Our Malta Probate and Estate Administration Services assist executors, heirs and beneficiaries in managing the legal and procedural steps required following a death where assets are situated in Malta. Maltese law applies to the administration and transmission of Maltese-situated property and assets, often necessitating local legal representation, particularly in cross-border estates.
We advise on probate proceedings, estate administration under testate or intestate succession, and representation of non-resident heirs through powers of attorney. Our focus is on ensuring compliance with Maltese legal requirements, facilitating the orderly transfer of assets, and coordinating Maltese probate processes with parallel estate proceedings in other jurisdictions where required.
Understanding Estate and Succession Planning in Malta
Estate and succession planning in Malta extends beyond the drafting of a will. It involves a holistic assessment of how assets are owned, how succession rules apply, and how family and personal circumstances may affect future inheritance outcomes.
Maltese law plays a central role where immovable property in Malta is concerned and may impose restrictions on testamentary freedom through reserved portions and forced heirship protections. Without proper planning, these rules may override personal intentions or create uncertainty for heirs.
Why Malta Law Matters for Succession Planning
Malta’s succession framework is rooted in civil law principles and applies mandatorily to certain categories of assets and heirs. In cross-border families, this often results in multiple succession regimes applying simultaneously to different parts of the same estate.
Succession planning that takes Maltese law into account allows potential conflicts to be identified early, enabling clients to structure ownership and testamentary arrangements in a way that respects Maltese legal requirements while remaining consistent with wider estate planning objectives.
Our Estate and Succession Planning Expertise
We advise on estate and succession planning strategies involving Maltese assets, including immovable property, shareholdings and family-owned structures. Our advice is tailored to the client’s family profile, jurisdictional footprint and long-term intentions.
We work closely with our wills, probate and tax advisory teams to ensure that succession planning advice is legally coherent, practically implementable and capable of being maintained over time as circumstances evolve.
Our Experience With International Families and Estates
This service is frequently engaged by internationally mobile families, Maltese emigrants and foreign nationals with assets in Malta. We regularly advise families whose estates span civil law and common law jurisdictions, requiring careful coordination to avoid overlap, fragmentation or unintended outcomes.
Our experience includes advising on succession planning ahead of asset acquisitions, family restructuring, relocation, or changes in personal status, as well as reviewing existing estate plans to assess their effectiveness under Maltese law.
Our Approach to Succession Planning
Our approach is strategic and preventative. We focus on identifying succession risks at an early stage and addressing them through legally sound planning rather than post-event correction. Advice is delivered in clear, practical terms, with an emphasis on long-term certainty and administrative efficiency.
Where appropriate, we coordinate with foreign advisers to ensure that Maltese succession planning aligns with international estate structures and does not operate in isolation.
How Our Estate and Succession Planning Services Can Help You
Our lawyers assist with succession planning strategies involving Maltese assets, coordination of wills and estate plans across jurisdictions, and legal advice on forced heirship, reserved portions and heirship rights. We also advise on succession implications arising from family changes, relocation or asset restructuring.
The objective is to provide clients and their families with clarity, predictability and confidence regarding the future transmission of their estates.
