Inheriting property in Russia while living in the United States
An apartment, an account, a shareholding or land in Russia — and an heir abroad. You usually do not have to travel. What decides the case is the form of your application, the correct notary and a date inside the six-month period.
Six months, counted from the day after death
Under Russian law the general period for accepting an inheritance is six months from the opening of the estate. A properly executed application filed within that period preserves your rights even if the supporting documents come later. What does not preserve them: an email, a scan, a message to a relative, or an application addressed to the wrong notary.
Travelling is usually unnecessary
Your signature on the application can be certified abroad — by a Russian consulate or by a local notary with an apostille and certified translation — and the application sent to the specific Russian notary handling the estate. For a mailed application, the date of dispatch is what counts. A representative in Russia can act under a power of attorney that expressly authorises acceptance of the inheritance; a general power is not enough.
This is work we do
Inheritance matters with a foreign element are part of the office's practice: identifying the competent notary and the applicable law, preparing the application and power of attorney so they are accepted first time, and rescuing the deadline when weeks remained. Estates differ in what is left, where, and what documents survive, so no outcome is promised — but the procedure, and the places it usually breaks, are familiar.
If the period has already passed
Without court, a late heir can be admitted only with the written consent of every heir who already accepted. In court, four things have to be shown: when you learned of the death, what genuinely prevented you from applying, how long that obstacle lasted, and that you came to court within six months of its ending. Restoration is neither automatic nor guaranteed, and the evidence is assembled before the filing, not during it.
When this applies
What the lawyer does
What to have ready
Where it usually goes wrong
Next step
Review the documents, deadlines, jurisdiction and a realistic legal position
A consultation helps you see the structure of the dispute and the available steps — without promising an outcome.
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