A minor child as heir

A minor child can be an heir. Age does not remove the child from the circle. In the file the child stands with name, date of birth and the relationship to the deceased. The date of birth shows that the child was a minor on the day of death, if that is so. A parent who has parental authority handles many practical matters, but accepting and renouncing are not a private choice of that parent alone. The subdistrict court (kantonrechter) has a role in that. You note that role as the fact that the choice does not lie with the parent alone. You describe no form and you fill in no declaration.

The choice itself stays open until it has been made in the proper way. You do not already enter unconditional acceptance in the file because the parent is using the things, and not already a renunciation because the estate seems to have debts. Debts are a reason to be careful, not a reason to fill in the choice. Note what is known: that the child is a minor, that the subdistrict court has a role, and which documents you already have. A letter from a parent to the family is not that choice. Keep the letter as correspondence, with the date, and leave the acceptance field empty.

Other interests of the child stay visible without steering the choice about the inheritance. Whoever exercises parental authority can be a name in the file, with the source of that authority. That is not the same rule as the acceptance. A guardian, if there already is one, is likewise not automatically the person who administers the estate alone. Keep the roles in separate fields: child, parental authority, any guardian, and the open choice about the estate. Ervazo does not fill in that choice and makes no application. The program reminds you that the subdistrict court has a role, without describing the steps.

As long as the choice is open, the child's position stays open as well. You do not book a share of the estate as already received and you do not book a renunciation as already made. Minority is a fact taken from the date of birth, not an obstacle to naming the child as heir. The date of birth stays with the child's name. Ervazo records those facts, makes no deed and gives no advice about accepting or renouncing.