Meter Mike

Just to add a point for the original poster, your Will should cost around €100.

I have come across people who have paid €500 plus and that is quite extortionate.

edwardkirkby

I must take issue with putting a ball park figure on what a will should cost.

I think €100 is certainly at the bottom end and €500 is rather steep. It's the age old adage of you pay for what you get (in most cases).

Yes you may be able to get a Will produced online for about €15 or you could pop along to WH Smith and write your own - but what quality would this will eb and how flexible to your requirments?!

I think people should research the firm first and not just the price.

Are they bilingual?
Are they qualified in will writing?
Are they Solicitors/Abogados/Registered European Lawyers?
DO they have tax experience/qualifications?
Can they prepare my English Will also so the two are in harmony?
Will they assess the tax implications and write the will tax efficiently?

All these questions and many more need to be asked.

I'll also add that if a Spanish Property owner is in the Uk then disbursements will also need to be paid for on top including:

1. Notary fees (around £60-100 depending on Notary)

2. Legalisation fees (£28)

It may all seem like a fair sum to pay, but is definitely a lot more costs effective than dying intestate.

Meter Mike

The simple solution is to arrange for a local Spanish lawyer - who speakes English - to supply you with a Will Form - fill it in, in English and the lawyer will translate it in 5 mins onto a standard Will submisson form to the Notary by email.

The Notary will charge around 80€ or less and the lawyer should only need to charge 20€ for his 5 mins or the time his clerk takes to do it.

My Lawyer in Cartagena will do this for €100. So a smaller town or village lawyer should not charge too much, unless their office is miles away from the Notary, in which case use a Lawyer who is next door to one.

edwardkirkby

If you are resident in Spain and making a simple will just dealing with your spanish assets and do not have an English will then by all means the scenario above might be suitable.

My point being previously was that one size does not fit all.

The same in this country, i could want to leave all my assets to my wife - done. I could write this will myself with a prepaid one from WH Smith and i suspect it would be adequate.

If however, i had assets of say £8000k and a property in Spain this would not suffice. I would need to address the IHT issue first and the foreigh property second.

Meter Mike

I agree with your points above Edward.

But the original poster is a non-resident, which suggests he is a resident in the UK. Therefore, he would most probably have a UK Will.

He is asking if he is allowed to make a Will for his Spanish assets even though he is a non-resident, which of course he must.

All he needs to do is replicate his UK Will for his Spanish property and assets (unless he has other plans) which is not expensive, hence my circa 100€.

However, if he wants to do something more complicated, then he will and should expect to pay more as you rightly said.

regards,

bakeja

Wills for my wife and I have been on my To Do List for a long time but never seem to get round to it. When I did some internet research I found that prices varied so shop around.

Valerie

Just my bit of input. You need to be careful about your will as inheritance is different here from the UK. I would always recommend you to find a reliable local lawyer as they will advise on the best way to do the will for tax purposes. Obviously, the more complex the will, the more they will charge. In particular if you have children from previous marriages and so on.