How to Apply for a Legal Heir Certificate in India 2026? Its Name, Office and Fee by State
How to Apply for a Legal Heir Certificate in India 2026? Its Name, Office and Fee by State
You apply to the Tahsildar in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Odisha, and to the SDM of your area in Delhi. In Maharashtra the application goes to a court. Your state may call the certificate something else: Delhi issues a Surviving Member Certificate, Telangana a Family Member Certificate, Assam a Next of Kin Certificate and Tamil Nadu a varisu certificate.
Which document your family can get depends on the state. In Karnataka it also depends on the person who died: the state issues its legal heir certificate only to the kin of deceased government servants. WillJini's professionals assess the case and guide the family through the application.
Where this page sits
If you are applying in Telangana, Delhi, Maharashtra or Karnataka, go straight to that state's guide. If you are not sure whether you need this certificate or a court's succession certificate, read how the two documents differ before you apply.
Related guides:
- Legal heir certificate in Telangana
- Legal heir certificate in Delhi
- Legal heir certificate in Maharashtra
- Legal heir certificate in Karnataka
Which Office Issues a Legal Heir Certificate in Your State?
A revenue officer, usually the Tahsildar, issues the legal heir certificate in most of the eleven states below.
| State | Its name there | Who issues it | Where you apply | Published fee | Published time | WillJini guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telangana | Family Member Certificate (district pages also: Legal heir Certificate, Family Membership Certificate) | Tahsildar of the mandal | a MeeSeva centre or the MeeSeva portal | Rs 45 plus postal charges, statutory charges nil (MeeSeva Citizen Charter, 22 March 2018) | not published | Telangana guide |
| Andhra Pradesh | Family Membership (or Member) Certificate: one form for government employees and pensioners, one for social security schemes | Tahsildar | a MeeSeva centre (Category B) | not published | not published | none |
| Delhi | Surviving Member Certificate | SDM of your area, or the Deputy Commissioner's office | e-District Delhi or the SDM office | no fee | 14 days | Delhi guide |
| Maharashtra | certificate of heirship, Bombay Regulation VIII of 1827 (varas praman patra) | the court within whose jurisdiction the property lies, on an application to the Judge | the court; not on Aaple Sarkar | court fee on the value of the property, band by band at the probate rates | one month for objections after the proclamation; eight days' notice of any hearing; no total | Maharashtra guide |
| Karnataka | Legal Heir Certificate (kin of deceased government servants only); Surviving Family Member Certificate (everyone else) | first: the district administration (Bengaluru Urban: Deputy Commissioner's office); second: Deputy Tahsildar at the Atalji Janasnehi Kendra (Nadakacheri) | second: Seva Sindhu, or a Grama One, B1 or K1 counter | second: Rs 25 plus a Rs 25 counter service charge (Seva Sindhu); first: not published | second: 7 days (Seva Sindhu); first: not published | Karnataka guide |
| Tamil Nadu | Legal Heir Certificate (e-District REV-114); varisu certificate | Tahsildar where the deceased ordinarily resided, after the VAO and Revenue Inspector | Tamil Nadu e-District or an e-Sevai centre | department charge Rs 0; Rs 60 service charge at e-Sevai | Revenue Inspector's report within a week; issue within a week of it | none |
| Kerala | Legal Heirship Certificate (Akshaya: Legal Heir Certificate); not the Family Membership Certificate | Tahsildar, after the Village Officer's enquiry | e-District Kerala, an Akshaya centre, or the Village Officer or Tahsildar | Rs 5 court fee stamp; at Akshaya Rs 18 plus Rs 7 plus Rs 3 a page | 30 working days for objections after the gazette notification, then 15 working days if none | none |
| Odisha | Legal heir Certificate (Form No. II, Odisha Miscellaneous Certificates Rules, 2019) | Tahasildar | e-District Odisha | no fee (state service list) | 30 days; a proclamation first invites objections within 15 days | none |
| Assam | Next of Kin Certificate | not named statewide | Sewa Setu, or a PFC or CSC | statutory charges nil; Rs 30 service charge at a PFC or CSC | within 15 days | none |
| West Bengal (Kolkata only) | Legal Heir Certificate | Collector of Kolkata (Stamp and Revenue), KMC area only, only for cases directed by a government or government agency | offline, General Section, Room 101; two sets | not published | not published | none |
| Uttar Pradesh | Legal heir Certificate (district page title) | the tehsil office (Sultanpur district page) | the tehsil office, or a CSC operator | not published | not published | none |
Share the details of the person who died and the potential heirs, and WillJini’s professionals will assess the case and guide you through the steps your state requires.
WillJini calls you back within 24 hours.
How Do You Apply for a Legal Heir Certificate in India?
To apply for a legal heir certificate in India, you give your state's issuing office the details of the person who died and every heir, with the documents it lists. The office checks the family before it issues the certificate.
Step 1: Write down every heir
You list the name and address of the person who died, and each heir with their relationship to the deceased. All eligible heirs are usually listed in one certificate. An application that leaves one out is held up. WillJini identifies the eligible heirs from what the family shares about the person who died. In Delhi, every surviving member also gives a self-declaration.
Step 2: Gather the documents
You will need the death certificate in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Assam and Kolkata. Odisha makes it the one mandatory upload. In those states you also provide proof of identity, address and relationship, and Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Kolkata and Assam ask for an affidavit or self-declaration naming the family.
Delhi wants every document attested by a Gazetted Officer, and Kolkata adds the requesting institution's letter and a Councillor's certificate. A name spelt differently from the death certificate holds up the application. WillJini helps the family gather and verify the documents.
Step 3: Submit the application
You submit the application to the office listed for your state, or online where the state allows it. WillJini's professionals handle the complete application, offline or online.
Delhi may physically verify some documents at the counter, even on an online application. The original self-declaration still goes to the SDM, Tehsildar or CSC concerned.
Step 4: Clear the verification and any objections
In Tamil Nadu the Tahsildar decides the application after the VAO and the Revenue Inspector, and in Kerala after the Village Officer's enquiry. Kerala and Odisha also publish a notice inviting objections, as Maharashtra's court does by proclamation. A dispute between heirs goes to the civil court, and Odisha's rules say applicants in disputed cases may be advised to approach it for a succession certificate. WillJini guides the family through this stage, aiming to reduce the risk of rejection or delay.
Step 5: Receive the certificate
Kerala's certificate is valid for life. Tamil Nadu's must state that it only records relationships, with no printed validity period. You can appeal to the Revenue Divisional Officer within one year in Tamil Nadu, or within thirty days in Odisha. WillJini quotes its fee case by case, on enquiry. Once the certificate is approved, WillJini delivers it to the family.
What Is a Legal Heir Certificate Called in Your State?
The legal heir certificate is a Legal Heirship Certificate in Kerala, a Family Membership Certificate in Andhra Pradesh and a certificate of heirship in Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu uses varisu certificate alongside legal heir certificate.
Issued by a revenue officer after a local check
In Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Assam and Uttar Pradesh, and for Karnataka's Surviving Family Member Certificate, a revenue officer issues the certificate after checking the family locally. Tamil Nadu's G.O. (Ms) No. 478 of 2022 makes it one common document whatever the religion or gender.
Issued only after a public notice for objections
In Kerala and Odisha, a public notice invites objections before the Tahsildar issues the certificate: a gazette notification in Kerala, a proclamation in Odisha. Kerala issues it by the rules of the religion the deceased belonged to, according to Kerala's revenue department, and its Family Membership Certificate is a different document. Odisha's certificate is issued in Form No. II of the Odisha Miscellaneous Certificates Rules, 2019.
Open only to some families
Only the kin of a deceased government servant can now get Karnataka's legal heir certificate, according to the Bengaluru Urban district administration. Every other family applies for the Surviving Family Member Certificate (Karnataka guide). The Collector of Kolkata issues one only within the Kolkata Municipal Corporation area, and only for cases a government or government agency has directed.
Issued by a court
Maharashtra's certificate of heirship, or varas praman patra, is granted under Bombay Regulation VIII of 1827 by the court within whose jurisdiction the property lies, on an application to the Judge. For the procedure, see how to apply for a legal heir certificate in Maharashtra, or, for property in Mumbai, how to apply for a legal heir certificate in Mumbai. In every state, a dispute between heirs, or a claim that needs a succession certificate, goes to the civil court.
How Long Does a Legal Heir Certificate Take, and What Does It Cost?
Delhi issues a legal heir certificate in 14 days with no fee, and Seva Sindhu lists 7 days and a Rs 25 fee for Karnataka's Surviving Family Member Certificate. Assam issues within 15 days, and in Tamil Nadu the Revenue Inspector reports within a week and the certificate follows within a week.
Objections are invited first in Kerala, Odisha and Maharashtra, for 15 days in Odisha, one month in Maharashtra and 30 working days in Kerala. No time is published for Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh or Kolkata.
Where a fee is published outside Maharashtra, it is nil or small. Telangana charges Rs 45 plus postal charges (MeeSeva Citizen Charter, 22 March 2018). Maharashtra's court fee is charged on the value of the property, band by band at the probate rates of the Maharashtra Court-fees Act, 1959.
WillJini identifies the eligible heirs and prepares and organises the documents first, to reduce the risk of rejection or delay.
WillJini calls you back within 24 hours.
Can You Apply for a Legal Heir Certificate Online and Download It?
You can apply online in Telangana on MeeSeva, in Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Odisha on their e-District portals, in Karnataka on Seva Sindhu for the Surviving Family Member Certificate, and in Assam on Sewa Setu. Tamil Nadu's certificate can be downloaded once it is approved and digitally signed, and Assam's Next of Kin Certificate is downloaded from the ARTPS portal. Andhra Pradesh takes the application at MeeSeva centres, Uttar Pradesh at the tehsil office or through a CSC operator, and Kolkata offline.
Is a Legal Heir Certificate the Same as a Succession Certificate?
A legal heir certificate records the family's relationships, while a succession certificate is a District Judge's certificate for the debts and securities it names (the two compared). A Full Bench of the Madras High Court held on 17 June 2022 that a Tahsildar's certificate is "nothing more than a relationship certificate" and "does not affect the legal right of any party".
A succession certificate is granted by the District Judge within whose jurisdiction the deceased ordinarily resided, under Part X of the Indian Succession Act, 1925. Odisha's rules say succession certificates "shall not be granted by the Revenue Officers". Section 381 makes the certificate conclusive, for the debts and securities specified in it, against the persons owing those debts or liable on those securities.
Will a Bank Accept a Legal Heir Certificate?
A commercial bank accepts a "Legal Heir Certificate issued by a competent authority" for a deceased depositor's claim up to Rs 15 lakh, or a higher limit the bank fixes. The account must have no nomination or survivorship clause, and there must be no will, no contesting claim and no court order restraining payment. This is the Reserve Bank of India's rule for commercial banks; co-operative banks have their own Directions.
The bank can instead take a declaration by an independent person who is well known to the family, is not a party to the claim and is acceptable to the bank. Either document goes in with the claim form, death certificate, identity document, indemnity bond and disclaimers. Above that limit, the bank asks for a succession certificate, a Legal Heir Certificate issued by a competent authority, or an affidavit sworn before a Notary Public, Judge or Judicial Magistrate. Where the heirs dispute the claim, the bank settles it on probate, letters of administration, a succession certificate, or a court order or decree.
With a nominee or a survivorship clause, the bank cannot insist on a succession certificate or similar legal documents, or on an indemnity or surety, whatever the amount. The nominee receives the money as a trustee of the legal heirs (nominee or legal heir). Settlement is due within 15 calendar days of the bank receiving all the required documents.
WillJini helps gather and verify the death certificate, the heirs’ identity proof and the supporting papers, and delivers the certificate to the family once it is approved.
WillJini calls you back within 24 hours.
What Is a Legal Heir Certificate Used For?
Families use a legal heir certificate to claim what the person who died left, since it records each family member's relationship to that person. Andhra Pradesh's form for government employees names pension, gratuity, insurance and provident fund, and a commercial bank takes one for a deceased depositor's claim.
A legal heir is a person entitled to inherit, and the personal law that applied to the person who died decides which relatives those are, as inheritance without a will explains. The spouse, children or parents usually apply.
In property records, the certificate is a supporting document. Assam's mutation by right of inheritance lists a legal heir certificate among its documents. To change a land khata on succession, Karnataka relies on a vamshavruksha (family tree) attestation, which serves government department purposes only. Neither process makes the certificate a title to the property. For the property itself, see transferring property after a death.
FAQs
Who issues a legal heir certificate in India?
The legal heir certificate is issued by the Tahsildar in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Odisha, by the SDM or the Deputy Commissioner's office in Delhi, and by a Deputy Tahsildar for Karnataka's Surviving Family Member Certificate. Kolkata's Collector issues it only for cases a government or government agency has directed, and in Maharashtra it comes from the court where the property lies.
What is the procedure to get a legal heir certificate in India?
The procedure to get a legal heir certificate in India starts at your state's issuing office, with the family's details and the documents the office lists. The office verifies the family, after a notice for objections in Kerala, Odisha and Maharashtra, and issues the certificate. WillJini assesses the case and guides the application until the certificate is delivered.
How many days does it take to get a legal heir certificate?
A legal heir certificate takes 14 days in Delhi, 7 days on Seva Sindhu for Karnataka's Surviving Family Member Certificate and up to 15 days in Assam, and Tamil Nadu gives a week for the Revenue Inspector's report and a week after it. Kerala allows 30 working days for objections and then 15 working days if none is filed, Odisha 30 days in all, and Maharashtra's court publishes no total. Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Kolkata publish no time.
What documents are required for a legal heir certificate?
The death certificate is on the list in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Assam and Kolkata, and Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Kolkata and Assam also require an affidavit or self-declaration naming the family. Proof of identity, address and relationship goes with them.
Is a legal heir certificate the same as a succession certificate?
A legal heir certificate is a different document from a succession certificate. The first records the family's relationships and, the Madras High Court's Full Bench held, affects no one's legal right; the second is granted by a District Judge under the Indian Succession Act, 1925 and is conclusive for the debts and securities it names (section 381).
Every figure, office and timeline on this page traces to a government publication. Where the state publishes nothing, this page says so.
- Revenue Department, Delhi: Surviving Member Certificate gov.inNo fee, 14 days, the SDM of your area or the Deputy Commissioner’s office, and Gazetted Officer attestation
- MeeSeva Citizen Charter, 22 March 2018 gov.inFamily Member Certificate: Rs 45 plus postal charges, statutory charges nil
- Eluru district, Andhra Pradesh: Family Member Certificate gov.inOne form for government employees (pension, gratuity, insurance, provident fund) and one for social security schemes
- Seva Sindhu, Karnataka: Surviving Family Member Certificate gov.inRs 25 fee, a Rs 25 service charge at Grama One, B1 or K1, and 7 days
- Bengaluru Urban district: legal heir certificate gov.inIssued only to the kin of deceased government servants
- Tamil Nadu G.O. (Ms) No. 478, 29 September 2022 gov.inThe Tahsildar where the deceased ordinarily resided, a week for the Revenue Inspector’s report and a week for issue, one common certificate, and appeal to the Revenue Divisional Officer within one year
- Tamil Nadu G.O. (Ms) No. 110, 13 March 2024 gov.inThe certificate states that it only records relationships
- Kerala revenue department: certificates gov.inRs 5 court fee stamp, the Tahsildar after the Village Officer’s enquiry, and issue by the rules of the deceased’s religion
- Akshaya, Kerala: Legal Heir Certificate gov.in30 days for objections after the gazette notification, issue 15 days after, lifetime validity, and the centre charges
- Odisha revenue certificate services gov.inLegal Heir Certificate: no fee, 30 days, e-District Odisha
- Odisha Miscellaneous Certificates Rules, 2019 gov.inThe Tahasildar, Form No. II, a proclamation inviting objections within fifteen days, disputes to the civil court, and appeal within thirty days
- Sewa Setu, Assam: Next of Kin Certificate gov.inWithin 15 days, statutory charges nil, Rs 30 at a PFC or CSC, and download from the ARTPS portal
- Collector of Kolkata: Legal Heir Certificate gov.inKolkata Municipal Corporation area only, for cases directed by a government or government agency, offline in two sets
- Sultanpur district, Uttar Pradesh: legal heir certificate gov.inThe tehsil office or a CSC operator
- Bombay Regulation VIII of 1827 gov.inThe certificate of heirship, and objections within one month of the proclamation
- Maharashtra Court-fees Act, 1959 gov.inSchedule I Article 12: the probate fee on the value of the property the certificate covers
- Indian Succession Act, 1925, Part X gov.inSections 371 and 381, the succession certificate
- Reserve Bank of India, Commercial Banks, Responsible Business Conduct Directions, 2025Chapter VII Section E, deceased depositors’ claims
Jatin founded WillJini to make succession paperwork survivable for ordinary families, in a country where the office that issues a document, the fee it carries and the time it takes all change at the state line. He has been a member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India since January 1995.
- B.G.L., University of Mumbai
- Company Secretary
- ICSI member since 1995
Every page in this guide series is reviewed against the issuing department’s own published material before it goes up. Where a state publishes nothing, the page says so.
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