A new online database which allows the public to search and obtain copies of Wills and Grants of Representation has been launched by HM Courts and Tribunals Service.
You now no longer have to visit the probate registry. You can obtain copies within 10 days for £10 each and pay by debit or credit card. A search of the probate record by post will return a copy of the Grant and the Will (if there is one) in 4 weeks.
This probate database holds records for people who died in or after 1858 and contains 41 million scanned documents of which the original paper versions will be permanently preserved.
Any new probate record will appear online after approximately 14 days of the Grant of Representation being issued. Further, if you wish to know if a grant will be issued for a person who has died within the last 6 months, you can apply online for a 6 month ‘standing search’. If a grant of representation is issued within the following 6 months of your search, you will receive a copy. Again, this is £10 and you will receive a copy of the Grant of Representation and the Will, if there is one. You can extend this search after 6 months.