1. Succession certificate is a document issued by a civil court certifying a person to be the successor of a deceased person.
2. In the absence of a will, a succession certificate is the primary document through which the heirs can stake a claim to the assets of a deceased relative.
3. A succession certificate is valid throughout India.
4. Courts levy a fixed percentage of the value of the estate as a court fee for issuance of the certificate.
5. It takes about 5 to 7 months to get a succession certificate.
(Content on this page is courtesy Centre for Investment Education and Learning (CIEL). Contributions by Girija Gadre, Arti Bhargava and Labdhi Mehta.)
