By depositing wills and inheritance contracts with the probate court, their safekeeping until death and their retrievability as soon as possible after the death of the testator is to be ensured. Notarized wills are deposited directly with the probate court in whose district the notary has his or her official seat by the notary recording the will. However, the testator may at any time request that the will be deposited with another probate court.

Handwritten wills (these only exist if they are handwritten and signed) can be deposited with a probate court of the testator's choice. Notarial contracts of inheritance are often - like the notarial will - sent by the notary to the probate court responsible for their official seat for safekeeping; however, contracts of inheritance can also be deposited with the notary.

The testator receives a certificate of deposit for the will that has been deposited. The testator can request the surrender of the will at any time. However, the will may only be handed over to the testator personally. If a notarized will is released from official custody, it is deemed to have been revoked. Inheritance contracts placed in official custody which contain only dispositions mortis causa (i.e. which do not contain any provisions of significance during the lifetime of the parties involved) can be withdrawn from official custody and returned to the contracting parties. Upon return, the inheritance contract is deemed to be revoked.

Since January 1, 2012, official custody has been recorded in the Central Register of Wills of the Federal Chamber of Notaries. This ensures that the will or contract of inheritance held in safekeeping can be found upon the death of the testator.

The Central Register of Wills of the German Federal Chamber of Notaries

• notarized wills and contracts of inheritance,
• handwritten wills that are placed in special official safekeeping and
• other registerable documents relevant to succession

are registered.

The information required to find the document is stored, but not the content of the declaration itself. The document remains in official safekeeping, protected from access by unauthorized third parties.

In the event of death, the Federal Chamber of Notaries notifies the probate court and, if custody details are available, the custodian of the relevant deed. It is informed by the registry offices of all domestic deaths and checks them for corresponding entries in the Central Register of Wills.

Further information on questions of inheritance law can be found in the brochure "Vorsorge für den Erbfall" ("Making provisions for inheritance") published by the Bavarian State Ministry of Justice, which you can download under "Further links". You can also find information on inheritance law on the website of the Bavarian notaries (see "Related links").