Searching records
How to check if probate has been granted
Written and reviewed by our experienced team. Last verified against gov.uk on 26 July 2026. ProbateCheck is an independent service, not a law firm.
To check if probate has been granted, search the public probate records by the person's name and year of death. If a grant of probate or letters of administration has been issued, it appears in the index, usually around two weeks after the grant. If nothing shows, probate may not have been granted yet.
What the result tells you
If you find a record, probate has been granted and you can order a copy for £16. If you find nothing, either probate has not been granted yet, the record is under a different year (the grant-year trap), the name differs, or probate was never needed.
Waiting on a grant?
If probate has not been granted yet, a standing search (£4) tells you the moment it is, by delivering the documents automatically.
Let us do the whole search, £29 all in
We search every name variation across the correct index years, obtain the grant and the will, lodge a standing search if no grant exists yet, and explain it all in plain English. Government fees included.
Start with a free checkFrequently asked questions
How do I know if probate has been granted?+
Search the public probate records by name and year of death. If a grant has been issued, it appears in the index, usually about two weeks after the grant. If nothing shows, it may not have been granted yet.
How long after death is probate granted?+
HMCTS usually issues the grant within about 12 weeks of a complete application, and the record appears online around two weeks later. The whole process from death is often longer.