Succession Certificate (for debts and securities)
Also known as: succession certificate, court succession certificate, certificate for bank balance deceased, Indian Succession Act certificate
A District Judge's certificate authorising you to collect debts and securities owed to someone who died — bank balances, deposits, shares, bonds. It is a court proceeding, not a counter service, and it is narrower than most people expect: it covers debts and securities, not the house and not the land.
- Issued by
- District Court — under Part X of the Indian Succession Act, 1925
- Official portal
- eCourts Services
- You get
- Succession Certificate — Valid for life
- Offline options
- District Court of the district where the deceased ordinarily resided at the time of death, or where the property is situated
Who can apply
- This certificate is about debts and securities only. The Judge specifies in the certificate the debts and securities set out in the application, and may empower you to receive interest or dividends on them, to negotiate or transfer them, or both (Section 374). It is not a general title document for immovable property.
- It is the intestate route. Where a right must be established by probate or letters of administration under Sections 212 or 213, a succession certificate is barred for that debt or security (Section 370).
- 'Security' includes promissory notes, debentures, stock and other Central Government securities among other instruments — the definition matters, because it decides whether your asset is even in scope (Section 370(2))
What it costs
| Court fee (ad valorem on the value of the debts and securities)A percentage of the value of the estate covered, under the court-fees schedule as applicable in the State — commonly described as a few per cent, sometimes with a ceiling. The rate is not stated in the Indian Succession Act itself and KaamKar will not guess it. Confirm with the District Court where you will file. | ₹0–₹0 |
| Advocate's feeA private professional fee, not a government charge. This is a court petition and most families engage an advocate. KaamKar states no figure. | ₹0–₹0 |
How long it takes
Typically 60–240 days.
This is a court proceeding with a notice and hearing stage — no Right to Public Services timeline applies. Duration depends on the court's list and whether anyone objects.
The full step-by-step guide
What's inside for this procedure:
- 6 steps in exact order, with the official link at each one
- 5 documents — accepted alternatives
- 8 common reasons applications get rejected, and how to avoid each
- A 2-question intake that prunes the checklist to your situation
- Progress tracking with your deadlines, notes, and application numbers
Common questions
What does a succession certificate actually cover?
Debts and securities — the Judge specifies them in the certificate and may empower you to receive interest or dividends on them, negotiate or transfer them, or both. It does not deal with immovable property, and where a right must be established by probate or letters of administration, a certificate is barred for that debt or security (Section 370).
Do we need one for a bank account?
Not always. Ask the bank in writing first. For smaller balances many institutions accept a legal heirship certificate with an indemnity bond and the other heirs' no-objection. A succession certificate is what you need when the institution requires court backing or the sums are substantial.
Where do we file?
Before the District Judge — the Judge of a Principal Civil Court of original jurisdiction — for the district where the deceased ordinarily resided at the time of death. If that was elsewhere, the petition pleads the deceased's property within that Judge's limits instead.
How long does it take?
Months. The Act requires a hearing date, special notice to anyone the Judge thinks should have it, notice posted at the court-house and published, and then a decision in a summary manner. Summary means without full trial, not fast — and a contested petition takes considerably longer.
What does it cost?
An ad valorem court fee on the value of the debts and securities, at the rate set by the court-fees schedule as applicable in the State, plus your advocate's fee. The Indian Succession Act does not state the rate — confirm it with the District Court where you will file.
Can it be cancelled later?
Yes. Revocation is allowed where the proceedings were defective in substance, where the certificate was obtained by fraud or concealment, where it rests on an untrue allegation of a material fact — even if made innocently — or where it has become useless (Section 383).
Part of a bigger goal
- After a death in the family — Maharashtra— Maharashtra
Would you rather have someone do this for you?
The guide above covers the full procedure. If you would prefer professional help, let us know — assisted filing is on the way, and this helps us decide which services and cities come first.
We record the service, the state and the first 3 digits of your pincode — enough to see which areas need help, not enough to identify you. No name, no phone number.
Where this comes from
This guide is put together from the official government sources listed below. We last reviewed it on 20 July 2026. Government rules and fees change often, and official websites are sometimes incomplete or unclear, so we cannot promise every detail is current. We make every effort to keep this updated, but there is no guarantee. Always check the official source linked below before you act or pay.
Recent changes
- 21 July 2026 — Demoted load-bearing section citations (STEP-WRITING-STANDARD rule 2): rewrote the affected prose so the plain fact leads and the section number trails as a parenthetical reference (now rendered muted by <LegalText>). No factual change — every section number and source preserved.
- 20 July 2026 — Re-voiced every step to the action-first step-writing standard (docs/STEP-WRITING-STANDARD.md): second-person imperative, leading with what the applicant does and who they need — added an explicit 'get a lawyer to draft the petition' step. All section citations, fees, document/fee/pitfall references and sources preserved unchanged; no factual change, presentation only.
- 15 July 2026 — Initial authoring from the Indian Succession Act, 1925 text on India Code: the debts-and-securities scope (s.370, s.374), the Section 372 petition particulars and the false-averment offence, the Section 373 notice-and-summary-hearing procedure, the Section 375 security power and Section 383 revocation grounds. Court fee is left unasserted with verifyBeforeLaunch — it is an ad valorem State court fee, not stated in the Act, and no figure is taken from secondary sources. Timeline flagged: no published disposal commitment exists.
Official sources for this guide
- Indian Succession Act, 1925 (India Code) — Part X: s.370 restriction and definition of 'security', s.372 application and particulars, s.373 procedure/notice/summary decision, s.374 contents of certificate, s.375 security from grantee, s.383 revocation
- Indian Succession Act, 1925 — full text PDF on India Code
- eCourts district services — for the District Court where the petition is filed, and its current court-fee schedule
KaamKar is an independent guide, not a government website. Apply only on the official portal linked above. Content prepared to published requirements — no outcomes are guaranteed.