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.
In Australia, the term 'Next of Kin' means a person's spouse, domestic partner or closest living blood relative who is over 18 years of age. Whilst there is no formal legal recognition or legal rights of Next of Kin, they play a very important role if a person dies without a valid Will.
Children - if there is no surviving married or civil partner
If there is no surviving partner, the children of a person who has died without leaving a will inherit the whole estate. This applies however much the estate is worth. If there are two or more children, the estate will be divided equally between them.
Next of kin has no legal meaning but, in practice, hospitals and other organisations generally recognise spouses and close blood relatives as next of kin. However, sometimes couples who live together aren't recognised as being next of kin.
There is therefore no reason that your partner shouldn't be treated as your 'next of kin' despite the fact that you are not married. However, in practice hospitals have generally used spouses and close blood relatives to define next of kin.
There is a hierarchy which determines who is deemed closest to you as “next of kin.” Your spouse or civil partner comes first, then your children, then your parents, siblings, grandparents in that order.
Most hospitals are very flexible with how they define next of kin, allowing you to choose anyone from your partner, to a parent, to your best friend. If you're unconscious at the time you're admitted to hospital, doctors and nurses will try and work out your next of kin.
How Can You Prove You Are The Next of Kin? As a blood relative, proving you are that person will be relatively straightforward. A certified copy of your passport or other forms of recognised ID will demonstrate you are who you say you are.
Unlike with married couples, when one unmarried partner passes, the living partner does not receive any automatic legal right to their deceased partner's property or assets. In this case, with no will, the assets will likely be passed to the deceased partner's family, and their estate is left in the hands of state law.
However, generally speaking, a next of kin is usually understood to be a person's closest relative. The order usually goes: A husband, wife or civil partner. Unmarried partners are sometimes included here, but not always.
Who Else Can Qualify As Your Next of Kin? 1. Half-Relatives. “Half” relatives inherit as if they were “whole.” That is, your sister with whom you share a father, but not a mother, has the same right to your property as she would if you had both parents in common.
With a valid beneficiary in place, funds in a bank account go to the beneficiary. That person will need to contact the bank and provide documentation to claim funds. If the beneficiary dies before the bank account owner, the assets typically go to the deceased's estate.
It should be someone that you trust and feel close to. It is very often a husband, wife or civil partner, or someone that you live with. It does not have to be a blood relative; it can be a good friend. You can give the name of more than one next of kin.
The term usually means your nearest blood relative, and most people assume it refers to their spouse or civil partner. You can, however, give the title of 'next of kin' to anyone you wish. It does not have to be a relative.
So essentially, “legally single,” is part one of a two part divorce proceeding, that allows a party to not be married, while not yet being fully divorced.
Siblings - brothers and sisters
In the event that the deceased person passed away with no spouse, civil partner, children or parents then their siblings are considered to be the next of kin.
Full siblings share on average ½ of their DNA, while half siblings share ¼. Two kids with the same dad but moms that are sisters would share ⅜ of their DNA. The two kids are definitely closer to being siblings than cousins at the genetic level. Cousins only share on average ⅛ of their DNA.
For purposes of subdivision (d) of Labor Code Section 2066, "immediate family member" means spouse, domestic partner, cohabitant, child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandparent, great grandparent, brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, ...
A person's next of kin is usually his or her closest living blood relative or relatives.
So in short you aren't automatically responsible for a spouse's or registered civil partner's debts. And while the Personal Representative is not personally liable for the debts of the deceased, those debts are likely to have to be paid from the estate of the deceased.
All men inherit a Y chromosome from their father, which means all traits that are only found on the Y chromosome come from dad, not mom. The Supporting Evidence: Y-linked traits follow a clear paternal lineage.
Unlike nuclear DNA, which comes from both parents, mitochondrial DNA comes only from the mother.
Genetically, you actually carry more of your mother's genes than your father's. That's because of little organelles that live within your cells, the mitochondria, which you only receive from your mother.