This article is the fifth in a series on inheritance and succession law in Cyprus and discusses how the degrees of consanguinity are taken into account when calculating inheritance (for the first, second, third and fourth parts in the series, please see "Inheritance and succession: statutory portion", "Inheritance and succession: what makes a person unworthy of succession?", "Inheritance and succession: what share are relatives entitled to?" and "Making wills in Cyprus").
According to the provision of the Law on Wills and on Succession (Cap 195, s 44), a person becomes an inheritor if they have a consanguinity relationship up to the sixth degree with the deceased person.
When a person passes away leaving behind a spouse, the spouse is entitled to a share on the inheritance, after the payment of any debts and obligations.
Other relatives have rights on the inheritance according to the provision of the Law, which determines the consanguinity degrees as follows.
1 | Children | Parents | ||
2 | Siblings | Grandchildren | Grandparents | |
3 | Grandchildren | Uncles and aunts | Nephews and nieces | Great-grandparents |
4 | First cousins | Grandfather's siblings | Grandparents' parents | |
5 | First cousins' children | Grandfather's siblings | Great-grandparents' parents | Great-grandparents' siblings |
6 | Great-grandparents | Second cousins |
For further information on this topic please contact Christos Kastanias at AGP Law | A G Paphitis & Co LLC by telephone (+357 25 73 10 00) or by email ([email protected]). The A G Paphitis & Co website can be accessed at www.agplaw.com.