Senate passed an important law enabling a simple transition to the legal heirs of the deceased movable and immovable property. Act, 2020 is a crucial legislation to gain the approval of both the National Assembly and the Senate in the government’s legal reform agenda.
The purpose of this law is to provide for an efficacious and speedy mechanism for issuance of letters of Administration and Succession Certificates.
One of the problems faced by the legal heirs of the deceased is the transfer of immovable and movable property even in the cases where no ‘factual controversy’ i.e. any objection by legal heirs or dispute regarding the identity of legal heirs exists.
Law Ministry has devised a mechanism to establish Succession Facilitation Units in collaboration with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) for the issuance of Letters of Administration and Succession Certificates within 15 days of initiation of application by the legal heir/heirs of the deceased.
The initiative would enable NADRA to use biometric authentication to issue Succession Certificates and Letters of Administration for the first time in Pakistan.
Before this law, it took 2 to 7 years to get a simple Letter of Administration or Succession Certificate by the courts. Previously all the legal heirs had to be present in the courts in Pakistan, now even if legal heirs are not present in Pakistan, the Letters of Administration and Succession Certificates will be issued.
This will save a lot of expense and time and will release onerous burden on the courts.
