Neptuno

When I lived in Spain, I had a Spanish will for all assets in Spain, and an English one for all assets in UK ( same applies to husband)
Now back in England , I was thinking, should I have cancelled the Spanish one?
I have no assets in Spain at all, but don't want to fall foul of Spanish bureaucracy
If I do have to cancel it, is it a simple matter of emailing the solicitor who arranged the will
Or shall I just forget about it?

VFR

Simply make a new UK will as this will override all others (will it not )

Fred James

If you have no Spanish assets, then you don't need a Spanish will - so my advice would be to forget it.

Neptuno

As my UK will covered only assets in UK, I don't need to go to the expense of a new one
My Spanish will has no authority over my UK assets
That's why I did separate wills
I just needed to know if I needed to tie up this loose end officially
I think I will do as Fred said, and forget it

snikpoh

What happens to all these 'old' wills that are lodged in Madrid? Is it like people registered on the padron where they have a 'purge' from time to time?

Neptuno

Aren't the originals kept with the solicitor, and copies in Madrid?
I presume the solicitor informs Madrid when wills have been processed and then they are destroyed

Fred James

They keep a register of wills in Madrid, but the originals are held at the Notaries office where they were signed.

Maur-Ross

Maybe you could get the solicitor who holds your UK will to write a letter on your behalf to you Spanish one. That would wind it up and you would have a copy of letter. Then you would have peace of mind and not have to worry about some obscure new rule/fine coming in to force in the future. You never know what could be brought in in the future in Spain

bobd22

If you have no assets whatsoever in Spain then how would they even know you had passed away? My guess is by contacting a solicitor or whatever to cancel a Spanish will would no doubt just incur needless cost.

Neptuno

I did contact a solicitor who frequently writes in the expat press, and he said the same as Fred.
Had my Spanish will covered assets in both countries that would have been a different matter