International borders are becoming blurred to a point close to disappearing.  People, money and commerce move across most of the Western world with unprecedented ease.  The nationality of corporate entities is increasingly conjectural.  Businesses manufacture, buy, sell, finance themselves and operate on a global basis.  Dual citizenship for individuals is increasingly common.  Families consisting of spouses and children of different nationalities are no longer considered unusual.  What is true internationally is also true with respect to interstate personal and business interactions.

There are, however, still at least two areas where the lines on maps, whether drawn by conquest or diplomacy, remain clear: succession and taxes.  The more peoples’ personal and business lives become globalized, the more important it is for them to be aware of succession and tax consequences. This article will deal with succession; a subsequent article will deal with taxes.

Succession