Over the past five years (2019-2023), the National Property Administration (NPA) and its branches, acting as estate administrators, have transferred unclaimed inheritance worth a total of NT$4.37129 billion to the state.
The NPA explained that according to Paragraph 3, Article 136 of the Family Act, the court may appoint a government agency as the inheritance administrator, in addition to individuals. In practice, the court often designates the NPA or its branches as administrators, to safeguard public interests and potential National Treasury benefits. However, inheritance administration is often time-consuming and complex, facing challenges such as “debts of the deceased exceeding the estate, and legal disputes arising,” “complicated creditor-debtor relationships making estate settlement difficult,” and “insufficient staffing.” These issues frequently prolong the process and require the hiring of attorneys to handle legal or litigation matters.
The NPA further noted that the primary reasons for such unclaimed inheritance cases include heirs renouncing their inheritance, or the deceased having no children or relatives to inherit the estate. This situation is partly due to changes in socioeconomic structures, as well as Taiwan’s aging population and declining birthrate. To date, the NPA or its branches have handled 8,934 such cases, and as of June 2024, there are still 1,718 cases of unclaimed estates under custodianship. To expedite the clearance of unresolved estate cases, the NPA launched a four-year clearance plan in 2018. After the plan ended in August 2022, the NPA continued to implement annual clearance plans. Over the past five years, 1,231 cases have been resolved, averaging 246 cases per year, with a total of NT$4.37129 billion worth of assets transferred to the state (including 1,266 land plots and 86 buildings).
Lastly, the NPA urged that, in accordance with Article 1185 of the Civil Code, if no heirs come forward to claim inheritance after the deadline stipulated in Article 1178, any remaining estate assets, after settling debts and fulfilling bequests, will be transferred to the National Treasury. Therefore, in cases where the NPA is acting as the administrator of an unclaimed estate, any heirs who intend to acknowledge their inheritance must do so before the court’s public notice deadline. Otherwise, the remaining assets of the deceased will be legally transferred to the state.
Press Release Contact: Hou Chiung-Lin, Section Chief
Contact number: +886-27718121 ext. 1111