Searching records
Search probate records online (free)
Written and reviewed by our experienced team. Checked against GOV.UK on 15 September 2026. ProbateCheck is an independent service, not a law firm.
You can search the England and Wales probate records for free. Enter the full name and the year the person died, and the public index shows whether a grant of probate has been issued. Searching is free; ordering a copy of the will or grant costs £16. Records cover 1858 to the present, with a digital index from 1996.
How to search, step by step
Enter the name and year
Use the full name of the person who passed away and the year they died. Start with the surname if you are unsure of spellings.
Check the year of death and the year after
Records are filed under the year the grant was issued, not the year of death. It is often months from a death to the grant (the estate is valued first, then HMCTS took a mean of 5 weeks from application to grant in January to March 2026), so a death late in one year often appears under the next. Search both.
Try name variations
Maiden names, a middle name used as a first name, and small spelling differences all cause a blank result that looks like “no will exists”. Try each variation.
Order the record
When you find the right person, a copy of the grant and the will (where one was proved) costs £16 from GOV.UK. New records appear online around two weeks after a grant is issued.
Nothing found?
An empty result is very often a false negative, not proof that there is no will. The most common causes are the grant-year quirk above, a name variation, or that probate has not been granted yet. See why a probate search finds nothing.
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 checkProbate register: what it is and how to search it
The "probate register" people search for is the index of every grant of representation issued in England and Wales since 1858, kept by HM Courts & Tribunals Service and searchable at gov.uk/search-will-probate. It is the same index the search box at the top of this page queries, so a probate search, a probate check and a probate register search are all the same thing. Each entry shows the person's name, date of death, the type of grant and the registry that issued it, and lets you order the record. A new grant is online approximately 14 days after it is issued (checked 15 September 2026).
- "Probate" or "Grant and Will": a will was proved and the copy includes it.
- "Admon with Will": letters of administration with the will annexed; the will is included.
- "Administration (Admon)" or "Grant": no will; the record is the grant only.
- Ordering: £16 per record online, or £16 by post on form PA1S with a reply within about four weeks. If the person died in the last six months, a £4 standing search on PA1S sends you the record automatically when a grant is issued.
Searching by name: getting the name right
The register matches on the name exactly as it appears on the grant, so a blank result is very often a name problem rather than proof there is no will. Work through these before concluding anything:
- Start with the surname and the year of death, then the year after (records are filed under the year the grant was issued).
- Add a first name to narrow a common surname; try initials if the full name draws a blank.
- Try maiden names and previous married names.
- Try a middle name used as a first name, and common spelling variants.
- Only after all of those, read why a probate search finds nothing.
The register is not the same as the National Will Register, which is a private index of where wills are stored rather than of grants issued; see National Will Register vs GOV.UK. It also does not cover Scotland or Northern Ireland, which have separate systems.
Frequently asked questions
Is searching probate records free?+
Yes. Searching the England and Wales probate index at gov.uk is free. You only pay £16 if you order a copy of a will or grant of probate.
How far back do the records go?+
Probate records for England and Wales go back to 1858. The fully digital, name-searchable index covers grants from 1996 onward; earlier records exist as scanned yearly calendars.
How soon after death can I find a will?+
A will only becomes public once a grant of probate is issued. HMCTS took a mean of 5 weeks from application to grant in January to March 2026 (about 2 weeks for online applications not stopped, 14 weeks if stopped), on top of the time the family needs to value the estate and apply. New records appear online about 14 days after the grant. A very recent death often shows nothing for months.
What is the probate register?+
The index of every grant of probate and letters of administration issued in England and Wales since 1858, held by HM Courts and Tribunals Service and searchable free at gov.uk/search-will-probate. A probate search, a probate check and a probate register search all mean searching this index.
Can I search probate records by name for free?+
Yes. Searching the England and Wales probate index by name is free. You only pay £16 to order a copy of a will or grant.
What if I only have a name and not a date?+
You can still search by surname, but a year of death narrows it a lot, especially for common surnames. A managed search can work through a name across many years for you.
Is the probate register the same as the National Will Register?+
No. The probate register is the official HMCTS index of grants issued. The National Will Register is a private register of where wills are stored, used to trace a will before probate. Not all wills are registered on it.