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Family tree format for a legal heir certificate — chart and affidavit generator

A family tree for a legal heir certificate is a chart of everyone in the deceased’s immediate family — spouse, every son and daughter (living or dead), the family of any child who died earlier, and the parents — backed by an affidavit, sworn before a notary, saying no one has been left out. Enter the family below and this tool draws the tree (vanshavali, shajra nasab or genealogy chart) as a printable chart and PNG, writes the full family tree affidavit in Word, and marks who are likely Class I heirs under the Hindu Succession Act.

Free · No sign-up · Runs privately in your browser· Figures checked 29 October 2026

Jump to the family tree
01Who passed away?Write names exactly as on the death certificate and land record.
The deceased was
Did they leave a will?
02WifeAdd a wife who died earlier or was divorced too — offices want the whole picture.

Wife

Status
03Sons and daughtersEvery child, married or not, living or dead — including daughters and anyone abroad. A missing heir is the most common reason a certificate or mutation is cancelled later.

Child 1

Son or daughter
Alive when he died?

Child 2

Son or daughter
Alive when he died?
04Parents of the deceasedA man’s mother is a Class I heir — she must be listed if alive.

Father

Status

Mother

Status
05Who signs, and what is it for?The affidavit is sworn by one adult heir, usually the one applying.
Land in the deceased’s name (optional)
See the family tree and affidavit

Family tree of

the deceased

6 people4 likely Class I heirs27 blanks in the affidavit

the deceased — DeceasedDECEASEDName of deceasedDied [date]wife — wife — Class IWIFEName of wifeAliveCLASS Ifather — Father — Died earlierFATHERName of fatherDied earliermother — Mother — Class IMOTHERName of motherAliveCLASS Ichild 1 (son) — son — Class ISONName of sonAliveCLASS Ichild 2 (daughter) — daughter — Class IDAUGHTERName of daughterAliveCLASS I
Name of fatherfather · died earlier
Name of mothermother · aliveClass I
Name of the deceaseddeceased · died [date]
Name of wifewife · aliveClass I
  • Name of sonson · aliveClass I
  • Name of daughterdaughter · aliveClass I

Green badges mark likely heirs on screen only. The PNG, SVG and print versions are plain, with names, relations and alive / died — ready to attach to the affidavit as an annexure. Dashed boxes died before the deceased.

A draft to take to a notary or lawyer — not legal advice. The family tree must be true and complete; a false affidavit is an offence and can get any certificate or mutation cancelled. Formats differ by state and office: some want it on their own form, or certified by the sarpanch, pradhan, councillor or patwari. Heir labels follow the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 for property the deceased owned, and are a guide only. Nothing you type leaves this page.

How to use it

  1. Enter the person who died: name as on the death certificate, date and place of death, last address and religion.
  2. Add the husband or wife, every son and daughter, and for any child who died earlier, their spouse and children. Then the parents.
  3. Pick who will sign and what it’s for — legal heir certificate, mutation (varasat, intkal), bank or pension — and add the land if you have it.
  4. Download the chart as PNG and the affidavit in Word, put the affidavit on stamp paper, sign it before a notary, and attach the chart as the annexure.

What is the family tree format for a legal heir certificate?

It is a simple chart and declaration of the deceased’s family: the person who died at the centre, the husband or wife above or beside them, every son and daughter below, and — for any child who died earlier — that child’s spouse and children. Each name shows the relationship, age, and whether the person is alive or died, with dates. Most offices also want the deceased’s parents shown.

The chart is backed by an affidavit from one adult heir, on non-judicial stamp paper and sworn before a notary or oath commissioner, saying these are the only legal heirs and no one has been left out. Many tehsils, banks and pension offices accept a typed version like the one this tool makes; some want it on their own form, or certified by the sarpanch, gram pradhan, ward councillor or patwari, so the affidavit includes a block for that.

Vanshavali, shajra nasab, parivar register: are they the same?

They are all names for a family tree. Vanshavali is the common Hindi word, used for varasat and legal heir applications in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Shajra nasab is the pedigree table kept with the jamabandi in Punjab, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir. Genealogy certificate or family tree certificate is the English term used by many banks and courts.

In Uttar Pradesh villages, the family register (parivar register) kept by the gram panchayat is often asked for alongside the family tree. Whatever it is called, the content is the same — so one accurate tree and affidavit works for the tehsil, the bank and the court.

Who are Class I heirs under the Hindu Succession Act?

When a Hindu, Sikh, Jain or Buddhist man dies without a will, Section 8 and the Schedule of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 give his own property first to his Class I heirs: his widow, sons, daughters and mother, plus the children of a son or daughter who died before him and the widow of a predeceased son. They inherit together, and the father, brothers and sisters (Class II) get nothing while any of them is alive.

A Hindu woman’s property follows Section 15: her sons, daughters (and children of a late son or daughter) and her husband first. Daughters, married or not, have the same rights as sons. The tool marks likely heirs on screen; for the actual fractions, use the inheritance share calculator.

Does the family tree format differ for Muslim, Christian or Parsi families?

The chart and affidavit look the same — the family is the family. What changes is who inherits and how much. Muslim heirs and shares come from Muslim personal law; Christians and most others follow the Indian Succession Act, 1925; Parsis have their own chapter of that Act; and families domiciled in Goa follow the Goa Civil Code.

For those families the tool lists every surviving member without Class I labels, so the office or a lawyer can apply the right law. Always show everyone — parents, for example, are heirs alongside the children under Muslim law.

Mistakes that get a legal heir certificate or varasat cancelled

The commonest is a missing heir: a married daughter, a sibling abroad, a child from an earlier marriage, or the children of a son or daughter who died before the parent. If one turns up later, the certificate or mutation can be cancelled and anything done with it challenged. A false affidavit is also an offence.

Other problems are names that don’t match the death certificate or land record, a minor heir listed without a guardian, and no dates for those who died earlier. Write names as they appear on official papers, list the dead with the year at least, and keep the same tree for every office.

Questions people ask

Put the person who died at the centre, show the husband or wife, every son and daughter with ages, the spouse and children of any child who died earlier, and the parents. Mark who is alive and who died, with dates. Then have one adult heir swear an affidavit before a notary that the tree is complete. This tool draws the chart and writes the affidavit for you.

Usually yes — a low-value non-judicial stamp paper, signed before a notary, oath commissioner or executive magistrate. The value differs by state, so ask the notary or the office that wants it. Some tehsils accept it on plain paper with a sarpanch or councillor’s certificate.

Yes, always. A married daughter is a Class I heir with the same share as a son. Leaving her out is one of the main reasons a legal heir certificate or mutation is later cancelled.

One adult legal heir, usually the person applying — the widow, a son or a daughter. The office may also ask two witnesses who know the family, and in villages a sarpanch, pradhan or patwari, to sign or certify it.

In most states, yes. The revenue official checks the heirs before entering the inheritance (varasat, intkal, dakhil-kharij, varas), and a family tree with an affidavit — or a legal heir certificate built on one — is how they check. Some offices also do their own village enquiry.

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