How to find a will
National Will Register vs GOV.UK vs a managed search
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.
Use the free GOV.UK probate search when probate has already been granted, because the will is then public and a copy costs £16. Use a commercial will register or search firm when you do not know whether a will exists and probate has not been granted. A managed search does the GOV.UK search and obtains the documents for you.
GOV.UK probate search (free to search, £16 a copy)
The official service. Once probate is granted, the will is public. Searching is free; a copy costs £16. This is all you need if a grant has been issued. The only difficulty is searching it correctly, which is where records get missed.
Commercial will registers and search firms
Services such as the National Will Register are most useful before probate, when you do not know whether a will exists or where it is held. They check registered-will databases and solicitor networks. If probate has already been granted, the record they retrieve is the same £16 public document.
A managed search (£29)
We run the GOV.UK search properly across name variations and index years, obtain the grant and the will, and explain them. It suits people who know or suspect a grant exists and would rather not do it themselves. Government fees are included.
Quick rule of thumb
Probate granted, and you want the documents? GOV.UK (£16) or our managed search (£29). No idea if a will exists and probate not granted? A commercial will register is the right first step.
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
Is the National Will Register the same as GOV.UK?+
No. GOV.UK searches the public probate records for wills that have already been through probate. A will register checks where a will is stored, which is useful before probate when you do not know if a will exists.
Which is cheapest to find a will?+
If probate has been granted, GOV.UK is cheapest: free to search, £16 for a copy. Commercial will-search firms charge more, but are aimed at finding an unknown will before probate.