When Your Family and Your Assets Span Two Countries, Your Estate Plan Must Too

A standard American estate plan quietly assumes everyone and everything is in the United States. For international families, that assumption fails in expensive ways. Cross-border planning requires attention to U.S. and foreign tax law, beneficiary designations that may not work across jurisdictions, FBAR and FATCA reporting for U.S. persons with foreign accounts, and applicable treaty considerations.

Mixed-status families add another layer. U.S. citizen heirs may receive different tax treatment than non-citizen heirs, and non-resident heirs may face withholding on certain U.S. assets. Beneficiary designations and trust structures can be tailored to these realities, but only if the plan acknowledges them in the first place. This is one of the clearest examples of where a combined immigration and estate practice benefits a family: the immigration facts drive the estate design.

I coordinate with foreign counsel where a matter requires expertise in another country’s law, so the plan works on both sides of the border.

If your family, your accounts, or your property cross a border, your estate plan should be built by someone who thinks across it. Call or text 512.761.8479.