Statutory inheritance of real estate (不动产法定继承公证)

What this notarization certifies

The notary office certifies your inheritance, under China's statutory succession rules, of real estate in Shanghai left by the deceased — the document the real-estate registry accepts to transfer title when there is no will. It requires the full heir picture: every statutory heir either joins, or formally renounces.

Who can apply in Shanghai

Statutory heirs of the deceased, where the property is located in Shanghai. All heirs must be in agreement — a contested estate goes to court instead of the notary office.

Documents to prepare

• Notarization application form (filled in and signed at the notary office)
• IDs of all heirs (resident ID card, passport, or Taiwan / HK / Macao permits)
• Household registers of all heirs (not required of active-service military or overseas residents)
• The deceased's death certificate — medical death certificate, court declaration, an existing death notarization or prior inheritance notarization
• The deceased's hukou-cancellation certificate (not needed if the household register records it)
• The deceased's marital-status evidence — marriage certificate, divorce papers, or the spouse's death certificate; lost records can be retrieved from registries and archives, or searched by the notary office
• Kinship evidence linking every statutory heir to the deceased — personnel-file or police certificates, adoption registration, or medical birth certificates
• If an heir died before or after the deceased: that heir's death papers plus the IDs, marriage and kinship evidence of their successors
• Notarized renunciation declarations from any heirs waiving their share (they can also sign at the notary office in person)
• The property title documents — deed and purchase contract; privatized public housing and relocation housing have their own variants
• Guardianship papers and the guardian's ID, if an heir lacks full legal capacity

Requirements vary case by case — the coordinator confirms your personal checklist before you visit the notary office.

Fee and timeline

• Notary fee: ¥80 (about $12) per square metre of the inherited share (fractions of a square metre count as one)
• Extra certificate copies: ¥10 (about $1.50) each
• Acceptance review: up to 3 working days; the certificate is normally issued within 15 working days of acceptance

Fees follow Shanghai's published government price standard (2017/2018). The coordinator confirms the current fee and the certified-translation cost before you commit to anything.

Using it abroad

China joined the Hague Apostille Convention in November 2023. For use in a member country — the US, Japan, most of Europe and many others — the notarial certificate receives an apostille and needs no embassy legalization. For non-member countries, consular legalization still applies. Tell the coordinator the destination country and we arrange the correct chain, including a certified translation into the language the receiving authority requires.

Heirs who cannot appear in person provide notarized (and, from abroad, legalized) POAs or renunciation declarations. Documents issued outside mainland China must themselves be notarized and legalized or apostilled before the Shanghai notary office accepts them.