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Gossip Riot

Who is next of kin if separated?

Author

Sarah Cherry

Published Feb 13, 2026

1. A spouse or civil partner – Who is my next of kin if I am married or separated? Generally, if the deceased person was married or in a civil partnership when they passed away, the spouse or civil partner is usually thought of as their next of kin, which is still the case if you are separated.

Is a brother considered next of kin?

Next of Kin Defined Your next of kin relatives are your children, parents, and siblings, or other blood relations. Since next of kin describes a blood relative, a spouse doesn’t fall into that definition.

Is my de facto partner my next of kin?

Generally, the next of kin is the person’s spouse, de facto partner, children or closest blood relative such as grandparents, aunt and uncles or siblings.

Is an ex wife considered next of kin?

Those responsibilities would fall to the next of kin after the former spouse. During the divorce process (after filing for divorce but before a final judgement is entered), a spouse may still inherit assets or be considered as next of kin if these legal documents aren’t updated.

Who are the next of kin of a deceased person?

9.1 When an intestate is not survived by a spouse or partner, each jurisdiction makes provision for the distribution of the intestate estate to the next of kin, that is the nearest relatives of the deceased and, in some degree, their issue.

Who are the next of kin in the line of descent?

In the absence of a surviving spouse, next-of-kin priorities follow a line of descent consisting of the direct offspring of a subject such as a child, grandchild, great-grandchild and so on. The next of kin may also consist of collateral heirs such as brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews of the subject ancestor.

Who are the children of a deceased brother?

A deceased, leaves his mother, his brothers B and C, and also one child of a deceased sister, D, and two children of E, a deceased brother of the half-blood who was the son of his father but not of his mother.

Who are the next of kin in WA?

9.8 However, in WA, if the intestate dies without spouse or partner and without issue, but leaves a parent or parents and brothers and/or sisters and/or children of a deceased brother or sister, the surviving 3.