How to find a will
National Will Register vs GOV.UK vs a managed search
Written and reviewed by our experienced team. Checked against GOV.UK and the sources listed at the end on 15 September 2026. ProbateCheck is an independent service, not a law firm.
No, not all wills are registered in the UK. There is no compulsory register: the National Will Register is voluntary (its own site says "Will Registration is not compulsory in the UK"), and the only public record is the probate index, which lists a will once a grant is issued. Use the free GOV.UK probate search when probate has been granted (a copy costs £16); use the National Will Register (£65 including VAT for a Will Register Search, checked 15 September 2026) before probate when you do not know whether a will exists.
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. On 15 September 2026 the National Will Register listed a Will Register Search at £65.00 including VAT, a Will Search Combined (the register plus a nationwide enquiry of law firms) at £140.00 and Will Search Protect at £300.00, and said it holds over 10.5 million records; because registration is voluntary, a blank result does not prove there is no will. 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
Are all wills registered in the UK?+
No. There is no legal requirement to register a will. The National Will Register describes registration as not compulsory, so a will can exist without appearing on it, and a will only enters the public record when a grant of probate is issued.
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.
Sources checked for this guide
- National Will Register, search for a will (prices) (read 15 September 2026)
- GOV.UK, Search probate records for documents and wills (England and Wales) (read 15 September 2026)