A query at the Central Register of Wills tells you whether the deceased deposited a notarial will. That is only half the story. Many wills in Belgium are holographic (handwritten) and appear in no central register. Below is a practical search order for the first two weeks.
Why this matters
A will that is found alters the legal order of heirs. With a thorough search you find it as early as possible: otherwise payouts, bank releases and notarial deeds are drawn up on an incomplete picture that has to be fixed later.
Step 1: search at home
A holographic will should not be at the court. Search with two people:
- desk, drawer chest, secretary in the office or bedroom;
- "important documents" folders often with passports and certificates;
- books (family Bible, poetry, encyclopaedias): wills are often slipped between pages;
- home safe (combination or key): the combination may be with a trusted person;
- bank safe deposit box: ask the bank whether the deceased rented one and who had access.
Make a list of everything you searched and the date. This is useful if a late-emerging will is contested.
Step 2: ask trusted people
Explicitly ask:
- the family doctor;
- the priest or imam;
- close friends and neighbours;
- the accountant or tax adviser;
- the notary the deceased visited last (even for a purchase).
People often remember a conversation in which the deceased said "it's with X". That is not proof, but it is a starting point.
Step 3: query the CRT
Only now do you ask a notary for a CRT search. About €25, a few business days. The CRT confirms:
- whether a notarial will exists and with which notary;
- whether an international will is registered.
The CRT does not contain the content, does not include holographic wills never deposited with a notary, and does not include foreign wills without Belgian registration.
Step 4: foreign registers
Did the deceased have a past abroad? Check:
- Netherlands: Centraal Testamentenregister (CTR), via the notariat;
- France: Fichier Central des Dispositions de Dernières Volontés (FCDDV);
- Germany: Zentrales Testamentsregister (ZTR);
- Italy: Registro Generale dei Testamenti.
For a cross-border EU file, a European Certificate of Succession may also be relevant.
Step 5: found a will, what next?
If you find a holographic will, two things:
- do not open it if sealed, and do not damage it;
- hand it as soon as possible to a notary for deposit and homologation. The notary draws up a record and registers the document.
A will is only enforceable after deposit and confirmation of authenticity (handwriting expertise if needed). If there is doubt about the deceased's mental capacity when writing, an heir can challenge validity.
If no will is found
Legal devolution applies: children inherit equally, otherwise the other relatives according to the legal order. See inheriting without a will. Record the search history in the file in case a will surfaces later.
How Nalenta tracks the steps
In Nalenta you tick each search location in your checklist. We provide a template letter to the notary (CRT) and a second one for the international registers.