Want a copy of a Will or Grant of Probate? For England and Wales, start with the official probate-record search. It covers grants from 1858 onwards and lets you order the probate record, including the Will where one forms part of it. A Will does not become a public probate record merely because its maker has died.
Start the official Will and probate-record search
Someone has recently died and you cannot find their original Will? Use our separate guide to finding a missing original Will. This page is about copies of probate records and historical research.
Need practical help after a death?
Find registration details, funeral information and local contacts in our area guides.
Which search do you need?
| Your situation | Where to start |
|---|---|
| You need the original to administer a recent estate | Missing-original Will search checklist |
| You want a copy of a Will already admitted to probate in England or Wales | Official probate-record search |
| You are researching an ancestor | Historic research checklist below |
| You are waiting for a grant to be issued | Standing search information |
| The records are Scottish or Northern Irish | Separate national record services |
How to search for a Will or Grant of Probate online
Gather the person’s name, former names, death date and last address. Use GOV.UK’s search service, select the appropriate date range, and compare the result with the details you know before ordering.
Search the year of the grant, not just the year of death. A grant can follow death in a later year. Broaden the period if necessary rather than assuming that one unsuccessful search settles the matter.
Check whether the entry records probate, administration with a Will, or administration without a Will. A grant without a Will cannot supply one. Read the service’s description of the record type before paying.
Fees, downloads and sealed copies
Fee checked 16 October 2026: £16 per probate-record copy order. Where the record includes a Will, the order includes it. A postal search also costs £16; GOV.UK currently indicates a response within four weeks. Check the official page before ordering, as fees and procedures can change.
Save your downloaded documents
Keep the order reference and receipt. When notified that documents are ready, log back into the service and download them promptly. Save your own copies; do not treat the online account as permanent storage. If an order cannot be downloaded or appears incomplete, use the service’s help route with your reference.
Postal searches and court-sealed copies
For postal searches, use the current PA1S form and instructions, including its current address and payment requirements.
An ordinary online download is not court sealed. If an organisation needs a sealed copy, first confirm exactly what it requires, then follow the official service’s sealed-copy guidance, which directs users to PA1S. A home printout is not automatically an official sealed copy.
What the documents tell you
The grant identifies the people authorised to administer the estate. A Will can explain the maker’s intended gifts and appointments. These documents are not estate accounts: they do not necessarily show the final sums paid to beneficiaries or every asset and debt.
No result? Check these points
- Names: try former surnames, spelling variants, initials and alternative given names. Begin with fewer search restrictions.
- Dates: widen the period after death. A delayed grant may appear much later than expected.
- Identity: compare address, occupation, relatives or representatives rather than relying on a matching name alone.
- Jurisdiction: check whether you need a Scottish, Northern Irish or overseas service.
- Record type: an administration entry may exist even when no Will accompanies it.
- Timing: for a recent death, an application may not have been made or completed, and a record may not yet appear.
Not every estate requires a grant, so some Wills never enter the public probate collection. No search result does not prove there was no Will. Keep a research log of names, dates, collections and searches already tried to avoid repeating work.
How to find historic Wills for family-history research
Start by establishing the person’s identity and approximate death date from independent records. Distinguish the date the Will was written, the death date and the date it was proved: these can be years apart.
For England and Wales from 1858, use the probate calendar and official copy service. The National Archives’ guide to Wills and administrations after 1858 explains the collection and research routes.
An index entry is not the whole Will
A calendar entry is a finding aid. Record its references, but obtain the underlying document before concluding who inherited. A person named in an index may be an executor rather than a beneficiary. Likewise, a grant’s estate-value figure should not be treated as a complete family balance sheet.
Use the Will as a clue, then check it
Make a note of relatives, addresses, occupations, witnesses, property descriptions and unfamiliar names. Compare them with other records. Descriptions such as “cousin” can require further investigation; they are a starting point for research rather than proof of a particular relationship.
If the writing is difficult, transcribe it a line at a time, retaining uncertain words in brackets. A local archive, family-history society or researcher may help with old handwriting. Keep the archive reference alongside your transcription so someone else can check it.
Where to look for Wills proved before 1858
The modern England and Wales probate system began on 12 January 1858. Earlier Wills and administrations were generally dealt with by ecclesiastical courts, so a single modern search is not sufficient.
Start with The National Archives’ guide to Wills and administrations before 1858. Identify the relevant court and record-holding archive; local and county archives may be important.
The National Archives also provides a separate Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills guide, 1384–1858. This collection does not contain every English or Welsh Will from that period. Search by the court and record coverage, not simply the modern county name.
Scottish and Northern Irish Wills
Scotland
The Scottish process is called confirmation. Scotland’s People provides Wills and testaments guidance and an index covering 1513–1925. Search the year the testament was recorded as well as the expected death period; records may be much later than death.
For later records and other collections, consult National Records of Scotland. A Scottish testamentary record may include an inventory or administration record without a Will; check the document description.
Northern Ireland
PRONI’s Will Calendars cover Armagh, Belfast and Derry/Londonderry district probate registries from 1858–1965. Digitised copy Wills cover narrower periods: Armagh 1858–1918, Belfast 1858–1909 and Londonderry 1858–1899. A calendar result does not therefore always have an online Will image.
For later or current records, use the Northern Ireland Department of Justice probate information to find the appropriate court service. Do not assume the England and Wales service covers Northern Ireland.
Waiting for probate: standing searches
A standing search is a request to receive a copy when a grant is issued. GOV.UK currently gives a fee of £4 for six months, with an option to extend. Use the current PA1S instructions. A standing search does not locate an original Will or stop a probate application.
The current PA1S form says a standing-search copy is not sealed. It explains the extension arrangements and additional fee. See also our standing-search guide.
Private Wills, disputes and other questions
Can I see someone’s Will while they are alive?
A Will is normally private during its maker’s lifetime. Being a relative or expecting an inheritance does not create a general public right to a copy. The maker can choose to share it. Questions about an attorney’s access require separate consideration.
What if no grant is needed?
The Will may remain outside the public probate records. Ask the executor or holder for a copy or information; what you are entitled to receive depends on your position and the circumstances. This guide does not establish an automatic right to disclosure.
What if I am considering a dispute?
Get specialist advice promptly. Different claims have different deadlines; ordering documents or entering a standing search does not protect a deadline. Do not use a caveat simply to pressure someone into supplying a copy.
For guidance on seeking help, see probate disputes. If you want to explore an agreed alteration to an inheritance, see Deeds of Variation; obtain advice about the relevant requirements and time limits.
Related help
- Find a copyof a Will and or Grant of Probate after a death
- Local help with registration, funerals and practical matters
- Duties of executors
- Questions, corrections and professional-help enquiries
General information, not legal advice. Fees and official guidance checked on 16 October 2026. Follow the linked service’s current instructions when ordering.
er 2026.