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Imagine somebody writes a will in Spain, and later on dies. For some reason, this has not been posted, nor was the beneficiary notified through any other means.
Is there a central government office, or similar location, where this can be queried to find out whether any money, or other assets, have been left?
Additionally, what are the cut off dates to claim this? If someone is a minor (under the age of 18) would that possibly increase the amount of time one has to accept it?
In most countries (including Spain, if I read the spanish Wikipedia article correctly) Wills do not need to be deposited in an official office. They may need to be made in the presence of an attorney or other witnesses, but if you don't know those witnesses or attorneys, you won't know whether a written will exists or not.
I would assume that these attorneys monitor the known sources for notices on the passing of somebody and start acting on their own. Sometimes, also the government publishes a request if the heirs of somebody that died are unknown. A government office will in the end decide who gets what based on what they know (e.g. heirs, a will if one exists, etc.), so I suggest you ask the office at the place where the deceased last lived whether they know anything about a will.
