Ближайшие родственники и порядок наследования

Person's closest living relative(s)

A person's next of kin (NOK) may be that person's spouse, adopted family member or closest living blood relative. Some countries, such as the United States, have a legal definition of "next of kin". In other countries, such as the United Kingdom, "next of kin" may have no legal definition and may not necessarily refer to blood relatives at all. In some legal systems, rights regarding inheritance (which imply a decision making capacity — for example, in a medical emergency — where no clear will or instructions have been given, and where the person has no spouse) flow to the closest relative (regardless of the age, with a representative appointed if a minor), usually a child, a parent or a sibling. However, there are people without any close adult relatives and, in such a case, decision making power often flows to a niece or nephew, first cousin, aunt or uncle, or grandparent. For example, if a person dies intestate, the laws of some jurisdictions require distribution of the estate to the decedent's spouse or children. However, if there are none of these, the estate can often be distributed to the next closest group of living relatives, whether they be parents, grandparents, first cousins, aunts and uncles, or second cousins in extreme cases. If a person dies intestate with no identifiable next of kin, the person's estate generally escheats (i. e., legally reverts) to the government. In cases of medical emergency, where a person is incapable (either legally because of age or mental infirmity, or because they are unconscious) of making decisions for themselves and they have no spouse or children, the next of kin may participate in medical decisions made by medical personnel, subject to the specific laws of the jurisdiction. The inability of persons who are not in a legal marriage to make decisions with respect to the care of a live in partner has resulted in many jurisdictions giving live in partners rights equivalent to a spouse in such situations, even though most jurisdictions still do not require non spouses to be made beneficiaries of estates (it is improper in most jurisdictions to disinherit a spouse). The inability of same sex partners to have rights with respect to a partner's medical care or funeral arrangements over and above those of the next of kin is one of the main reasons behind litigation to require same sex marriage or its equivalent. For the purposes of next of kin, adopted children are treated as blood relatives. However, relatives by marriage are never considered next of kin.

"American statutes typically provide that, in absence of issue and subject to the share of a surviving spouse, intestate property passes to the parents or to the surviving parent of the decedent". Under the civil law system of computation and its various modified forms that are widely adopted by statute in the United States, "a claimant's degree of kinship is the total of (1) the number of the steps, counting one from each generation, from the decedent up to the nearest common ancestor of the decedent and the claimant, and (2) the number of steps from the common ancestor down to the claimant." "Of multiple relations with the same degree, those connecting through a nearer ancestor are more closely related to the decedent." stipulate who inherits automatically (in the absence of a will); an individual can make a will and nominate other persons. If a minor inherits (children inherit from parents even in the absence of a will), then, until the child is 18 years of age, there is a "trust" imposed, which means that the executors or trustees of the will remain responsible for the assets until the child is 18. The term "next of kin" should not be confused with parental responsibility. In the context of health care, patients are often asked to nominate a next of kin when registering with their general practitioner, or alternatively on admission to hospital. Hospitals will then notify the next of kin that the patient has been admitted or if there is any change in their condition. If the patient is unconscious or otherwise unable to state their next of kin, hospitals will usually list their nearest blood relative, though there are no specific rules. Doctors attempt to seek the views of the next of kin when considering decision making for unconscious patients or those who lack capacity. The next of kin has no power to make any decisions regarding medical care, only to advise, and can neither override the previously stated wishes of the patient nor prevent the medical team acting in what they consider to be the best interests of the patient. Traditionally, unmarried partners (especially same sex ones) were often excluded by certain institutions, but this has changed in recent years due to the increase in cohabitation in the UK, and in diverse families, such as those formed by unmarried partners with children (47.6% of children were born outside marriage in 2012). As a result of these social changes, the policy in most NHS trusts is to ask a person on their admission to hospital to nominate their next of kin formally. Powers similar to next of kin as defined in other jurisdictions can be explicitly delegated to another person using lasting power of attorney, under the provisions of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (this Act does not relate specifically to mental health and is largely unrelated to the Mental Health Act). The Mental Health Act 1983, Section 26 replaced the traditional term next of kin with "nearest relative".

In Ireland, the term "next of kin" does have a meaning with regard to inheritance law. If a person dies intestate, that is without leaving a will, then the rules of the Succession Act, 1965 apply. Part VI of the Act — Distribution on Intestacy (sections 66–75) — explains the rules of intestacy; this was amended by Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010. With regard to medical law, "next of kin" is a very vague concept which has no legally defined meaning. If a patient is incapable of making a decision (for instance due to unconsciousness), the present medical ethics in Ireland is to consult with the next of kin (in order: spouse, children, parents, siblings). However, the next of kin have no general right to make decisions on behalf of adult patients.