A legal heir has the legal right over the property of the deceased. It is an official document establishing a relationship between the heir and the deceased. A legal heir certificate entitles you to a list of benefits you could not have otherwise. 

In this article, we have discussed certain important aspects you should know before applying for a legal heir certificate.

Legal heir certificate has wide use in our day-to-day life, and some of them are: 

• To enjoy governmental benefits.
• To claim the family pension of the deceased.
• To claim PF compassionate benefits.
• To claim any property.

However, presently, apart from the direct descendent, the following persons can apply for a legal heir certificate in Andhra Pradesh: 

• Children of the deceased person. 
• Spouse of the deceased person. 
• Parents of the deceased person.

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You can apply for a legal heir certificate in Andhra Pradesh through two ways: Online and Offline. 

1. Online Process

• Step 1: Open the MeeSeva online portal.  
• Step 2: Register yourself using the relevant details.
• Step 3: Log into your account using the login credentials after registration. 
• Step 4: Open the application form and complete it with proper details.
• Step 5: Attach the necessary documents. 
• Step 6: After that, click on submit and make the payment. 

Note: Akshaya Centres only apply to the state of Kerala and not Andhra Pradesh. 

2. Offline Process

• Step 1: Visit the nearest tahsildar office.
• Step 2: Avail the application form and complete it properly with all the details. 
• Step 3: Attach the required document and make the payment. 
• Step 4: After completing the payment, an acknowledgement receipt will be provided to the applicant, which must be produced during the certificate collection. 

The documents listed below should be attached to the application form when applying offline and should be scanned and uploaded when applying online. 

• Death Certificate of the deceased. 
• FIR in case the person died unnaturally.
• Death Certificate of the direct descendant. 
• Identity proof of the applicant.
• Residential proof of the applicant  
• Notarised affidavit establishing the relationship with the deceased. 

The Andhra Pradesh government charges a minimal fee of ₹35 to issue a legal heir certificate to the applicant.

The applicant can download his/her legal heir certificate in Andhra Pradesh from the official website of MeeSeva. On opening the website, enter your application number and password, and you will be redirected to a page containing the soft copy of your legal heir certificate. 

The tahsildar of the district issues a legal heir certificate, which takes a time of 30 days to get issued. The certificate contains the legal heir's name, age, and relationship with the deceased. The authenticity of the certificate can also be checked on the MeeSeva portal.