Inheritance Law Law
This section addresses certificates of inheritance, wills, reduction (tenkis) and testator-collusion actions, and the partition of estates under the Turkish Civil Code.
Inheritance Waiver Agreement: Requirements, Form and Effects
Waiving the inheritance in advance under TMK arts.528-530
How is an inheritance waiver agreement made and can it be revoked? Onerous and gratuitous waivers and their effects.
An inheritance waiver is an agreement by which a prospective heir, in advance, waives his or her future inheritance rights vis-à-vis the testator. TMK arts.528-530 govern this agreement and subject it to important formal requirements.
Nature and Form of the Agreement
The inheritance waiver agreement is a form of succession contract and, under TMK art.545, must be made in the form of an official will — that is, before a notary, a judge of the Civil Court of Peace or a competent official, in the presence of two witnesses. Waiver agreements made by ordinary written instrument are absolutely void.
The parties to the agreement are the testator and the prospective heir. The testator must have testamentary capacity; the heir must be of age and have capacity to discern.
Onerous and Gratuitous Waivers
A waiver may be made for consideration (onerous) or without consideration (gratuitous). In an onerous waiver, the heir is given an immovable, a sum of money or some other value in exchange for waiving the inheritance. A gratuitous waiver is made without any consideration.
TMK art.528/2 contains an important rule: where an onerous waiver is made, the waiver extends to the descendants of the waiving heir unless the agreement provides otherwise. In a gratuitous waiver, the descendants are not affected and may inherit in their own right.
Liability to Creditors and Lapse of the Waiver
TMK art.530 provides that where, at the opening of the succession, the estate cannot satisfy its debts and the heirs do not pay them, the waiving heir and his or her descendants are liable to the creditors, in respect of the consideration received from the testator in the five years preceding death, up to the amount of their enrichment as at the opening of the succession.
TMK art.529 deals with lapse of the waiver: where the waiver was made in favour of a specific person and that person, for whatever reason, cannot inherit, the waiver lapses; where no specific beneficiary is designated, the waiver is treated as having been made in favour of the descendants of the nearest common ancestor, and if those persons cannot inherit, the waiver again lapses.
Practical Considerations
In inheritance disputes, the first step is to clarify the status of the heirs, the scope of the estate and any dispositions on death. Civil-registry records, certificates of inheritance, land-registry records, bank correspondence, the records of the opening of a will and any transfers made by the deceased during their lifetime should be reviewed together.
The time limits and types of action for matters such as reduction, testator collusion, renunciation of inheritance, annulment of a will and inheritance waiver differ from one another. Correctly identifying the date of knowledge, the opening of the estate, the opening of the will and the date of any renunciation declaration prevents the loss of rights.
Because intra-family transactions are often conducted without written documents, bank receipts, the values reflected in the deed, the testator's economic needs, witness accounts and patterns of actual use are particularly important. The earlier the evidence is prepared, the more soundly the legal framework of the dispute can be established.
Relevant Statutory Provisions
- TMK m.528Inheritance waiver agreement
Original (Turkish, official):
Madde 528 - Mirasbırakan, bir mirasçısı ile karşılıksız veya bir karşılık sağlanarak mirastan feragat sözleşmesi yapabilir. Feragat eden, mirasçılık sıfatını kaybeder. Bir karşılık sağlanarak mirastan feragat, sözleşmede aksi öngörülmedikçe feragat edenin altsoyu için de sonuç doğurur.
English summary (non-binding):
Article 528- The testator may conclude with an heir an inheritance waiver agreement, either gratuitously or for consideration. The waiving party loses his or her status as heir. An onerous waiver also has effect in respect of the descendants of the waiving party, unless the agreement provides otherwise.
Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12
- TMK m.529Lapse of the waiver agreement
Original (Turkish, official):
Madde 529- Mirastan feragat sözleşmesi belli bir kişi lehine yapılmış olup bu kişinin herhangi bir sebeple mirasçı olamaması hâlinde, feragat hükümden düşer. Mirastan feragat sözleşmesi belli bir kişi lehine yapılmamışsa, en yakın ortak kökün altsoyu lehine yapılmış sayılır ve bunların herhangi bir sebeple mirasçı olamaması hâlinde, feragat yine hükümden düşer.
English summary (non-binding):
Article 529- Where the waiver agreement was made in favour of a specific person and that person, for any reason, cannot inherit, the waiver lapses. Where the waiver agreement was not made in favour of a specific person, it is deemed to have been made in favour of the descendants of the nearest common ancestor; if those persons, for any reason, cannot inherit, the waiver again lapses.
Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12
- TMK m.530Waiving heir's liability to creditors
Original (Turkish, official):
Madde 530- Mirasın açılması anında tereke, borçları karşılayamıyorsa ve borçlar mirasçılar tarafından da ödenmiyorsa, feragat eden ve mirasçıları, alacaklılara karşı feragat için ölümünden önceki beş yıl içinde mirasbırakandan almış oldukları karşılıktan, mirasın açılması anındaki zenginleşmeleri tutarında sorumludurlar.
English summary (non-binding):
Article 530- Where, at the opening of the succession, the estate cannot satisfy its debts and the heirs do not pay them, the waiving party and his or her heirs are liable to the creditors, in respect of any consideration received from the testator in the five years preceding death for the waiver, up to the amount of their enrichment as at the opening of the succession.
Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12
- TMK m.545Form of the succession contract
Original (Turkish, official):
Madde 545- Miras sözleşmesinin geçerli olması için resmî vasiyetname şeklinde düzenlenmesi gerekir. Sözleşmenin tarafları, arzularını resmî memura aynı zamanda bildirirler ve düzenlenen sözleşmeyi memurun ve iki tanığın önünde imzalarlar.
English summary (non-binding):
Article 545- A succession contract is valid only if executed in the form of an official will. The parties to the contract simultaneously communicate their intentions to the official and sign the contract drawn up in the presence of the official and of two witnesses.
Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12
- TMK m.546Termination of the succession contract
Original (Turkish, official):
Madde 546- Miras sözleşmesi, tarafların yazılı anlaşmasıyla her zaman ortadan kaldırılabilir. Miras sözleşmesiyle mirasçı atanan veya kendisine belirli mal bırakılan kişinin, mirasbırakana karşı miras sözleşmesinin yapılmasından sonra mirasçılıktan çıkarma sebebi oluşturan davranışta bulunduğu ortaya çıkarsa; mirasbırakan, miras sözleşmesini tek taraflı olarak ortadan kaldırabilir. Tek taraflı ortadan kaldırma, vasiyetnameler için kanunda öngörülen şekillerden biriyle yapılır.
English summary (non-binding):
Article 546- The succession contract may be terminated at any time by written agreement of the parties. Where it later emerges that the person appointed as heir or designated as legatee under the succession contract has engaged, in respect of the testator, in conduct constituting a ground for disinheritance after the contract was concluded, the testator may unilaterally terminate the contract. A unilateral termination is made in one of the forms prescribed by law for wills.
Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12
- TMK m.506Forced heirs
Original (Turkish, official):
Madde 506- Saklı pay aşağıdaki oranlardan ibarettir: 1. Altsoy için yasal miras payının yarısı, 2. Ana ve babadan her biri için yasal miras payının dörtte biri, 3. (Mülga: 4/5/2007-5650/2 md.) 4. Sağ kalan eş için, altsoy veya ana ve baba zümresiyle birlikte mirasçı olması hâlinde yasal miras payının tamamı, diğer hâllerde yasal miras payının dörtte üçü.
English summary (non-binding):
Article 506- The reserved share consists of the following ratios: 1. For descendants, one-half of the statutory share; 2. For each of the parents, one-quarter of the statutory share; 3. (Repealed by Law No. 5650 of 4/5/2007.) 4. For the surviving spouse, the entirety of the statutory share where inheriting together with the branch of descendants or of parents, and three-quarters of the statutory share in the other cases.
Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12
The statutory provisions are reproduced for information purposes only. The current and official text on mevzuat.gov.tr is authoritative.
Conclusion
An inheritance waiver has serious family and financial consequences and is difficult to reverse. The parties should act with full awareness that the agreement must be made in official form and that an onerous waiver also affects the waiving heir's descendants.
This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you would like professional assistance on a specific matter, you may request a consultation.
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