In a California Probate situation, how does an heir proceed when he lives in another state other than California?

The heir should locate an attorney in California to file the Probate. The California attorney can take the property through the Probate system and generally the heir does not need to go to court or come to California. However, if the heir lives in another country other than the United States (when the decedent lived and had a property in California) then he/she would need to nominate another relative who resides in the United States to be the administrator of the Probate. If a relative does not exist then the Public Administrator’s office would administer the Probate and once complete, the heir would receive the inheritance. The typical time frame for a Probate is 6 months to one year. Probates can take longer if complications occur as in other heirs coming forward.