The deceased had accounts in Russia and Switzerland. How do I get access?
Your co-pilot in inheritance law
Mag. Nevena Shotekova-Zöchling
Attorney in Vienna · 16 years of legal practice · Inheritance law
The money was never gone. It just wasn’t allowed to travel.
Two accounts, two worlds
The father has lived in Vienna for the last few decades. He leaves an account in Zurich and a savings account in Moscow, from his earlier life. His daughter lives in Vienna and is the sole heir.
Switzerland is a question of paperwork. The bank wants the Austrian transfer order, the death certificate, ID documents, all in the right form. That takes a few weeks. Then it pays out.
Russia is a different world. The Russian bank does not recognise the Austrian decision; proceedings before a Russian notary are needed. And even once the inheritance is established, the money is still far from Vienna: from the Russian point of view Austria is one of the “unfriendly states”, and payments abroad are restricted. On the European side, sanctions apply that affect certain Russian banks.
The money was never gone. It just wasn’t allowed to travel.
We managed it anyway, without shortcuts: with a colleague in Russia, a power of attorney from Vienna, the necessary approvals and a route that was legally clean on both sides. It took patience. But the money arrived.
The lesson: with foreign accounts, what counts is not only who the money belongs to, but whether and how it is allowed to travel.
What the law says (as of October 2026)
- Starting point Austria: if the deceased last lived in Austria, Austria conducts the probate proceedings and Austrian inheritance law applies. Whether foreign banks recognise this, however, is decided by each country.
- Switzerland: Switzerland is not in the EU; the Succession Regulation does not apply there. In practice Swiss banks usually accept the Austrian transfer order as proof of heirship, with an apostille and further documents. For unknown accounts there is a search service at the Swiss Banking Ombudsman.
- Russia, procedure: for assets in Russia, Russian banks generally require a certificate of inheritance from a Russian notary. This needs documents with an apostille and a certified Russian translation. With a power of attorney, travelling in person is usually not necessary.
- Russia, capital controls: for persons from “unfriendly states”, which include Austria, Russia restricts payments abroad. Funds may end up in special accounts, and transfers sometimes require approval.
- EU sanctions: if the Russian bank is sanctioned, a payment to Austria may be prohibited or require authorisation. In Austria the authority responsible for financial sanctions is the Oesterreichische Nationalbank.
- No shortcuts: middlemen, crypto or “creative” detours can breach sanctions. That is a criminal offence and can put the entire inheritance at risk.
- The rules change constantly. What applies today must be checked up to date in each individual case.
What you should do now
- Record all accounts: bank statements, bank mail, e-mails. In Austria the court commissioner can query the central account register.
- Separate the countries: each country needs its own documents and often its own proceedings.
- Prepare documents early: apostilles and translations take time.
- For Russia: check the sanctions situation first, only then initiate payments.
Inherited accounts abroad?
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