Introducing our complete service for Spanish inheritance and property sales in Alicante
If you have inherited a property in Spain and you live in the UK, you are probably trying to work out two things at the same time. First, what does probate in Spain actually involve? Second, if you decide to sell the property, how does that work from abroad?
Spanish inheritance law is not the same as the UK system. Even if there is a Spanish Will, the estate must go through a formal notarial process before ownership can pass to you. Spanish Inheritance Tax must be calculated and submitted within strict deadlines. The inheritance deed must be signed before a Notary, and the change of ownership registered at the Land Registry. Until this is completed correctly, the property cannot be sold.
At the same time, practical concerns continue. Community fees, utilities and local taxes do not pause while the legal process is underway. If you already know that selling the property is the right decision, it can feel frustrating to realise that conveyancing in Spain cannot begin until probate in Spain has been finalised.
We see this situation regularly, and it’s exactly why we’ve created a complete solution for Spanish inheritance and property sales. Here’s how it works.
A single service from inheritance to sale
For properties located in the province of Alicante, our English-speaking Spanish solicitors now provide a complete solution that covers both probate in Spain and conveyancing in Spain in one smooth service.
We can handle the entire inheritance process on your behalf. This includes obtaining the required certificates, confirming the terms of any Spanish Will, arranging Spanish tax numbers for all heirs, preparing the inheritance deed and calculating and filing Spanish Inheritance Tax and Plusvalía. We also ensure the property is correctly registered at the Land Registry so that you have a clear legal title.
Once the inheritance has been completed, we can move seamlessly into the sale process. We arrange valuation, marketing, viewings and the required Energy Performance Certificate, and we oversee the legal work through to completion before the Notary. Because we have already handled the probate stage, there is no duplication and no gap between the legal and practical steps.
Helping you manage everything from the UK
Many of the people who contact us are based in the UK and have neither the time nor the inclination to make repeated trips to Spain simply to deal with paperwork. Understandably, the idea of coordinating Notary appointments, tax filings and property viewings from another country can feel daunting.
With a carefully prepared Power of Attorney, we can act on your behalf for both probate in Spain and the conveyancing process. This allows us to sign documentation, attend before the Notary, deal with the Land Registry and manage the sale without you needing to travel. The documentation is prepared to ensure you remain fully informed while we handle the formalities locally in Alicante.
Once the property has been sold, we also assist with the secure transfer of the proceeds back to your UK bank account. Currency movements, bank compliance, and timing can all raise questions, and we guide you through that stage so the transaction concludes cleanly and efficiently.
No upfront legal fees
We understand that inheritance can create immediate financial pressure, particularly when you were not expecting to deal with overseas legal and tax matters. Spanish Inheritance Tax is payable within a fixed timeframe, and third-party costs such as Notary and Land Registry fees arise as part of the process. When the principal asset in the estate is a property that has not yet been sold, it is not always practical, or even possible, to fund legal fees at the outset.
For that reason, this service has been structured differently. There are no upfront legal fees to pay for our work. Our English-speaking Spanish solicitors handle the probate process, prepare the property for sale and manage the conveyancing, and our legal fees are deducted at the Notary upon completion once the sale has taken place.
Third-party costs, including taxes, Notary fees and Registry fees, remain the responsibility of the estate in accordance with Spanish law. However, where regulations allow, we can often arrange for these amounts to be settled from the sale proceeds rather than requiring you to transfer funds in advance.
We designed this service for people who cannot justify paying legal fees upfront, maintaining an empty property for months, or travelling repeatedly to Spain to deal with formalities. In many estates, the property itself represents the main source of value, and liquidity is limited until it is sold. We therefore take care of the matter from start to finish. The result is straightforward: no upfront legal fees, minimal disruption to your life in the UK, and the peace of mind that everything is being handled correctly and in accordance with Spanish law.
A clear, practical solution in Alicante
At the moment, this complete service is currently available only for properties located in the province of Alicante, where our team has extensive experience handling both probate and conveyancing in Spain for international clients.
It has been designed specifically with our clients’ circumstances in mind. You may be managing matters from the UK. You may already know that selling the property is the sensible decision. You may simply want the process dealt with correctly, without unnecessary complication or uncertainty.
We’ve brought inheritance and sale together under one team of English-speaking Spanish solicitors to keep the legal and practical stages aligned from beginning to end and give you one point of contact, a coordinated strategy, and clear guidance throughout.
If you would like to discuss your situation in more detail, we would be very happy to speak with you and explain how this service could work in your circumstances. To speak to a member of our team, you can reach out through the form on our website, email us at info@gbabogados.co.uk, message us on WhatsApp, or give our team a call on +44 (0)20 3137 1320. We’re here to help you.