property - affidavit heirship. Explanation in simple terms

[BrandySnaps1]

DH is youngest of 3 siblings. MIL passed away recently and i found a document for my SIL where she is filing an affidavit for an heirship certificate.

in simple terms does this mean she is inheriting the house?

Could you provide more detail?

What country is the house in? Was there a will?

property is in asia. im not sure if there was a will.

only thing i know is SIL applied for this certificate/affidavit. DH doesnt know i saw document

It’s not something we can explain as every country will have their rules and procedures around how inheritance works. So no one can tell you what that form does without you sharing what country it’s for and even then someone will need to know about the legal systems for that country.

But wait? What’s the issue? At first it sounded like your DH didn’t know but now it sounds like he does?

yes DH knows but didnt mention it to me. his family are very secretive when it comes to money affairs.

i saw the form myself by chance.

I had never heard of this, so I googled it and it seems this is a system in India where the "legal heir or heirs" have to apply for this certificate and once it is awarded, it enables them to apply for pensions, savings, benefits owed or belonging to the deceased person. OP you really need to google it. The names of legal heirs need to be listed on it (I think but check) and I would guess that if your SIL is applying singly, she is saying she is sole heir. That was my interpretation but I know nothing except what I read so hopefully someone from India (or any other Asian countries that use this document) will come on and explain it properly.

So in terms of the inheritance, your DH knows so doesn’t sound like anything untoward is going on.

However, there’s a separate question of why it’s being kept secret from you and why you feel you can’t ask.