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Does the surviving partner in a common-law relationship have to get legal recognition of his/her status before being able to inherit part of the deceased partner’s estate ?

By: דיאנה שאלתיאלPublished on: 27 June, 2022

Yes ! Even if it is plain to everybody, the surviving cohabitee will still have to prove his/her status, according to the criteria set in the Inheritance Law of 1965. In other words, he/she must prove that they ran a common household, without being married to one another, and without either of them being married to anyone else. Married spouses, in contrast, do not need to get a court declaration of their status in order to inherit – proof of marriage itself  is sufficient.


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