How to Get a Copy of a Will in Ireland, Step-by-step for Beneficiaries, Executors & Solicitors

Understanding how to get a copy of a will in Ireland is essential for anyone who needs to administer an estate, prove a bequest, transfer property, or close a deceased person’s bank accounts. Once a grant of probate has been issued, the will becomes a matter of public record held on the Probate Register maintained by the Courts Service, and any person may apply for an official copy. Before probate is granted, however, the will remains a private document, typically held by the deceased’s solicitor, and access is more restricted.

This guide sets out the full procedure for 2026: who is eligible to request a copy, the exact steps to obtain a will copy from the Probate Office or a District Registry, the documents needed to obtain a will, the current costs, realistic timelines, and what to do if the will is missing.

Overview of the Process and Who It Applies To

The process for obtaining a will copy in Ireland depends on whether probate has already been granted. Where a grant of probate (or a grant of letters of administration with will annexed) has issued, the will and the grant are filed in the Probate Register and become public documents. The governing legislation is the Succession Act 1965, which provides the framework for grants of probate and the administration of estates, and the Public Records Act 1967, under which testamentary records are eventually transferred to the National Archives of Ireland for permanent preservation.

Are Irish wills public record? Yes, but only after probate has been granted. A will that has been proved and admitted to probate is open to inspection and copying by any member of the public through the Courts Service. A will that has not yet been submitted for probate, or for which no grant has been made, remains a private document. Such wills are usually held by the solicitor who drafted them or in the deceased’s personal papers.

For historic wills, broadly those where probate was granted before 1992, original testamentary records may have been transferred to the National Archives of Ireland under the Public Records Act 1967. The National Archives holds calendars and original wills for earlier periods and provides a separate ordering process. For all more recent grants, the Probate Office (part of the High Court) and the 14 District Probate Registries across Ireland hold the records and process copy requests.

You may need an official copy of a will in a wide range of situations: to instruct a bank to release funds, to satisfy the Revenue Commissioners in connection with Capital Acquisitions Tax, to register a property transfer, to verify your entitlement as a beneficiary, or to resolve a dispute about the estate. For a broader overview of the estate administration procedure, see the Probate Process, Ireland guide.

Eligibility and Prerequisites: Who Can See a Will in Ireland

Before ordering a copy, it is important to understand who can request one and the evidence they will need to supply. The answer differs depending on the stage of the probate process.

Who Can Request a Copy and What Evidence Is Required

Once a grant of probate has issued and the will is on the Probate Register, the record is public. In principle, any person may apply to the Probate Office or the relevant District Probate Registry for an official copy of a probated will. No proof of relationship or entitlement is strictly required for a standard office copy of a probated will, the register is a public record.

In practice, the following categories of requester are most common:

• Executors and personal representatives, named in the grant of probate or letters of administration.
• Named beneficiaries, individuals or organisations identified in the will.
• Solicitors acting on instruction, acting with a signed authorisation from an executor, administrator, or beneficiary.
• Family members and next of kin, who may be entitled under the Succession Act 1965 even if not named in the will.
• Third parties with a legitimate interest, including creditors, financial institutions, and researchers.

Where the will has not yet been admitted to probate, access is more restricted. The will is still a private document. In that situation, the executor or the solicitor holding the will controls access, and third parties may need a court order to compel disclosure. Photo identification (passport or driving licence) and, where applicable, proof of relationship (birth certificate, marriage certificate, or grant of probate naming the requester) should be prepared in advance. Solicitors acting on behalf of a client should have a signed authorisation letter on firm letterhead.

How to Get a Copy of a Will in Ireland: Step-by-Step Procedure

The following steps to obtain a will copy apply to wills that have been admitted to probate. If the will has not been probated, skip to Step 4 below for the solicitor-held and missing will procedure.

Step 1, Search the Probate Register to Confirm the Record Exists

The first step in how to find a will that has been probated is to search the Probate Register. The Courts Service maintains an online searchable index of grants of probate and letters of administration. To search, you will need at minimum:

• The deceased’s full name (as it appeared on the will or grant).
• The year of death or an approximate date range.

Access the Probate Register through the Courts Service website. Enter the deceased’s name and year of death. The search results will display matching entries, each showing:

• The probate record number, the unique identifier you will need when ordering a copy.
• The date of the grant, confirming when probate was issued.
• The issuing registry, the Probate Office (Dublin) or the specific District Probate Registry (e.g., Cork, Limerick, Galway) where the grant was made.

Note each of these details carefully. You will need them to complete the order form accurately. If the deceased’s name was common, cross-reference the year of death and the issuing registry location against any information you already hold about the estate.

If the search returns no results, the will may not yet have been admitted to probate, or probate may have been granted under a slightly different name. Try variant spellings and maiden names. For grants issued before 1992, the online register may not contain the entry. In that case, you will need to search the National Archives of Ireland calendars of wills and grants, which cover earlier periods and can be accessed online or in person at the National Archives reading room in Dublin. The National Archives holds original testamentary records transferred under the Public Records Act 1967.

For genealogical research or very old wills, the National Archives also holds copies of pre-1922 wills (noting that many original wills were destroyed in the Four Courts fire of 1922, though calendars and some copy wills survive).

Step 2, Identify the Record Details and Decide Which Copy You Need

Before placing your order, decide whether you need a standard official (office) copy or a sealed and certified copy of the will or grant. The distinction matters:

• Official office copy, a plain copy of the will and/or grant, stamped by the Probate Office or District Registry. Suitable for personal records, solicitor files, and many administrative uses.
• Sealed and certified copy, a copy bearing the official court seal and a certification of authenticity. Required by some banks, financial institutions, foreign authorities, and the Land Registry for property transfer purposes.

Check with the institution requesting the document (bank, Revenue, foreign embassy) to confirm which type they will accept. Ordering the wrong type is a common and avoidable source of delay. The fees differ for each type, see the costs table below.

Step 3, Order a Probate Office Will Copy from the Issuing Registry

Once you have the record details and know which copy you need, place your order with the issuing Probate Office or District Probate Registry, that is, the registry identified in the Probate Register search results from Step 1. Orders should be directed to the registry that made the original grant, not to a different registry.

To order, complete the Probate Office order form (available from the Courts Service). Include the following reference fields on the form:

• Deceased’s full name.
• Probate record number.
• Date of the grant.
• Name of issuing registry.
• Type of copy required (office copy, sealed and certified copy, or both will and grant).

Payment is typically made by postal order, cheque, or bank draft, made payable to “The Courts Service”. Check the Courts Service website for the most current payment methods, as some registries may now accept card or electronic payment. Send the completed form and payment to the postal address of the issuing registry.

Allow 5 to 20 working days for the registry to process the order, depending on workload and registry location. After processing, the copy will be dispatched by post. If you require the copy urgently, contact the registry directly to ask whether expedited processing is available. For older records held at the National Archives, the ordering process is separate, contact the National Archives reading room or submit a request through their online services.

Step 4, Solicitor-Held Wills and the Missing Will Procedure

If probate has not yet been granted, the will is not on the Probate Register and cannot be obtained through the Courts Service. In this situation, the will is most likely held by the solicitor who prepared it for the deceased. Contact the deceased’s solicitor and request a copy. The solicitor will typically require:

• Proof that you are the executor named in the will, a beneficiary, or a person with a legitimate interest.
• A signed authorisation or consent letter, particularly if you are not the executor.

If you do not know which solicitor holds the will, check the deceased’s personal papers, bank correspondence, and safe deposit box (with the bank’s cooperation). Some solicitors register wills with a will-tracing service.

If the will cannot be found at all, despite searching solicitor records, personal effects, bank deposit boxes, and the Probate Register, the missing will procedure applies. In these circumstances, you should instruct a probate solicitor to consider the following options:

• Application for letters of administration (where no will can be proved, the estate may be administered under the rules of intestacy set out in Part VI of the Succession Act 1965).
• Application to the court to admit a copy of the will to probate, if a photocopy or draft exists and its authenticity can be established, for example, through handwriting and signature examination.

Timeline Summary: Steps to Obtain a Will Copy in Ireland

Required Documents and Information for a Will Copy Ireland

Preparing the correct documents needed to obtain a will before submitting your request avoids rejected applications and unnecessary delays. The table below consolidates everything you should gather.

If you are an overseas executor or beneficiary and cannot easily attend a registry in person, you may instruct a solicitor in Ireland to submit the order on your behalf. Ensure the solicitor has your signed authorisation letter and a certified copy of your identification. International courier costs will apply for dispatch of the certified copy abroad.

Timeline and Key Deadlines

There is no statutory deadline for requesting a copy of a probated will, you may apply at any time after the grant has been made, whether that was last month or decades ago. The practical timeframe depends on registry processing speeds and the postal service.

The Probate Office in Dublin typically processes copy requests within 5 to 15 working days of receiving a correctly completed order form with the correct fee. District Probate Registries (Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and others) may take 10 to 20 working days, and processing times can be longer during peak periods or where administrative backlogs exist.

In 2026, industry observers expect some registries to continue experiencing intermittent processing delays. If you need a copy urgently, for example, to meet a bank’s deadline for releasing estate funds, contact the issuing registry by telephone before submitting your application to confirm current turnaround times and to ask whether any expedited processing option is available.

For wills held by the National Archives (pre-1992 grants), allow additional time for retrieval and copying from the Archives’ collections. Requests can be made online or in writing, and processing typically takes 5 to 20 working days depending on volume.

Always confirm current processing times on the Courts Service website before planning your estate administration timeline.

Costs, Fees, and Tax Considerations: The Cost to Get a Will Copy

The Courts Service publishes a schedule of fees for copies of probate documents. The following table sets out the standard fees. All amounts should be verified against the current Courts Service fee schedule before payment, as fees are subject to periodic revision.

Separately from the cost of obtaining a will copy Ireland, executors and beneficiaries should be aware of tax obligations that arise in parallel with probate. Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT) may be payable by beneficiaries on inheritances above the relevant group thresholds, and an Inland Revenue Affidavit (Form SA.2) is filed with the Probate Office as part of the grant application. The Revenue Commissioners provide detailed guidance on CAT obligations and filing requirements. Consulting a tax adviser or probate solicitor on these matters early in the process is advisable.

What Changes in 2026

Executors and beneficiaries undertaking this process in 2026 should verify several items that are subject to change:

• Courts Service fee schedule. Probate copy fees are updated periodically. Check the current fee schedule on courts.ie before submitting payment to avoid underpayment rejections.
• Digital access and online ordering. The Courts Service has been progressively expanding digital access to the Probate Register. Early indications suggest that online search functionality continues to be enhanced, but the availability of fully online ordering (as opposed to postal applications) varies by registry. Confirm the current position for your issuing registry before proceeding.
• Registry processing times. Some District Probate Registries have experienced intermittent backlogs. Contact the relevant registry directly if your application is time-sensitive.
• Revenue administration. The Revenue Commissioners periodically update CAT thresholds and filing requirements. Verify the current thresholds and any changes to the Inland Revenue Affidavit process on revenue.ie.

The likely practical effect of these developments is that the core process remains unchanged, but the speed of access and the payment methods available may vary from registry to registry throughout 2026.

Common Pitfalls When Obtaining a Copy of a Will in Ireland, and How to Avoid Them

• Ordering from the wrong registry. Each grant is held by the registry that issued it. Submitting your order to the Probate Office in Dublin when the grant was made by the Cork District Probate Registry (or vice versa) will result in rejection. Always check the issuing registry in the Probate Register before ordering.
• Requesting the wrong type of copy. An uncertified office copy will not satisfy a bank or the Land Registry if they require a sealed and certified copy. Confirm the document type required by the requesting institution before paying.
• Failing to supply the probate record number. Incomplete order forms, particularly those missing the probate record number or date of grant, are a leading cause of processing delays. Complete the Probate Register search (Step 1) before submitting your order.
• Assuming pre-1992 wills are at the Probate Office. Older testamentary records may have been transferred to the National Archives of Ireland. If the Probate Register search returns no result for a death that occurred before 1992, search the National Archives calendars instead.
• Not searching for a solicitor-held will before assuming it is missing. Many wills are held by the solicitor who drafted them and were never lost, the family simply does not know which solicitor to contact. Check the deceased’s correspondence, bank records, and personal papers before initiating the missing will procedure.
• Paying the wrong fee. Submitting the incorrect fee amount (or an expired cheque) causes rejection. Verify the current fee schedule on courts.ie and ensure payment is made payable to “The Courts Service”.
• Overlooking tax obligations. Obtaining a copy of the will is one step in estate administration, but executors who neglect to address CAT filings and Inland Revenue Affidavit requirements in parallel risk delays in the overall probate process.

If you encounter any of these issues, or if the will cannot be located at all, instruct a probate solicitor to advise on the appropriate next steps, including a potential court application. You can find a solicitor through the directory.

Sources

1. Courts Service, Order Copies of Probates That Have Already Been Granted
2. Courts Service, Probate Fees
3. National Archives of Ireland, How to Find a Will
4. National Archives of Ireland, Testamentary Records
5. Citizens Information, Dealing With the Deceased’s Estate
6. Probate.ie, Grant of Probate Guidance
7. Succession Act 1965 (Irish Statute Book)
8. Public Records Act 1967 (Irish Statute Book)
9. Revenue Commissioners, Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT) Guidance
10. PJF Solicitors, Missing Wills Guidance