Probate search: how to check if probate has been granted in the UK

What is a probate search?

A probate search, sometimes called a probate check or a probate registry search, is a look at the official index of grants of representation, which is the public record of who has been given legal authority to deal with the estate of someone who died. In England and Wales the index is kept by HMCTS and searched through GOV.UK's probate records service, which covers people who died in or after 1858 and lets you check whether probate has been issued, see what type of grant it was and order a copy of the grant along with any will that came with it.

The search only shows grants that have already been issued, so it says nothing about applications still being processed and holds no will for someone whose estate never went through probate, which is why a blank result is not proof that nothing exists. If you are trying to find a will in the first place, our guide to finding a will when you cannot find the original covers solicitors, will registers and the other places to look.

How do you search probate records on GOV.UK?

You start from the GOV.UK page and enter the surname of the person who died and the year they died, with the option of adding a first name, an exact date of death or the year of probate to narrow things down. The service splits what it finds into digital results, which are typed index entries for grants issued from 1996 onwards, and image results, which are scanned pages of the old printed probate calendar for grants issued up to the end of 1995, and for the image results you can add keywords such as a street, a town or a relative's name so that the search picks out the right page.

Try the name with and without middle names, try other spellings and earlier married names, and use the links that move the search to the previous or following year, because the year a grant sits under is not always the year of death. GOV.UK lists no charge for searching the index itself, since the fee applies to each copy you order, and to place an order you need to sign in or create an account on the service.

If you cannot use the online service, you can search by post using form PA1S, which goes to the Postal Copies and Searches Department at the District Probate Registry in Leeds. A postal search costs £16 and includes one copy of the grant and of the will if there is one, and HMCTS aims to reply within four weeks with either the copies or a letter explaining that no grant has been issued.

What does a probate search result show?

For a recent grant, the digital result shows the name of the person who died, their date of death, the date of probate, the document type, the probate number and the registry that issued it. The document type is the part to read first, because it tells you whether a will was involved: GOV.UK explains that grants described as "Probate", "Admon with Will" or "Grant and Will" include a will, whereas "Administration (Admon)" does not, which usually means the estate is being dealt with under the rules our guide to who inherits when there is no will explains.

Older grants appear as a page of the printed calendar, and these entries can carry more detail than the modern index. The National Archives' guide to wills after 1858 says a calendar entry gives the full name, address and occupation of the person who died, and may also include the names of the executors or administrators, the date and place of the grant and the value of the estate. The digital index for recent grants does not list the executors, so to see who has authority over a modern estate you need to order a copy of the grant itself. The same service also holds a separate index of soldiers' wills for members of the British armed forces who died in service between 1850 and 1986.

Why can't I find a grant of probate?

The most common reason is timing. A new record appears online about 14 days after the grant is issued, and the grant itself only comes at the end of the application, so a search made soon after a death will usually find nothing even when an executor is well into the process. Our guide to how long probate takes sets out the stages, including the Inheritance Tax work that GOV.UK says has to be done before an application can be made.

For older deaths the issue is often the year. Records from 1858 to 1996 are stored under the year the grant was issued rather than the year of death, which means an estate that took a while to sort out may sit under a later year, and GOV.UK suggests that for someone who died in the early 1990s you may need to check the records that cover 1996 onwards.

A blank result can also mean that no grant was ever needed. GOV.UK says probate may not be required where the person only had savings, or where money and property were owned jointly and passed automatically to the surviving owner, and it adds that every organisation has its own rules about when it needs to see a grant. The remaining possibilities are that nobody has applied yet, or that someone has entered a caveat, which GOV.UK explains stops any grant being issued for six months at first and can then be extended for another six months.

How do you order a copy of the grant and the will?

Once you have found the record, you can order a copy through the online service for £16, which covers the grant and, where there is one, the will. The fee was £1.50 until 17 November 2025, when the Court and Public Guardian Fees (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2025 raised it, so older advice quoting the lower figure is out of date. HMCTS says documents ordered online arrive within 10 working days, and the service emails you when each one is ready to download from your account, where it stays available for 31 days.

The download is not sealed with the court seal, which the service says only matters if you are an executor or administrator dealing with the estate, or need the copy for court proceedings or a property sale.

Form PA1S lets you ask for a plain copy for information or family history, sealed copies for dealing with an estate in the UK, or sealed and certified copies for use abroad, and each extra copy costs £16. If you are the person applying for probate, it is far cheaper to order copies at the same time, because GOV.UK's probate fees page lists extra copies at £2 each when ordered with the application, compared with £16 each once the application has gone in.

What is a standing search and when should you use one?

A standing search asks the probate registry to send you a copy of the grant if one is issued within the next six months, so it suits a situation where the person died recently and you want to know when an executor or administrator has been appointed. It is made on form PA1S and costs £4, and GOV.UK suggests it where the death was within the last six months, because a grant may not have been issued yet.

The registry writes to confirm the date the standing search was entered, and if a grant is issued during the six months you are sent a single copy of the grant, including any will, which will not be sealed. If nothing has been issued by the end of the period the search expires, although you can extend it for a further six months by sending another £4 within one month of the expiry date.

HMCTS presents the standing search as the option for people who cannot search online, and checking the online index every few weeks will tell you the same thing. It is still useful if you want to know the moment a grant issues, for example as a creditor or a beneficiary with something to raise with the personal representatives. A standing search does not stop a grant being made, and if there is a real dispute about the will or about who should apply, the caveat is the relevant tool, although GOV.UK warns that entering one can lead to legal action and legal costs, so it is worth taking advice first.

Why do people check whether probate has been granted?

Most searches come from people with a direct interest in the estate. Beneficiaries search to see whether the executor has the grant yet, because the estate cannot normally be shared out before then, and family members search when they have lost touch with whoever is dealing with the estate or want to confirm whether there was a will. People who are owed money by the estate search to find out who now has authority to pay them, whilst family historians use the older calendar pages to trace ancestors.

If you are a beneficiary and the grant has been issued but you have heard nothing, a copy of the grant tells you who the personal representatives are, which gives you someone to write to. Our guide to what an executor does sets out the duties they owe beneficiaries, including keeping them informed and preparing accounts.

How do you check for confirmation in Scotland or probate in Northern Ireland?

The GOV.UK search covers England and Wales only, so probate records from elsewhere in the UK need a different route. In Scotland the equivalent of probate is confirmation, and the records are split by date. ScotlandsPeople indexes Scottish wills and testaments from 1513 to 1925, and later records sit with National Records of Scotland and the courts, although the official sources describe the dividing line differently, since National Records of Scotland says it can provide copies of confirmations recorded up to 1999, whereas the courts' guidance says National Records of Scotland holds those issued before 1987. For a recent death, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service says you should contact the sheriff court for the area where the person was domiciled to find out whether confirmation has been granted, or HM Commissary Office at Edinburgh Sheriff Court where the domicile was abroad or unknown, whilst for an older estate it is worth starting with National Records of Scotland.

In Northern Ireland, grants are issued by the Probate Office of the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service, which offers probate searches through its online services or on a paper Probate Search Form. Its online probate records search holds data from 1 January 1986 and is listed at £33 per search, and the Probate Office can be reached on 0300 200 7812. For older estates, nidirect says the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland holds will calendars from 1858 to 1965 for the Armagh, Belfast and Londonderry registries.

What to do after a probate search

1. If a grant shows, note the probate number, the date and the registry, and order a copy if you need to see the will or the names of the personal representatives.

2. If nothing shows and the death was recent, search again every few weeks, or send form PA1S with £4 for a standing search if you would rather be sent the grant when it issues.

3. If nothing shows for an older death, widen the search to later years and other spellings before concluding that no grant was made.

4. If you are the executor and have not applied yet, our guide to applying for probate step by step sets out the order of work, and ordering extra copies with the application will save money later.

5. If you think a grant is about to be made on the wrong will or to the wrong person, take legal advice about a caveat before the grant is issued.

Once the grant has been issued, the personal representatives can start dealing with the accounts the person held, and many banks, insurers and other providers will ask to see it before they release money or close anything. If you are the executor and would rather not contact each company yourself, Legacy Trail's free notification service lets you tell as many providers as you need about the death, and our Account Discovery Service searches for accounts the family may not know about.