Next year, Brussels will consider unmarried cohabiting partners the same as married couples for the purposes of inheritance laws.
The Brussel’s parliament unanimously approved a proposal developed by Finance Minister Sven Gatz on Friday, aimed at modernising the inheritance laws in the Brussels region.
A paradigm shift in cohabitation
The minister acknowledges that these changes to the inheritance laws align with societal shifts towards different forms of cohabitation. Importantly, this does not impose any extra burden on the budget.
In practice, common-law partners will be considered equal to married couples and legal cohabiting partners, under certain conditions.
The proposal aims not to punish individuals who are living together without having formalised their relationship.
The primary conditions for this recognition are: those who have formed a common household for one year can benefit from the lowest rates, while three years of cohabitation is required for exemption on a family home.
The measure also introduces a reduced rate of 3% on an initial inheritance amount of 15,000 euros.
The changes are expected to be effective from 2024.
