Grant of probate
A grant of probate is the court document that names the executor of a will and gives them the legal right to deal with the estate. Banks, building societies and HM Land Registry ask to see it before they release larger sums or register the sale of a home.
Checked against gov.uk 11 October 2026 · gov.uk: after you've applied
The three kinds of grant
The court issues one of three documents, depending on whether there's a will and who applies. Together they're called grants of representation.
| Grant | When | Who applies |
|---|---|---|
| Grant of probate | There's a will that names an executor | The executor, or up to 4 of them |
| Letters of administration with will annexed | There's a will, but it names no executor or the executor can't apply | Someone else entitled to apply |
| Letters of administration | There's no will | The closest living relative |
Source: gov.uk, after you've applied and if there's not a will, checked 11 October 2026.
Whichever you get, it does the same job, and the rest of this page applies to all three. If you're not sure you need one at all, the probate checker works it out.
What the grant lets you do
With the grant you can close the person's accounts, collect their money, and sell or transfer what they owned. gov.uk's advice is to send copies to every organisation holding their assets, starting with their bank.
- Banks and building societies release money up to their own limit without a grant, and ask for it above that. 12 of the 16 we checked that publish a limit set it at £50,000.
- HM Land Registry won't register a sale or transfer of property in the person's sole name without a copy of the grant.
- Before the grant, gov.uk says not to make financial plans or put property on the market.
Copies of the grant
Order extra copies with the application at £2 each, so you can send them to several organisations at once. Ordered later they cost £16 each. Copies for use outside the UK take longer to arrive than the UK copy.
If something on the grant is wrong, such as a misspelt name, send it back to the district probate registry named on it.
How long a grant takes, and what it costs
HMCTS figures for August 2026 put the average at 6.5 weeks from application to grant, and 1.7 weeks for an online application that HMCTS didn't need to stop. The court fee is £526 for an estate worth more than £5,000. See how long probate takes and probate fees.
A second grant
If one executor got the grant while another held power reserved, the second executor can apply later. A second application after a grant costs £22, whatever the estate is worth.
Finding an existing grant
Grants are public records. Search probate records on gov.uk to see whether a grant has been issued, which kind, and to order a copy, including the will if there was one. Records go back to 1858, and a new grant appears online about 14 days after it's issued.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
These grants are for England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own processes, and the Scottish equivalent is called confirmation.
Common questions
What is a grant of probate?
It's the court document that names the executor of a will and gives them the legal right to deal with the estate. Banks, building societies and HM Land Registry ask to see it before they release larger sums of money or register a sale of property in the person's sole name.
How long does a grant of probate take?
HMCTS figures for August 2026 put the average at 6.5 weeks from application to grant. An online application HMCTS didn't need to stop took 1.7 weeks; one it stopped took 11.7 weeks, and a paper application 16.4 weeks.
How much does a grant of probate cost?
The court fee is £526 if the estate is worth more than £5,000, and nothing at £5,000 or less. Extra copies cost £2 each with the application and £16 each later. A solicitor's fee, if you use one, comes on top.
Can I sell a house before probate is granted?
gov.uk says not to put property on the market until you've got probate. For a home in the person's sole name, HM Land Registry won't register the sale without a copy of the grant. A home owned as joint tenants passes to the surviving owner instead.
What's the difference between probate and letters of administration?
They do the same job. A grant of probate goes to an executor named in a will. Letters of administration go to the closest relative when there's no will, and letters of administration with will annexed are used when there's a will but no executor who can act.
About this page
The kinds of grant and what to do with one come from gov.uk's probate guides, checked 11 October 2026. The property rule comes from HM Land Registry practice guide 6; bank limits, fees and waiting times come from the same data as the rest of the site. Compiled by James Burfield. General information, not legal advice.