Performing a will search
When a death occurs, the people close to the deceased may apply to consult the register of wills (Register of Wills and Testaments) in order to find out if deceased's final wishes had been filed.
Performing a will search is recommended because it ensures that the last wishes of the author of the will—called the testator—are complied with. The search may be carried out by those close to the deceased or by any other person with an interest in doing so.
In Luxembourg, the Registration Duties, Estates and VAT Authority (Administration de l'enregistrement, des domaines et de la TVA – AED) is the agency in charge of administering this register, which is kept in the form of a database.
Who is concerned
On the testator's death, any person may view the register of wills, upon presentation of a death certificate.
Prerequisites
A will may (holographic will) or must (will by public deed/mystic will/holographic will deposited with a notary/spousal donation following death) be registered in the Register of Wills and Testaments.
It is not the content of the will that is recorded in the register, but information concerning the testator, and the name and the address of the person or the institution to whom the will was given.
Preliminary steps
Before undertaking such a procedure, the applicant must make an appointment with the Wills Service (Service des dispositions de dernière volonté) so that the latter can make preliminary arrangements for the search.
If the applicant wishes to file an application for a hard-copy search, they must first contact the Wills Service.
Costs
In the event of a national or international will search, any person who requests a will search must first pay a fee per search for the deceased person's will.
The amount of the fee to be paid is:
- EUR 10 for each application submitted electronically;
- EUR 20 for each application submitted using the application form in paper format.
If a national and international will search is carried out at the same time, the amount of the fee is doubled.
The payment must be made to the Fines and Collection Office - Luxembourg (Luxembourg - Amendes et recouvrements) before the requested information can be obtained.
How to proceed
National searches
Following the testator's death, any person may, upon presentation of a death certificate or a court ruling confirming the death, obtain information on whether a will was written and recorded in the National Register of Wills and Testaments.
The process of searching for a will entails filling in a form issued at the relevant office of the Registration Duties, Estates and VAT Authority (AED) in which the application for the search is submitted.
In the form, the applicant must indicate their identity and their address. They must then identify the deceased by providing the following details about the deceased:
- the date of the death;
- the marital status of the deceased;
- the name of the spouse;
- the last address of the deceased;
A copy of the death certificate or a court ruling confirming the death must be attached to the application. The existence of the will remains secret during the testator's lifetime.
International searches
In September 2012, the European Network of Registers of Wills Association (ENRWA) (Association du Réseau Européen des Registres Testamentaires - ARERT) implemented the 'Interconnection of the European Network of Registers of Wills' (Interconnexion des registres testamentaires européens) project. The purpose of this association is to put in place a European network of managers of national registers of wills.
International will searches are performed using the same form that is used for national will searches.
Currently, international will searches may be performed in the following countries:
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Estonia
- France
- Hungary
- The Netherlands
- Poland
- Romania
- Latvia
Forms / Online services
Recherche de disposition de dernière volonté
To complete your application, the information about you collected from this form needs to be processed by the public administration concerned.
That information is kept by the administration in question for as long as it is required to achieve the purpose of the processing operation(s).
Your data will be shared with other public administrations that are necessary for the processing of your application. For details on which departments will have access to the data on this form, please contact the public administration you are filing your application with.
Under the terms of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, you have the right to access, rectify or, where applicable, remove any information relating to you. You are also entitled to withdraw your consent at any time.
Additionally, unless the processing of your personal data is compulsory, you may, with legitimate reasons, oppose the processing of such data.
If you wish to exercise these rights and/or obtain a record of the information held about you, please contact the administration in question using the contact details provided on the form. You are also entitled to file a claim with the National Commission for Data Protection (Commission nationale pour la protection des données), headquartered at 15, boulevard du Jazz L-4370 Belvaux.
By submitting your application, you agree that your personal data may be processed as part of the application process.
Recherche de disposition de dernière volonté
Les informations qui vous concernent recueillies sur ce formulaire font l’objet d’un traitement par l’administration concernée afin de mener à bien votre demande.
Ces informations sont conservées pour la durée nécessaire par l’administration à la réalisation de la finalité du traitement
Les destinataires de vos données sont les administrations compétentes dans le cadre du traitement de votre demande. Veuillez-vous adresser à l’administration concernée par votre demande pour connaître les destinataires des données figurant sur ce formulaire. Conformément au règlement (UE) 2016/679 relatif à la protection des personnes physiques à l'égard du traitement des données à caractère personnel et à la libre circulation de ces données, vous bénéficiez d’un droit d’accès, de rectification et le cas échéant d’effacement des informations vous concernant. Vous disposez également du droit de retirer votre consentement à tout moment.
En outre et excepté le cas où le traitement de vos données présente un caractère obligatoire, vous pouvez, pour des motifs légitimes, vous y opposer.
Si vous souhaitez exercer ces droits et/ou obtenir communication de vos informations, veuillez-vous adresser à l’administration concernée suivant les coordonnées indiquées dans le formulaire. Vous avez également la possibilité d’introduire une réclamation auprès de la Commission nationale pour la protection des données ayant son siège à 15, boulevard du Jazz L-4370 Belvaux.
En poursuivant votre démarche, vous acceptez que vos données personnelles soient traitées dans le cadre de votre demande.
Recherche de disposition de dernière volonté
Ihre in diesem Formular erfassten personenbezogenen Informationen werden von der zuständigen Verwaltungsbehörde verarbeitet, um Ihren Antrag erfolgreich abzuschließen.
Diese Informationen werden von der Behörde für den zur Verarbeitung erforderlichen Zeitraum gespeichert.
Die Empfänger Ihrer Daten sind die im Rahmen Ihres Antrags zuständigen Verwaltungsbehörden. Um die Empfänger der in diesem Formular erfassten Daten zu erfahren, wenden Sie sich bitte an die für Ihren Antrag zuständige Behörde.
Gemäß der Verordnung (EU) 2016/679 zum Schutz natürlicher Personen bei der Verarbeitung personenbezogener Daten und zum freien Datenverkehr haben Sie das Recht auf Zugang, Berichtigung und gegebenenfalls Löschung Ihrer personenbezogenen Informationen. Sie haben zudem das Recht, Ihre erteilte Einwilligung jederzeit zu widerrufen.
Weiterhin können Sie, außer in Fällen, in denen die Verarbeitung Ihrer Daten verpflichtend ist, Widerspruch einlegen, wenn dieser rechtmäßig begründet ist.
Wenn Sie diese Rechte ausüben und/oder Einsicht in Ihre Informationen nehmen möchten, können Sie sich unter den im Formular angegebenen Kontaktdaten an die zuständige Verwaltungsbehörde wenden. Sie haben außerdem die Möglichkeit, bei der Nationalen Kommission für den Datenschutz Beschwerde einzulegen (Commission nationale pour la protection des données, 15, boulevard du Jazz L-4370 Belvaux).
Wenn Sie Ihren Vorgang fortsetzen, akzeptieren Sie damit, dass Ihre personenbezogenen Daten im Rahmen Ihres Antrags verarbeitet werden.
Who to contact
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Registration Duties, Estates and VAT Authority
Wills service1-3, Avenue Guillaume
L-1651 Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Postal address :
B.P. 31 L-2010 Luxembourg
Fax : (+352) 247 - 90400
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Registration Duties, Estates and VAT Authority
Luxembourg Guichet Unique308, route d’Esch
L-1471 Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Phone : (+352) 247 - 80800From 08.30 to 12.00 and from 14.00 to 16.00
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Chamber of Notaries of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg53, boulevard Joseph II
L-1840 Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Postal address :
B.P. 1936 L-1019
Phone : (+352) 44 70 21Fax : (+352) 45 51 40