Probate

Follow the relevant links at the Death and bereavement section of the official government Directgov site

You can find probate forms and guidance at The Probate Service section of Her Majesty's Courts Service site
In particular, there is a Guidance page, which includes a link to How to obtain probate, where you can click to open a substantial guide 'How to obtain probate - a guide for the applicant acting without a solicitor'
See also the many other links at the right of the The Probate Service pages, leading to forms, further guidance, a helpline and more

You can find a helpful leaflet at the Law Society's Guide to common legal problems page. Scroll down to the 'Probate' heading for links to the leaflet, which is available in several different languages
The Age Concern England web site gives information for people aged over 60. At Information and advice > End of life see 'What to do when someone dies' for a brief overview and see 'Dealing with someone's estate - FS14' for more detail

There are a number of probate registries and sub-registries around the country. In addition there are local probate offices where probate interviews take place if they are necessary
If you need to go to a local probate office, you have to arrange it with the relevant probate registry or sub-registry
For probate contact details see Probate registries on The Probate Service web site

If you need to find a company's historical share price to help settle probate, see Where can I find company share prices?

Page last updated: 1st July 2010