According to the provisions of the Law on Wills and on Succession (Cap. 195, s. 44) a person becomes an inheritor if he/she has a kinship relationship up to the 6th degree with the decedent.
The Cypriot legislation provides for four classes of kinship. Please note that members of a class exclude the members of the following class.
After the repayment of any debts or liabilities, the spouse is entitled to a share in the statutory portion, i.e. the part of the estate that cannot be disposed by will and in the part of the disposable portion that remains undisposed, if any. The remaining of the statutory portion and of the the disposable portion that remains undisposed, if any, will be distributed to the relatives of the deceased according to the degree of kinship.
Please refer to the following table for more details:
|
1st Class |
Α |
Living Spouse and children of the decedent |
In equal shares |
|
|
Β |
Living descendants, of any of the natural children of the deceased, that had passed away during the lifetime of the deceased person. |
In equal shares per stripes |
|
2ndClass |
Α |
Living mother and father of the deceased (or if they are not alive at the time of death of the deceased, the closest living ascendant) and also the siblings or the half brothers or sisters of the deceased |
In equal shares, with the exception of half siblings, who receive half of the share to which are entitled the siblings of full-blood |
|
|
Β |
Living descendants of any of the deceased’s siblings that had passed away during the decedent’s lifetime |
In equal shares per stripes |
|
3rdClass |
|
The closest in degree of kinship living ascendants of the deceased |
If at the time of death of the deceased there are living ascendants from both sides, i.e from the maternal and from the paternal side then the ascendant of each side will receive half of the share. If the ascendants of each side are more than one, then the half share will be distributed in equal shares. |
|
4thClass |
|
The closest in degree of kinship living ascendants up to the sixth degree of kinship. However, the closest relative excludes others. |
In equal shares |