1 Gather documents first 30 days

Get 5+ certified copies of the death certificate from the municipal corporation — every bank, society, and govt office wants its own original

Locate the original Will — registered Wills are at the sub-registrar; unregistered Wills may be in a locker, lawyer's office, or with a relative

Compile deceased's identity stack — PAN (Permanent Account Number), Aadhaar, passport, marriage certificate, voter ID

Inventory financial assets — bank statements (12 months each account), FD (Fixed Deposit) certificates, demat statements, mutual fund holdings, PPF (Public Provident Fund) account, EPF (Employees' Provident Fund), NPS

Inventory physical assets — property documents (sale deeds, society share certificate), gold / jewellery in lockers, vehicles registration

Find life-insurance policies + employer death-benefit / pension paperwork — claim windows are typically 90-180 days

2 Probate or succession 3-12 months

Hire a property / probate lawyer with NRI inheritance experience — fees Rs 50K-2L. Don't reuse the deceased's lawyer if there's a will contest risk

If there's a Will — file probate petition in district court. Mandatory in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata; optional elsewhere. Court fees 0.5-3% of estate value

If there's no Will — apply for a Succession Certificate at civil court. Newspaper publication + 45-day objection window

For pure-bank-account inheritance — many banks accept nominee transmission with just death certificate + KYC, no probate needed

3 Title transfer + mutation 3-6 months

For property — file mutation in municipal revenue records using probate / succession certificate. Update society records, get fresh share certificate in your name

For bank accounts / FDs — convert to NRO joint nominee account first, then transmit using succession certificate

NRE / NRO accounts →

For demat holdings — file transmission with the depository (CDSL or NSDL via your stockbroker). Form TS-1 + supporting docs

For mutual funds — file transmission directly with the AMC (Asset Management Company) or via CAMS / KFintech

For PPF on death claim — exempt under Section 10(11) of the Income Tax Act. Bank pays interest till maturity then closes

4 Tax + repatriation 6-12 months

Inheritance is not taxable in India under Section 56(2)(x). However income earned after death (rent, FD interest, dividends) is taxable in your hands

Open NRO account (if you don't have one) and consolidate inherited liquid assets into it

Banking selector →

Get a CA (Chartered Accountant) to issue Form 15CB + you file Form 15CA on the income tax portal — required for NRO outward repatriation above Rs 5 lakh

15CA / 15CB guide →

Repatriate via Form A2 within the USD 1 million per FY (Financial Year) RBI window (this is separate from LRS, which only applies to residents)

Repatriation readiness →

Compare FX rates — on a Rs 1 crore repatriation, the difference between bank-wire rate and Wise / BookMyForex can be Rs 2-5 lakh

FX Compare →

5 US tax + distribution first tax year after

For US persons — file Form 3520 (Annual Return To Report Transactions With Foreign Trusts and Receipt of Certain Foreign Gifts) if foreign inheritance > $100,000 in a tax year

Update FBAR (FinCEN 114) if foreign accounts cross $10K aggregate at any time during the year

Update Form 8938 (FATCA — Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) if foreign assets cross $50K (single) / $100K (joint) thresholds

FATCA / FBAR guide →

Distribute among heirs per Will / succession certificate — keep paper trail of every transfer

Handling an Indian inheritance from abroad? Here's the full sequence.

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