You also have the option of making a closed will (testamento cerrado), a holographic will, hand-written by you, or a verbal will, which requires the presence of five witnesses. These last two types of wills do add time and expense to the whole inheritance process.

The lawyer will also be able to let you know approximately how much inheritance tax will be charged to your estate and possible legal alternatives to getting around paying the maximum tax. One possible legal loophole would be to form a family corporation or trust, in which the family's wealth passes to the company. Each family member becomes a director of this company. When a family member dies, the board of directors is reorganised and some company shares are transferred. This procedure is subject to a low tax rate.

Another legal step would be to make a gift of your property to your inheritors while you are still alive, while keeping the (usofructo) right to continue using the property as long as you live. However, the Spanish gift tax is the same as the inheritance tax. Another possibility could be to sell the property to your heir, reserving the usofructo. Property transfer tax is approximately 10% of the value set on the property. This option is especially worthwhile if your property exceeds 60100 Euros and the inheritor is a non-relative. However, this transaction must be carried out at least 5 years before your demise. Otherwise the state will charge the full amount, on the assumption that the operation was only done to avoid paying the tax. Since each case will be unique, a Spanish lawyer must be consulted every time