Applying for probate online
Most personal applicants in England and Wales can now apply for probate online. You answer a structured set of questions, make a statement of truth, pay the court fee and post the original will to the registry. Some situations — including certain intestacies and unusual wills — still have to be applied for on paper.
Jurisdiction: England & Wales. Last reviewed 13 August 2026.
What you need in front of you before you start
- The original will and any codicils
- The death certificate or the interim certificate from the coroner
- Your own identity details exactly as they appear on official documents
- The deceased's full name, any other names used, address and date of death
- A complete, evidenced valuation of assets and liabilities at the date of death
- The Inheritance Tax position — either the excepted-estate figures or the HMRC reference from a submitted account
- A payment card for the £526 fee
When you cannot apply online
The online service handles the common cases. You will normally be directed to a paper application where the will is unusual in form or condition, where entitlement to apply is not straightforward, where a grant is needed for a limited purpose, or where the applicant is acting under a power of attorney. Attempting to force an unusual case through the online route is a reliable way of collecting a requisition.
The statement of truth
This is a legal declaration
You are confirming that the figures and statements are true to the best of your knowledge. Signing it carelessly, or with valuations you have not evidenced, exposes you personally. Take the time to check every number against a document.After you submit
- Post the original will and any codicils to the registry within the stated period — the application stalls until they arrive.
- Watch for requisitions. The registry will ask for anything missing, and the clock effectively restarts.
- The grant is posted to you, along with any extra office copies you ordered.
How we help
Our platform is not the court service. What it does is get you to the point where the official application is a fifteen-minute exercise: a guided estate inventory, a structured liabilities and beneficiaries register, an Inheritance Tax screening, a printable application summary containing every answer the registry asks for, and a checked figure set you can rely on when you sign the statement of truth.
Frequently asked questions
- Is applying online cheaper than applying on paper?
- The court fee is the same either way. Online is generally faster because the questions are validated as you answer them.
- Do I still have to post the original will?
- Yes. The registry needs the original document even when the application itself is made online.
- Can I save an online application and come back to it?
- Yes, the official service lets you return to a part-completed application, which is why having your figures ready first matters so much.
Dealing with a straightforward estate yourself?
Our free probate checker helps you work out whether this estate appears suitable for a self-help route. It asks about jurisdiction, disputes and complexity, takes a few minutes, and needs no account.
£349 one-off service fee if you go ahead. Court fee and any Inheritance Tax are paid separately.
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Continue your probate journey
Apply For Probate Online is an independent self-help service and is not part of HM Courts & Tribunals Service or GOV.UK.