Direct answer

If a person dies without a valid will governing the estate, China’s Civil Code applies statutory succession to assets governed by PRC succession law.

The statutory order of heirs begins with the classes specified by the Civil Code, but the actual estate must first be separated from property belonging to a spouse or other co-owner, and foreign-related succession may require a conflict-of-laws analysis.

What changes the answer

The signal ledger.

These facts move the question beyond a label and into a product, money-flow and control analysis.

Signal
Ask the operating question
Why it changes the route
Asset ownership and marital/co-ownership
How does the matter involve asset ownership and marital/co-ownership?
This operating fact can change the applicable legal route, evidence and next step.
Applicable law/cross-border element
How does the matter involve applicable law/cross-border element?
This operating fact can change the applicable legal route, evidence and next step.
Surviving family members
How does the matter involve surviving family members?
This operating fact can change the applicable legal route, evidence and next step.
Debts/estate administration
How does the matter involve debts/estate administration?
This operating fact can change the applicable legal route, evidence and next step.
Dispute or renunciation
How does the matter involve dispute or renunciation?
This operating fact can change the applicable legal route, evidence and next step.
Prepare before you escalate

Bring a compact evidence docket—not a pitch deck.

Give a compliance team or counsel the operating facts that reveal the perimeter.

01Death certificateInclude this in the compact fact file for review.
02Family/relationship evidenceInclude this in the compact fact file for review.
03Marriage/property recordsInclude this in the compact fact file for review.
04Asset scheduleInclude this in the compact fact file for review.
05Any wills/agreements and foreign documentsInclude this in the compact fact file for review.
Common confusions

Questions people ask before they build.

Short answers for orientation. The right result can change with the service model and current rules.

Do foreigners inherit on intestacy?

Foreigners can be heirs. Eligibility to take and to register China real estate is a separate property-law question — see the inheritance L4.

Go deeper

Inheritance in China L4 · Cross-border estate guide.

Primary authorities

Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.

Sources last checked:

PRC Civil Code — Succession BookNational People’s Congress
Law on Application of Laws to Foreign-Related Civil RelationsNational People’s Congress
SPC succession judicial interpretationsSupreme People’s Court
SAFE rules for cross-border inherited property/remittancewww.safe.gov.cn