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The Central Register of Wills (Zentrales Testamentsregister) maintained by the Bundesnotarkammer was established for all documents relevant to legal succession (e.g. wills, inheritance contracts, etc.) that are placed in notarial or court custody. It also contains, for example, the details of the custodian, and for every death it is checked whether such custody information exists for the deceased person. The purpose is to handle probate proceedings more quickly and efficiently. This is achieved by the competent probate court being electronically informed by the Central Register of Wills as to whether documents relevant to legal succession exist and which must be taken into account. The court at which the document is held, or the notary, are also informed and asked to release the documents to the competent probate court, so that the last will of the deceased can be carried out. Since the transfer of the wills registers began, large volumes of data have been recorded digitally. According to the Bundesnotarkammer, information has already been obtained from approximately 1,250 civil registry offices, and around 3 million custody notices regarding documents relevant to legal succession ("yellow index cards") and approximately 1.4 million notifications concerning children born out of wedlock or adopted as individuals ("white index cards") have been digitised. This means that roughly one quarter of the total volume of index cards to be taken over has already been processed by the Bundesnotarkammer under its statutory mandate. The transfer of the wills registers is therefore proceeding on schedule. To date, in addition to the former central card index for wills at the Amtsgericht Schöneberg in Berlin, the wills registers of the federal states of Bremen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia have been fully transferred to the Central Register of Wills maintained by the Bundesnotarkammer. The source and further details are available from the Bundesnotarkammer.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
What is the Central Register of Wills of the German Federal Chamber of Notaries?
The Central Register of Wills (Zentrales Testamentsregister) is a nationwide electronic register that records all documents relevant to succession, such as wills and inheritance contracts, which are placed in notarial or judicial custody. It also stores data on the custodial institution. The aim is to handle probate proceedings more quickly and efficiently.
How does the Central Register of Wills support estate proceedings in the event of death?
Whenever a death occurs, the register electronically checks whether documents relevant to succession exist for the deceased and notifies the competent probate court. The court or notary holding the documents is also informed and asked to forward them to the probate court. This allows the deceased's last will to be executed more quickly.
Which German federal states have already been fully transferred to the Central Register of Wills?
To date, the wills registers of the federal states of Bremen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Schleswig-Holstein and Thüringen have been fully transferred. In addition, the former central wills index at the Amtsgericht Schöneberg in Berlin has been incorporated into the register.
What do yellow and white index cards mean in the context of transferring the register of wills?
Yellow index cards are custody notices regarding documents relevant to succession; around 3 million of these have been digitised. White index cards contain notifications about children born out of wedlock or individually adopted; approximately 1.4 million of these have been recorded. Both types are digitally transferred from the registry offices to the Central Register of Wills during the migration process.
How far has the Bundesnotarkammer progressed with digitizing the index cards?
To date, information has been collected and digitized from around 1,250 civil registry offices. This represents about a quarter of the index cards to be transferred. The Bundesnotarkammer is carrying out this task under statutory mandate, and the transfer is proceeding on schedule.