Which certificate is needed to claim a deceased parent's bank account?

A legal heir certificate, issued quickly by a local revenue officer, is generally enough to mutate an inherited house or flat into the heirs' names, while a succession certificate, issued only by a civil court, is specifically needed to claim the deceased's bank accounts, shares and other movable financial assets. For contested estates or very high-value immovable property, some banks or buyers may still ask for a succession certificate, probate, or letters of administration as extra assurance. Legal heir certificate: fast, issued by the Tahsildar/Revenue Officer, mainly used for mutating immovable property, pension and employment benefits Succession certificate: slower, issued only by a civil court after notice to all parties, specifically to collect the deceased's debts and securities (bank accounts, shares, deposits) For a house or flat, a legal heir certificate plus death certificate is usually sufficient for mutation in most states For bank accounts, demat holdings or other financial assets, banks and depositories generally insist on a succession certificate (or, where a will exists, probate/letters of administration) In the Presidency towns of Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, a will covering property there needs probate rather than either of these two certificates

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Difference between legal heir certificate and succession certificate

Short answer: A legal heir certificate, issued quickly by a local revenue officer, is generally enough to mutate an inherited house or flat into the heirs' names, while a succession certificate, issued only by a civil court, is specifically needed to claim the deceased's bank accounts, shares and other movable financial assets. For contested estates or very high-value immovable property, some banks or buyers may still ask for a succession certificate, probate, or letters of administration as extra assurance.

Law: Indian Succession Act 1925, Part X; state revenue rules · Authority: General guidance · Status: in force · Checked 25 Sept 2026

What you need to know

Legal heir certificate: fast, issued by the Tahsildar/Revenue Officer, mainly used for mutating immovable property, pension and employment benefits
Succession certificate: slower, issued only by a civil court after notice to all parties, specifically to collect the deceased's debts and securities (bank accounts, shares, deposits)
For a house or flat, a legal heir certificate plus death certificate is usually sufficient for mutation in most states
For bank accounts, demat holdings or other financial assets, banks and depositories generally insist on a succession certificate (or, where a will exists, probate/letters of administration)
In the Presidency towns of Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, a will covering property there needs probate rather than either of these two certificates

Who this applies to: Heirs, families

Official / primary source: indiacode.nic.in (government source)

The law behind it

Legal heir certificate and succession certificate applications

When an owner dies without a Will, heirs typically need a legal heir certificate (a simple revenue-department document, used for mutation and pension claims) and, for bank accounts and other movable assets, a succession certificate from the District Court - a more formal document that also lets the holder handle debts and securities.

Legal heir certificate (state revenue/tehsildar process); Succession Certificate petition under Section 372, Indian Succession Act 1925 · in force · source

Legal heir certificate vs succession certificate

These two documents are often confused but serve different purposes: a legal heir certificate, issued quickly by a local revenue officer, simply lists who the deceased's heirs are and is commonly used for mutation of immovable property, pension and employment benefits. A succession certificate, issued only by a civil court, is specifically meant to let heirs collect the deceased's movable assets like bank balances, shares and debts, and carries stronger legal weight because a court has scrutinised the claim.

State revenue rules; Indian Succession Act 1925, Part X (Sections 370-390) · in force · source

Mutation (dakhil-kharij / intkal) - updating land revenue records after a sale or inheritance

Mutation is the process of updating the government's revenue records to show a property's new owner after a sale, gift or inheritance - it does not itself transfer legal title (a registered deed or the law of succession does that), but skipping it means the old owner's name keeps appearing in tax and revenue records, which can cause real problems later with loans, resale or property tax. In many states it is called dakhil-kharij or intkal, and it must be applied for at the local tehsil or revenue office after registration.

State Land Revenue Codes/Acts, mutation rules · in force · source

Indian Succession Act 1925 - wills and where probate is mandatory

This law sets the rules for making a valid will and, for non-Muslims, governs testamentary succession generally. Crucially, in the three former Presidency towns - Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai - a will covering immovable property there cannot practically be acted upon without first obtaining probate (a court's formal validation of the will), whereas elsewhere in India probate is optional and mainly used to remove doubt or prevent disputes.

Indian Succession Act 1925, Sections 57-70 (wills), 213, 57(a)-(c) (probate) · in force · source

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