Declaration renouncing inheritance (放弃继承声明公证)

What this notarization certifies

The notary office certifies the authenticity and legality of your declaration renouncing your statutory right to inherit. Heirs living abroad frequently need it when the other heirs in China are settling an estate, since a renunciation must be formally evidenced to remove you from the procedure.

Who can apply in Shanghai

Statutory heirs of the deceased whose registered residence, habitual residence, or place of signing the declaration is in Shanghai. The declaration must be made after the succession opens and before the estate is divided.

Documents to prepare

• Notarization application form (filled in and signed at the notary office)
• The declarant's ID (resident ID card, passport, or Taiwan / HK / Macao permits)
• The declarant's household register or registration certificate (not required of active-service military or overseas residents)
• Proof of living in Shanghai, if your hukou is registered elsewhere — Shanghai residence permit, a property deed or lease in your or a close relative's name, or an employer letter
• Proof of your relationship to the deceased — a personnel-file or police kinship certificate, adoption registration, or medical birth certificate
• The deceased's death certificate — medical death certificate, court declaration of death, an existing death notarization, or a prior inheritance notarization
• The deceased's hukou-cancellation certificate (not needed if the household register already records it)
• Evidence of the estate — property deeds, bank passbooks or statements, share certificates, vehicle papers, housing-fund balance, IP certificates, as applicable
• The declaration text, one copy more than the number of certificates needed — the handling notary can draft or revise it

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

Fee and timeline

• Notary fee: ¥300 (about $46) per declaration
• 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.

Applicants aged 70 or over, or with a hearing, speech or sight disability, are accompanied by at least one close relative when signing.