Legal-heir certificate — by state
A legal-heir certificate identifies who the legal heirs of a deceased person are. It is issued by the Tahsildar / Revenue Department — but not every state issues one. Pick your state to see the portal, the documents, the fee and the timeline. Where no certificate is issued, the table says what to do instead.
All states
| State | Issuing authority | Portal | Fee | Timeline | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tamil Nadu | Tahsildar (Taluk office) | TN e-Sevai | ₹60 (e-Sevai service charge) | 15–30 days | TN e-Sevai portal (TNeGA), eGovtSchemes — Varisu certificate (REV-114), Tamil Nadu, TheCurrentIndia — Legal heir certificate in Tamil Nadu, Housing.com — Varisu certificate, Tamil Nadu Service code REV-114 on TN e-Sevai. A VAO / Revenue Inspector enquiry follows the application. |
| Kerala | Village Officer / Tahsildar (Revenue Dept) | e-District Kerala | ₹2 stamp + ₹15 online (Akshaya centre ~₹28 total) | 15–30 days (see note) | e-District Kerala (Govt. of Kerala), IndiaFilings — Obtain a legal heir certificate in Kerala, RestTheCase — Legal heir certificate in Kerala, Housing.com — Legal heir certificate in Kerala Timeline conflict: most guides say 15–30 days; IndiaFilings/Housing.com describe a 30-day gazette objection period plus 15 days to issue (about 45 days in total). Both figures are shown here. |
| Karnataka | Tahsildar (restricted — see note) | Seva Sindhu | Not verified — confirm on the portal | ~15 days (restricted cases) | Bengaluru Urban district — Legal heir certificate, Seva Sindhu, Karnataka (Govt. of Karnataka), InvestorHelpdesk — Legal heir certificate, Karnataka, BrickNBolt — Legal heir certificate / family settlement deed Restricted: the Bengaluru Urban district page says a legal-heir certificate is now only issued to the kin of deceased government servants. Everyone else has to obtain a succession certificate through their jurisdictional civil court. Nadakacheri covers family-tree / revenue certificates. |
| Andhra Pradesh | Mandal Revenue Officer (MRO) | MeeSeva AP single source — verify | — | — | InvestorHelpdesk — Legal heir certificate, Andhra Pradesh, Jurigram — Legal heir certificate in India Only one source found for the route. The MeeSeva AP portal link could not be opened in our checks (it is confirmed by multiple guides but was not directly reachable) — confirm the link works. Fee and timeline are not verified, so they are not shown. |
| Telangana | Mandal Revenue Officer (MRO) | MeeSeva Telangana single source — verify | — | — | InvestorHelpdesk — Legal heir certificate, Telangana, Mookaa — Legal heir certificate documents In Hyderabad it is processed as a Family Membership Certificate via MeeSeva. Only one source found for the route. The MeeSeva Telangana portal link could not be opened in our checks — confirm the link works. Timeline is also in conflict (15 working days under the Right to Services Act per one guide; 7–14 working days per another), so no timeline is shown. |
| Delhi | Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Revenue Dept, NCT of Delhi | Delhi e-District | No fee | 14 days | Delhi e-District (Govt. of NCT of Delhi), Century Law Firm — Surviving Member Certificate (SMC) in Delhi, Landeed — Delhi legal heir / succession certificate Delhi does not issue a document called a 'legal-heir certificate'. What it issues is a Surviving Member Certificate (SMC) — that is what Delhi offices and banks mean by a legal-heir certificate. |
| Maharashtra | No legal-heir certificate is issued in this state. Maharashtra has no notified 'legal-heir certificate' service. The equivalent is an heirship certificate under Bombay Regulation VIII of 1827, applied for in the civil court (City Civil Court / Bombay High Court original side, by value). The Maharashtra Court-Fees Act Sch.I Art.12 charges it at the probate rate on the property certified. For debts and securities, use a succession certificate from the District Court instead. | WillJini — Legal heir certificate in Mumbai, ICICI Bank — Succession certificate: what an NRI needs to know | |||
Documents usually asked for
- Death certificate of the deceased (mandatory)
- Identity proof of the applicant and all heirs
- Address proof
- Ration card / family register showing all family members
- Proof of relationship to the deceased
- Affidavit / joint affidavit from all heirs (where the state asks for one)
Sources: Mookaa — Legal heir certificate documents, InvestorHelpdesk — Legal heir certificate guide, Bajaj Finserv — How to get a legal heir certificate
A legal-heir certificate is not a succession certificate. It identifies the heirs; it does not by itself authorise collecting bank deposits or shares — for that, banks usually ask for a succession certificate (or accept a nomination / indemnity, depending on the amount and the bank's rules).