Farra is a death administration assistant for UK families. Get step-by-step guidance for registering a death, applying for probate, notifying banks, and managing bereavement admin. From essential documents to practical checklists, Farra simplifies estate paperwork and funeral-related tasks so you can focus on what matters.
Apply to the Probate and Matrimonial Office in Belfast. The process mirrors England and Wales: register the death, deal with IHT, swear an oath, and submit the application with the will and death certificate. Fee: free under £10,000; £261 above. Without a will, apply for Letters of Administration.
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You must register the death before applying for probate. In Northern Ireland, deaths must be registered within five days at a local register office. You will receive a death certificate — you will need several certified copies for the probate application and for dealing with banks and other organisations. See our guide on registering a death in Northern Ireland.
Locate the original will. Check who is named as executor and whether they are willing and able to act. If the named executor has died, renounced, or cannot act, a different application (Letters of Administration with Will Annexed) is required. For an overview of the different types of grant, see our guide on probate in Northern Ireland.
Before applying, you need to prepare a full inventory of the estate — all assets valued at the date of death, and all debts. This includes:
Subtract outstanding debts — mortgage, credit cards, utility bills, funeral expenses — to arrive at the net estate value for probate fee purposes and IHT calculations.
Inheritance tax applies identically in Northern Ireland as in the rest of the UK. If the estate exceeds the nil-rate band (£325,000, plus any residence nil-rate band and any transferred threshold from a deceased spouse), IHT must be reported to HMRC and at least part must be paid before the Probate Office will grant probate.
For deaths on or after 1 January 2022, excepted estates (those below the IHT threshold and meeting HMRC's conditions) no longer require a separate IHT form — the executor confirms the excepted estate status within the probate application itself. For taxable estates (those exceeding the nil-rate band, or where the excepted estate conditions are not met), Form IHT400 must be submitted to HMRC before the Probate Office will grant probate.
Most banks in Northern Ireland participate in the Direct Payment Scheme, which allows IHT to be paid directly from the deceased's accounts to HMRC before probate is granted — resolving the "chicken and egg" problem of needing probate to access funds but needing to pay IHT before probate. For the full IHT picture, see our UK inheritance tax guide for 2026–27.
Obtain the probate application forms from the Probate and Matrimonial Office in Belfast (or download from the NI Courts and Tribunals Service website). The main form is the Inland Revenue Account (for IHT purposes) and a Statement of Truth (oath) sworn by the executor.
Unlike England and Wales — where the online MyHMCTS system is increasingly used — Northern Ireland probate applications are primarily paper-based and submitted in person or by post to the Belfast office or a district registry.
The executor must swear an oath (or affirm) confirming the contents of the application and their authority to act. This is done before a Commissioner for Oaths or a solicitor. The oath includes a statement of the estate value and confirmation that the will is valid.
Submit to the Probate and Matrimonial Office:
If the application is in order, the Probate Office will issue the Grant of Probate (or Letters of Administration). The current processing times in Northern Ireland vary — contact the Probate Office for the latest estimates. You can request multiple sealed copies of the grant; each bank will require its own copy to release funds.
| Net Estate Value | Probate Fee |
|---|---|
| Under £10,000 | Free |
| £10,000 and over | £261 |
These fees are correct as at the time of writing and are subject to change. Additional charges apply for sealed copies of the grant (each copy costs a small fee). Solicitor fees for handling the probate application are separate and charged by the solicitor on a time or fixed-fee basis.
Where the deceased died intestate (without a valid will), the nearest entitled relative applies for Letters of Administration. The process is broadly the same as for probate, but:
Once the grant is issued, the executor can deal with the estate assets. The process follows the same principles as in England and Wales:
For a comprehensive overview of the administration process, see our estate administration checklist and executor timeline guide.
Farra can help you manage the estate administration process wherever you are in the UK.
Probate in Northern Ireland is handled by the Probate and Matrimonial Office in Belfast. How NI probate differs from England, intestacy rules, and cross-border estate issues. 2026 guide.
Northern Ireland intestacy broadly mirrors England and Wales. Surviving spouse receives £270,000 statutory legacy. Cohabiting partners have no automatic rights. Letters of Administration required.
England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are separate legal jurisdictions. When you need a new grant vs resealing, how Scotland always requires its own confirmation, and cross-border estate guidance.
Confirmation is Scotland's legal equivalent of probate, granted by the Sheriff Clerk of the local Sheriff Court. Executor-nominate, executor-dative, and Scottish succession law explained.
The Sheriff Clerk administers confirmation — Scotland's equivalent of probate. How the Sheriff Court system works, which court to apply to, and how the Sheriff Clerk differs from England's Probate Registry.
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