Intestate Succession Agreement Mexico (Convenio de Sucesión Intestamentaria)

An Intestate Succession Agreement Mexico (Convenio de Sucesión Intestamentaria) is a notarially authenticated instrument executed by the recognized heirs of a decedent who died without a valid will (intestado), formalizing the collective acceptance of the inheritance, the designation of an albacea (estate executor), and the agreed distribution of the estate (herencia) in accordance with the mandatory intestate succession hierarchy established by the Código Civil Federal (CCF) Articles 1599 through 1649 and the corresponding civil code of the state where the principal assets are located. When a person dies intestado in Mexico, no private agreement among heirs can validly distribute the estate until the herederos have been judicially or notarially declared — the Convenio de Sucesión Intestamentaria is the instrument by which that declaration is formalized and the agreed terms of distribution are documented.

Mexican intestate succession law operates under a dual legislative framework: the Código Civil Federal governs federal territories and provides the suppletory framework, while each of Mexico's 31 states and Ciudad de México maintains its own civil code governing succession within its boundaries. For practical purposes, succession of real property (bienes inmuebles) follows the law of the state where each property is registered with the Registro Público de la Propiedad; succession of personal property (bienes muebles) generally follows the law of the decedent's last domicile. The Convenio de Sucesión Intestamentaria must be executed before a licensed Notario Público — it cannot be a private document (documento privado) and must be incorporated into the Protocolo Notarial to have legal effect vis-à-vis third parties and the Registro Público de la Propiedad.

The intestate succession hierarchy under CCF Articles 1602 through 1625 operates in strict order of preference: first, descendants (hijos, nietos, bisnietos) in equal shares per stirpes; in the absence of descendants, the surviving spouse and ascendants (parents, grandparents) share equally, with the surviving spouse taking one-half and the ascendants dividing the other half; in the absence of both, siblings (hermanos) and their descendants inherit; and in the total absence of qualifying relatives, the estate escheats to the Beneficencia Pública under Article 1636 CCF. A concubino or concubina who cohabited with the deceased for at least two continuous years preceding death, or who had children with the deceased, acquires inheritance rights equivalent to a surviving spouse under Article 1635 CCF, provided no legal marriage existed.

The procedimiento sucesorio intestamentario (intestate succession proceeding) may be conducted extrajudicially before a Notario Público in states whose civil codes and Ley del Notariado authorize notarial succession proceedings — this option, available in Ciudad de México, Jalisco, Nuevo León, and other states under their respective Leyes del Notariado, is substantially faster and less expensive than a judicial proceeding before a Juzgado Familiar or Civil. The extrajudicial notarial proceeding requires: (i) presentation of the acta de defunción (death certificate) issued by the Registro Civil; (ii) documentary proof of heirs' relationships (actas de nacimiento, actas de matrimonio, CURP documents); (iii) publication of an edicto notarial (notarial notice) in a newspaper of general circulation inviting any additional potential heirs to appear; and (iv) execution of the Declaración de Herederos before the Notario Público after the statutory waiting period following publication.

Once the Declaración de Herederos is executed, the heirs proceed to the adjudicación (asset distribution) phase, which may be accomplished by a separate escritura de adjudicación or incorporated into the Convenio de Sucesión Intestamentaria. For real property, the adjudicación deed must be registered with the Registro Público de la Propiedad in the corresponding state to transfer title. Bank accounts and financial assets are transferred directly to heirs through the financial institution upon presentation of apostilled copies of the succession documents. The Impuesto sobre Adquisición de Inmuebles (ISAI) applies to real property transfers at rates of 2% to 4% depending on the state.

An Intestate Succession Agreement Mexico is required whenever a person dies without a valid will and their heirs need to formally claim, partition, and transfer the decedent's assets. The primary triggering event is the death (fallecimiento) of a person who owns assets registered in their name — real property, bank accounts, vehicles, business interests, or other property — without having executed a valid testamento público abierto, testamento ológrafo, or other legally recognized will form before death.

The agreement is needed when the decedent's heirs are in agreement regarding the distribution of the estate and wish to use the faster and less expensive extrajudicial notarial proceeding (procedimiento sucesorio notarial) rather than judicial succession before a Juzgado Familiar. Disagreement among heirs about the existence of other heirs, the valuation of assets, or the desired distribution means the parties must proceed judicially — the Convenio de Sucesión Intestamentaria is only appropriate when all recognized heirs are identified, located, and willing to cooperate.

The document is specifically required when heirs need to sell, mortgage, or transfer inherited real estate — Mexican notaries and the Registro Público de la Propiedad will not process a real property transaction by an heir unless the succession has been formally concluded and the heredero's title has been registered through a valid adjudicación inscription. Bank accounts, AFORE retirement funds, and investment accounts may have separate beneficiary designation mechanisms that operate independently of the succession proceeding, but real property and assets held in the decedent's name require formal succession to transfer title.

Under CCF Article 1650, heirs who accept the inheritance without benefit of inventory (sin beneficio de inventario) become jointly and severally liable for the decedent's debts up to the value of the inherited assets — the Convenio de Sucesión Intestamentaria should document any known debts and their treatment to protect heirs from unexpected creditor claims. The document is also needed when the estate includes assets in multiple states, requiring coordinated succession proceedings in each state's Registro Público de la Propiedad.

For minors or incapacitated persons who are heirs, the Convenio requires judicial authorization (autorización judicial) from the Juzgado Familiar before execution — the Notario Público will require evidence of this authorization before proceeding. The document is also required when the decedent was a foreign national who owned assets in Mexico, as the succession must comply with Mexican law for Mexican-sited assets regardless of the nationality of the decedent or heirs.

A valid Intestate Succession Agreement Mexico under CCF Articles 1599–1649 and the applicable state civil code must contain the following essential elements to be legally effective and registrable with the Registro Público de la Propiedad.

Decedent Identification: Full legal name, date and place of birth, CURP (Clave Única de Registro de Población), RFC (Registro Federal de Contribuyentes), date and place of death (as recorded in the acta de defunción issued by the Registro Civil), last known domicile, and marital status at time of death. The marital regime (sociedad conyugal or separación de bienes) is critical because community property (bienes gananciales) belonging to the surviving spouse does not form part of the herencia.

Heirship Documentation: Certified copies (copias certificadas) of the acta de defunción, actas de nacimiento of all heirs, acta de matrimonio (if a surviving spouse is an heir), CURP documents of all heirs, and any judicial or notarial Declaración de Herederos previously issued. The Notario Público must verify the authenticity of all civil registry documents before proceeding with the succession instrument.

Inventory of Estate Assets: A comprehensive inventory (inventario de bienes) of all assets forming part of the herencia, including: real property with full description (folio real del Registro Público de la Propiedad, clave catastral, surface area, location, and current assessed value); bank accounts (institución bancaria, account number, CLABE interbanking key, and balance as of death date); vehicles (número de placas, NIV/VIN, modelo, and current value per Libro Azul); business interests (RFC, percentage of capital, and valuation basis); and any other personal property of significance. Debts and obligations (deudas hereditarias) must be identified and their treatment agreed.

Heirship Declarations: Each heir's full legal name, CURP, RFC, address, relationship to the decedent, and percentage share of the estate as determined by the applicable intestate hierarchy under CCF Articles 1602–1625. The document must recite the applicable statutory provision establishing each heir's right (e.g., "conforme al Artículo 1602 del Código Civil Federal, herederos en partes iguales").

Albacea Designation: Appointment of one of the heirs or a third party as albacea (estate executor) with the powers and obligations established in Articles 1679 through 1757 CCF, including authority to file tax returns, pay estate debts, and execute adjudicación deeds. The albacea's compensation should be agreed, or left to the CCF default of 2% of inventory value (Article 1752 CCF).

Adjudicación Agreement: The heirs' agreed distribution of specific assets — which heir receives which property, in what proportions, and subject to what conditions or equalizing payments (compensaciones en numerario) to ensure heirs receiving lower-value assets are compensated by those receiving higher-value assets.

Edicto Notarial Record: Reference to the publication of the edicto notarial in the official newspaper (Periódico Oficial) and a newspaper of general circulation, as required by the applicable state Ley del Notariado, inviting additional potential heirs to appear within the statutory period (typically 30 to 60 days depending on the state).

ISAI and Tax Declarations: Acknowledgment of the Impuesto sobre Adquisición de Inmuebles (ISAI) obligations arising from real property transfers, with reference to any applicable state exemptions for direct-line heirs. The ISR exemption under LISR Article 93 Section XXII for inherited assets should be noted.

Forms-legal.com provides this Intestate Succession Agreement Mexico template as a preparation guide. The procedimiento sucesorio intestamentario requires execution before a licensed Notario Público — consult a Notario Público in the state of the decedent's last domicile or where the principal assets are located for the complete proceeding, applicable aranceles notariales, and Registro Público de la Propiedad registration.