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Apply for probate by post if there is not a will: Form PA1A

Use this form to apply for letters of administration to manage the estate of the person who has died if they have not left a will.

Updates to this page

From:
HM Courts & Tribunals Service
Published:
20 March 2020
Last updated:
27 February 2025
Show all updates

  1. Added an address in the guidance for probate practitioners to send their completed form and supporting documents to.

  2. Updated the address in the equality and diversity questionnaire.

  3. Updated the contact time to 12 weeks in the guidance.

  4. Uploaded new Welsh forms

  5. Uploaded new versions of the Welsh forms.

  6. Updated the probate helpline opening times.

  7. Questions about receiving a letter from HMRC with a unique probate code (as part of the Inheritance Tax process) have been added to the forms.

  8. Updated phone line opening times

  9. The legal statement has been updated on both the citizen and practitioner forms. The practitioner form also has an updated QR code.

  10. Updated phone line opening times

  11. Updated April's bank holiday week opening times

  12. Added a Welsh version of the practitioner form

  13. Removed the pre-2022 citizen applicant only form.

  14. Updated opening times for the probate helpline

  15. Corrected small error where field for legal representatives firm wasn’t appearing on legal statement page of the form.

  16. Edited the contact us section - The Probate helpline is closed on Saturdays.

  17. Updated form page with new paper forms for applicants with and without an excepted estate

  18. Added information about how to pay.

  19. Helpline information updated.

  20. Revised PA1A form including equality and diversity questions.

  21. New form for legal practitioners published.

  22. First published.

Documents

Apply for probate online

https://www.gov.uk/applying-for-probate/apply-for-probate

Citizen applicants: PA1A

PDF, 356 KB, 26 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

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If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email hmctsforms@justice.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Probate practitioners: PA1A

PDF, 269 KB, 22 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email hmctsforms@justice.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

How to apply for probate by post if there is not a will

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Details

If you are applying online, you do not need to submit a paper application as well.

You can apply for the legal right to manage the estate of someone who has died and did not leave a will. You will receive ‘letters of administration’ to prove your legal right to manage their estate.

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If the form still does not open, contact hmctsforms@justice.gov.uk.

If you need a printed version contact your local court.

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