Most families hear the words “Grant of Probate” for the first time in the weeks after losing someone. By that point they are exhausted, often in shock, and suddenly confronted with a piece of legal language that nobody has ever explained to them. I have sat opposite that family more times than I can count. So let me explain it clearly, in plain English, right now.
A Grant of Probate is a legal document issued by the Probate Registry, part of HM Courts and Tribunals Service. It confirms two things: first, that the Will of the deceased is valid; second, that the named executor has the legal authority to deal with the estate. Without it, banks will not release funds, the Land Registry will not transfer property, unless held jointly with the sole survivor, and investment providers will not liquidate holdings. It is, in practical terms, the key that unlocks the estate.
If you are not yet sure whether your situation requires probate at all, use our free probate checker before reading further. It takes under two minutes and will tell you clearly whether a Grant is likely to be needed.
This guide covers England and Wales only. Scotland uses a different process called confirmation, and Northern Ireland has its own rules.
What a Grant of Probate does – Gives the executor legal authority to collect, transfer, and distribute the estate
Who issues it – The Probate Registry (part of HMCTS), England and Wales
Application fee – £300 for estates over £5,000 (free for estates of £5,000 or under)
Sealed copies – £16 each – order at least four at the point of application
HMCTS processing time – 8 to 16 weeks from receipt of a complete application
Can you apply yourself – Yes, no solicitor required for most clear estates in England and Wales
DIY Probate Portal – Step-by-step guidance for £39.99 at onlineprobate.co.uk/diy-probate/
Think of it this way. When someone dies, their estate effectively becomes frozen. Nobody, not even the person named as executor in the Will, has automatic legal authority to move assets, sell property, or pay debts. The Grant of Probate is the document that thaws that freeze.
Once the Grant is issued, the executor can present it to banks, building societies, HMRC, the Land Registry, and any other institution holding assets. It is their proof that you are authorised to act. In practice, you will need several original sealed copies, because each institution wants its own. The Probate Registry charges £16 per sealed copy, and I always recommend ordering at least four, sometimes more for larger estates.
The Grant also serves a protective function for the executor personally. Acting without a Grant when one is required can expose you to personal liability. With the Grant in hand, you are acting within a recognised legal framework. That matters, because you as executor are personally responsible for distributing the estate correctly.
This is the question I am asked almost as often as the main one. The short answer: they do the same job, but apply to different situations.
A Grant of Probate is issued when the deceased left a valid Will, and the executor named in that Will applies for it.
Letters of Administration are issued when there is no Will (what the law calls dying intestate), or when the Will does not name a living executor. In that case, someone, usually the closest next of kin under the rules of intestacy, applies to act as administrator.
Both documents carry the same legal authority once issued. If you are dealing with an estate where there is no Will, our guide on letters of administration explains the process in full.
The combined term for both documents is a Grant of Representation, which you may see referenced in official HMCTS guidance.
Not every estate needs one. In my experience, families are often surprised to discover that a sizeable proportion of straightforward estates, particularly where assets were held jointly, can be administered without ever applying to the Probate Registry.
A Grant of Probate is almost always required when:
For a quick answer specific to your circumstances, use our free probate checker.
The application is made to HMCTS through the Probate Registry. You have two options: apply yourself, or instruct a solicitor to do it for you.
Executors in England and Wales are fully entitled to make a personal application. This is exactly what our DIY Probate Portal guides you through, step by step, for £39.99. The process involves the following stages:
Once a complete application is submitted, the current HMCTS processing time is 8 to 16 weeks. London registries have been running at the longer end of that range in recent periods, sometimes beyond 16 weeks if the application requires additional correspondence.
For estates that involve Inheritance Tax above the nil-rate band (£325,000 as of 2026), contested Wills, foreign property, or business assets, taking professional advice is genuinely worthwhile. Solicitor fees for a full probate service typically run between £1,500 and £5,000, sometimes more for complex estates.
For a standard estate with a valid Will, a property, bank accounts, and no disputes, that cost is, in my honest opinion as someone who has charged those fees herself, often not necessary. It is a choice, not a legal requirement.
Probate application fee: £300 for estates over £5,000 (free for estates of £5,000 or under)
Sealed copies of the Grant: £16 each (order at least four)
HMCTS processing time: 8 to 16 weeks from receipt of a complete application
Full estate administration (death to distribution): 6 to 12 months typically
DIY Probate Portal: step-by-step guidance for £39.99
Receiving the Grant does not mean the estate is administered. It means you now have the legal authority to begin administering it. The work, frankly, starts here.
With the Grant in hand, the executor needs to: collect all assets (close accounts, transfer or sell property, liquidate investments), pay all debts and liabilities (including any tax due to HMRC), and distribute the remainder to the beneficiaries named in the Will or, if there is no Will, according to the rules of intestacy.
This process, from the date of death through to distributing the estate to beneficiaries, typically takes between 6 and 12 months. More complex estates, particularly those with property that is slow to sell or IHT that needs to be settled, can take longer. Our guide on what happens after probate is granted takes you through each stage in detail.
One of the families I worked with last year had a father who died leaving a house worth £310,000, a sole Santander current account with around £18,000 in it, and a Nationwide cash ISA worth £42,000. His wife had predeceased him. His two adult children were the executors.
Santander agreed to release the current account without a Grant. Nationwide, however, required one for the ISA. And obviously the house could not be sold until the Grant was in hand. So while the bank account was dealt with relatively quickly, everything else waited. The Grant took eleven weeks to come through. Once it arrived, the ISA was transferred within ten days, and the property sale completed about four months later.
That is a typical timeline for a clear, uncontested estate. Nothing went wrong. It just took time.
If you now have a clear picture of what a Grant of Probate is and you want to apply for one without paying solicitor fees, our DIY Probate Portal walks you through the entire process for a one-off fee of £39.99. It is designed for executors dealing with clear, manageable estates, and it takes you from valuing the estate through to submitting your application to HMCTS, in plain English and in the right order. Or, if you are still unsure whether probate is needed at all, start with our free probate checker to confirm before you take any further steps.
A Grant of Probate is a legal document issued by the Probate Registry (part of HMCTS) in England and Wales. It confirms that the deceased’s Will is valid and that the named executor has the legal authority to deal with the estate. Without a Grant, banks, the Land Registry, and most financial institutions will not release or transfer assets held in the deceased’s sole name. The Grant does not create that authority; it formally recognises it, making it enforceable with third parties.
Once a complete application is submitted to HMCTS, the current processing time for a straightforward application is 8 to 16 weeks. More complex applications, particularly those involving Inheritance Tax reporting or queries from the Probate Registry, can take longer. In practice, probate offices in London have been processing closer to 16 to 18 weeks during busier periods. The full estate administration, from date of death through to distributing assets to beneficiaries, typically takes between 6 and 12 months in total.
The application fee is £300 for estates valued over £5,000. There is no fee for estates of £5,000 or under. In addition to the application fee, you will need sealed copies of the Grant, which cost £16 each. These are the copies you provide to banks, the Land Registry, and other institutions. I recommend ordering a minimum of four sealed copies at the point of application. If you run out, you can order more later, but it adds delay.
No. A Grant of Probate is not always required. Whether you need one depends on the assets in the estate and how they were held. If the deceased owned property solely in their own name, a Grant will almost always be needed before the Land Registry will allow a sale or transfer. For bank accounts, each institution sets its own threshold for releasing funds without a Grant, and these vary. Assets held in joint names pass automatically to the surviving owner and do not typically require a Grant at all.
Both documents serve the same practical purpose: they give someone the legal authority to administer a deceased person’s estate. A Grant of Probate is issued when the deceased left a valid Will and the named executor applies for it. Letters of Administration are issued when there is no Will, or when the Will does not name a living executor. The applicant in that case is usually the closest next of kin. Both are issued by the Probate Registry, and both carry the same legal weight once granted.
Yes. In England and Wales, executors are fully entitled to apply for a Grant of Probate without using a solicitor. This is called a personal application. You complete the PA1P form, value the estate, complete any required Inheritance Tax forms, pay the £300 application fee, and submit to HMCTS. The process requires care and attention to detail, but it is manageable for most executors dealing with a clear estate. Our DIY Probate Portal provides step-by-step guidance for a one-off fee of £39.99.
Once the Grant is issued, the executor can use it to collect and transfer the estate’s assets. This means presenting the Grant to banks to close accounts, to the Land Registry to transfer or sell property, and to investment providers to liquidate or transfer holdings. After collecting assets, the executor must pay any outstanding debts, taxes, and expenses before distributing the remainder of the estate to the beneficiaries named in the Will. This process typically takes 6 to 12 months from the date of death.
A sealed copy is an official copy of the Grant of Probate that carries the Probate Registry’s seal, making it legally recognised. Each institution you deal with, each bank, the Land Registry, each investment provider, will typically require its own original sealed copy. You cannot photocopy one and present it to multiple organisations. Sealed copies cost £16 each and are ordered at the time you submit your probate application, or at any point afterwards if you need more.
