the deceased's uncles and aunts on their grandparents' side — the last group of statutory inheritance.

What if nobody inherits

If no heir is found in any of the four groups, nor through a will, the property passes to the state as so-called escheat (odúmrť). That's exactly why it's worth checking even more distant relatives — in many cases, it's the only way the family's property ever gets sorted out at all.

Why this matters when searching If you're looking up a more distant relative's name (e.g. a great-uncle), first check whether you'd even qualify as an heir under the inheritance groups at all — it'll save you unnecessary steps.

Check names across your family

Try your own name, and your parents' or grandparents' too.

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