Probate Registry Directory for England and Wales: Probate Office Contacts

List of Probate Offices / Probate Registry Directory and Contacts in England and Wales. 

Whilst there are, in theory, several Probate Registries left in England and Wales, they all mysteriously seem to have the same phone number, which seems to rarely be answered in less than an hour, and then chances are they can’t help.  This may be either because you are not the executor, or because they will only speak to the solicitor you appointed to apply for probate (imagine how much it might cost to ask the solicitor to ring and waste an hour or more on the phone!)  More likely, you will be chasing before they consider it “reasonable” – at the time of writing around 4 months from the time the case was submitted. The delay the registry admits to does NOT include the delays in scanning documents onto the system via the Harlow scanning company – perhaps 3 to 7 weeks extra. Click for our general update on probate delays. 

If you are chasing the Grant of Probate, you can ring the so-called official registry Probate office Helpline on 0300 303 0648, but the chances of getting through are – at the moment – slim.  If you do get through, they can be very helpful.  Should they promise to “escalate” your case, I suggest taking the name of the person promising to do so, and noting it and the time, as it would appear that “escalation” is not always implemented first or even second time. If you are wondering where all the convenient local Probate Registries and sub-registries have gone, only a few major registry offices remain as it is no longer generally necessary to visit them to swear an oath. so things are clearly much better, sorry, worse now! A very high percentage of senior, experienced staff have gone too.

Click HERE for your LOCAL Probate & Registration information.

This page is a Directory of the few remaining Probate Offices.

What is a Probate Registry?

LATEST: Registry CONTACT DETAILS – it is all change, and many sites are currently outdated!  Probate forms.        Probate Delays.         Probate Quotes          Probate Disputes.

When someone dies, the process you (the executor or personal representative) need to follow to ensure their estate is dealt with correctly is known as “probate.” The job of the Probate Registries is to do their best to confirm that at least the initial stages have been carried out correctly. At least in the sense that the executors have completed the relevant forms correctly and the tax has been paid!  If you were looking for the contact details of probate registries, click the link above. There is still much work to be done after the grant of probate has been obtained.

Probate registries are part of the High Court. They are the section that members of the public must deal with to obtain legal permission to carry out their role as an executor of a Last Will. In most cases, Court permission is required to authorise collecting the assets, paying the bills and, finally, the beneficiaries.  Probate registries also give legal permission where the estate is dealt with under “letters of administration”, when no executor has been named, or when no will has been made.

Looking to withdraw a Will from Probate Office Storage?

Scotland?               What is Probate?

No executors named in the Will?

Can an executor act on a verbal wish?

What does a probate registry do?

Their prime job is issuing Grants of Representation. These provide legal authority to the executors or administrators of a person’s Last Will. Once issued, they authorise them to collect in money or close a bank account (of the deceased), sell property, pay bills and taxes etc etc.

Before issuing Grants of Representation, registries check that the applicant, usually the person or persons named as executor in the will, is entitled to be given this document.  They must have completed the required preliminary work and paid any Inheritance Tax due. Problems may occur if the registrar considers that the Will has not been made correctly or the Will has perhaps been altered. If this is possible, the Registrar will require further information from the witnesses before issuing the Grant of Representation.

To get the Grant of Representation, you must obtain the application forms, complete them and return them to the probate registry with the death certificate and Will – if there is one.  In most cases, there is a significant waiting time from when you send in the application and fee to the time when the grant of representation will be sent to you. TIP: always ask for multiple copies to avoid delays as the grant is sent out and (perhaps) returned by various institutions. See PROBATE DELAYS. Or you can do it online.

Do probate registries help throughout the entire probate process?
No. The issuing of the Grant of Representation is just one step in the probate process. Once the grant has been issued, the registry is no longer normally involved in any dealings of the estate. Help is far too strong a word for what the hard-pressed Registry staff can do, sadly.

The Probate Department (brokers) was set up to provide access to economical help throughout the process and can be contacted here.

Read the update on Probate Delays before going any further.   Do not attempt to contact any probate office (apart from 0300 303 0648) unless they contact you.

Our job is usually to get some professional help at an earlier stage, at a sensible cost – from a little to a lot or even for dispute resolution. Have a look at the form below, and ask for the free DIY Guide. If you need some professional help, call us and save on 03 300 102 300.  

But we also offer a DIY Guide (use the form below).    

Before you try to get information about a probate case from the Probate Registry, you MUST be an acting executor or administrator. Ideally, you would have the case number and at least the full name, date of birth, and death of the deceased. If it is just forms, see further down.

Probate Quotes: How much can we save you? It costs nothing to find out.

Probate registries contact details:

For the brave, get a good book, a flask of coffee or tea and an unlimited calling plan, be sure you are the executor or their solicitor, and have the case reference number (if known) and the full name, date of birth and death and address of the deceased if not, and then pick up the phone and start dialling: 0300 303 0648.  But if it is just forms you are after, read on.

• In theory, the phone MAY be answered on reduced hours from Monday to Friday 9 am to 1 pm, and no longer on Saturday. They suggest ringing early in the day. Normal 9 to 5 service should resume towards the end of May 2024.
•  Or you can send an email, to co************@*********ov.uk but may not get a response in less than four weeks, especially if you don’t include the case number.
• ALLEGEDLY, there is a probate office Webchat – but I have never seen anyone available on it! (“All our advisors are busy. Try again in a few minutes.”)

The registry will NOT disclose information to beneficiaries or other interested parties and sometimes will only deal with the solicitor, not the executors.

There is a new number for getting Probate Forms and great news

– it has an answerphone 24×7 plus (maybe – I had trouble in an evening test) real people Monday to Friday 9-5.  The message is a bit off song, so it may not be as much use as I hope but I guess if you ask for a non IHT estate probate pack or a Taxable estate pack that is a good start otherwise you might have to reel off the names of nearly 100 forms if it is a complex taxable estate!

Probate Registries Forms Hotline Only 0117 930 2430.  

Give it a try, and let me know how you get on, please. The alternative is 0300 123 1072 (which is useless for progress chasing as it is the Taxman not the Registry – but they di send out forms).

If you need further forms, this page may help – you can just download the forms.

Are you not ready to start filing the Probate or HMRC Forms yet?

If you haven’t got to that stage and are looking for where to register a death, funeral directors, etc, try the localised information. These local pages cover pretty much all of England and Wales. I have added links where available next to the Registry details below, with links to the relevant local page for that area with other helpful information. 

Registry Directory list and contact details. 0300 303 0648 is the only public number.

The Probate Registries general number is allegedly open Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm.  

How many local sub-Registries are there? NONE.

How Many District Probate Registries are there? As at December 2023 there are seven Probate offices, plus the private scanning centre at Harlow. 

If you happen to KNOW which registry is dealing with the case, try emailing them direct. Cases are NOT dealt with geographically. 

Email your “local” registry to request an appointment.

NB An appointment can only be made for caveats, dropping off a will, swearing of the affidavit and inspection of a will.  

You will only be seen with an appointment, and posting documents is probably going to lead to less delay (most go to the Harlow “registry” for scanning.

This is the current probate registry directory list:

Please note that the Principal Registry (often called the London Probate Department) is NO LONGER on the official list of Probate Registries.

• Cardiff & Bristol  ca*****************@*********ov.uk  Solicitors:  ca***************************@*********ov.uk  Welsh language 0300 303 0654.  (see Dealing with a death in Bristol.)
• Winchester wi********************@*********ov.uk  Solicitors:  wi******************************@*********ov.uk.   (See Dealing with a death in Winchester.)
• Newcastle ne*******************@*********ov.uk Solicitors:  ne*****************************@*********ov.uk.  (See Dealing with a death in Newcastle)
• Brighton br******************@*********ov.uk  Solicitors:  br****************************@*********ov.uk.          (See  Dealing with a death in Brighton & Hove.  )
• Leeds le***************@*********ov.uk  Solicitors:  le*************************@*********ov.uk.   (Local info:  dealing with a death in Leeds)
• Liverpool  li*******************@*********ov.uk  Solicitors:   li*****************************@*********ov.uk  Fax: tel:0151 227 4634   (See also Dealing with a death in Liverpool)
• Oxford ox****************@*********ov.uk Solicitors:  ox**************************@*********ov.uk (Local information dealing with a death in Oxford.)
• Harlow Probate Office if you wish to contact the Harlow Probate Registry, you can’t! It is a private company whose sole job is to scan documents into the Court system, nothing more. (Dealing with a death in Harlow). Their address is just below.
• ALL of the other former probate offices are closed, at least to the public.

While you are waiting, remember that the Registry staff are under immense pressure; they have lost a lot of their colleagues to redundancy or redeployment, and they are working with a fairly typical Government IT system, i.e. not great.  Be kind; it is not the fault of the person answering the phone, who is probably pretty depressed about the whole thing.

HAVEN’T GOT THE TIME?  you could email co************@*********ov.uk, and you might get a reply, one day.

Which probate registries should the public send Probate Forms to:

a) Inheritance Tax Forms (if relevant) MUST be sent to HMRC (NOT the Probate Registry) 4 weeks BEFORE you send in the Probate Application.

Inheritance Tax HM Revenue and Customs BX9 1HT Phone: 0300 123 1072

b) Remember to send your probate form and required documents (but NOT IHT Forms) to:

HMCTS Probate, PO Box 12625, Harlow, CM20 9QE (This is a private scanning company.) There is NO direct phone contact, and the Registry won’t answer questions until 16 weeks after cases have been scanned into their system (check for updates on probate registry delays.)  I have no idea what any delays in uploading might be, though guesses range from 3 to 7 weeks. Most documents I understand are NOT signed for so you have no idea whether or not they have arrived until 16 weeks later when you can enquire only to be told they never arrived. Your only confirmation will be when payment is taken, and I ALWAYS recommend you pay by cheque, posted with your application.  When the cheque clears, you at least know that the envelope arrived in Harlow.

If IHT agreement is needed, you can’t submit your Probate application until you can include the reference number now.

Harlow, which is the scanning centre, should be alerted to any double-sided documents, or they may only scan one side. Be sure NOT to staple or clip anything to documents and potentially INVALIDATE the Will – a post-it note is probably ideal, though they may just scan that and cover the document! Perhaps a note on the envelope may help. If a Will is bound (and they should be) do NOT take the binding off or you may invalidate the Will, but do make sure you keep a copy – careful photographs or each page or a photocopy or scan. If the Registry loses the Will, then at least you have some evidence to hand.

Applications are initially dealt with via the Harlow scanning office; details are below. Many of the “old” Registries are closed or just acting as non-public offices. This page has the only public probate offices contact details and it is NOT them who send out forms – see more below. It will be pretty confusing until the dust settles hopefully in 2020 (now we are in 2024 – did I really say that 4 years ago – it certainly hasn’t got any better!) OK, so that was wildly optimistic. It has now all changed, and the current contact details are below. 

Read Probate Delays before you waste time trying to call the probate offices.

Page links:       What to do when someone dies.             Free Guide To Probate.                                         Probate Help

We are NOT the Registry – our job is to find suitable professional help where it is needed – from half an hour’s review to handing the whole thing over.  Some cases are straightforward (to professionals) so fees are lower, others require more sophisticated advice and will inevitably be more expensive. We aim to recommend firms which offer sensible prices and good service.  If that is the sort of help you need, call us on 03 300 102 300 or use our enquiry form. If not, please carry on reading:

Tips from the Probate Registry to speed up your application:

• You can no longer submit a case involving IHT clearance until you have the reference number from the taxman.  IHT400, this should be sent to HMRC (Taxman). Not waiting and submitting them simultaneously will probably result in your application being rejected. The HMRC clearance number MUST (where relevant) be included in the application for Probate.  
• (IHT205 accompanies the application rather than being sent to the Taxman – should it still be required).
• Ensuring all information submitted is correct will also help, as it often is not. Please double-check, or, better, get someone else to do so.
• Ensuring that where you have applied digitally, any documents (original or subsequent documentation requested from you) sent to the Harlow address should always contain a cover sheet with the 16-digit case reference number. If they are double-sided, that is pointed out in the cover letter, as their scanners are single-sided.
• Codicils are part of the Will and should be submitted simultaneously.
• APPLYING BY POST? DO NOT FORGET TO SEND PAYMENT WITH YOUR APPLICATION! Currently, £273 plus £1.50 for each additional sealed copy – they are really useful as copies rarely get returned quickly, if at all, by institutions. If you have paid by phone, ensure the payment reference is VERY clearly marked on the form and accompanying letter too.

The Probate Registry Helpline may, they say will, be able to confirm the following information (if you can even get through) to the Executor (only):

• If the application has been received (though it could be in a pile at Harlow waiting to be scanned).
• Where the application is being processed (though that is of no help if you can’t contact them – but see email addresses below).
• The current service level in the registry where they have sent your application (which you probably won’t even know!)
• When do they expect the grant to be issued? Mystic Meg is on their payroll.
• Whether a ‘stop’ is in place and the reason for this – which can be as simple as the fact that the Harlow scanners are mostly single-sided and many applications contain 2-sided documents.  We suggest copying all double-sided pages to be sure they are scanned on both sides, but you must also include the original documents.

Grant of Probate for more complex estates.

For general Inheritance Tax queries or if you need a probate application pack,

please call the Taxmans’ Probate Helpline Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm on 0300 123 1072.  This is part of the Inland Revenue, NOT the Probate Court, so they cannot help with progress chasing or any legal matter. However, they may be able to help you:

• understand whether you’re likely to need probate. (But their view is irrelevant if an asset holder insists on seeing a Grant of Probate/ Letters of Administration.)
• Find out which Inheritance Tax or probate forms to fill in.
• Get help and advice when filling in paper forms.

NEW DEDICATED FORMS ONLY 24×7 number 0117 930 2430.

If your query is related to anything else, other than which forms you need or IHT, in which case it is 0300 123 1072, please call the Probate Registries number 0300 303 0648, but be aware that they won’t give you any legal advice, even if you can get through. Waiting time has been up to an hour, so you might want to use the email address, but be sure to quote your reference number at the very least. Probate office staff are working all over the country, so you want to be as sure as you can that it reaches the right person quickly.

Please note that Registry and HMRC phone lines do not have automatic answering machines. There is a chance that if the number is engaged, your call may ring out/be cut off. Please continue trying to reach them, and do not try to call alternative numbers unless you have been specifically asked to by the probate offices.

To pay by card, call Cheque or Postal Order only for postal applications – Monday to Friday, 09:30 am to 3:30 pm: once you have made the payment, note your reference on the first page of your application form and keep a note of it for later use. Payments do sometimes get mismatched, and your application could end up in a pile awaiting payment so that reference number could be very important.

Executors dealing with property, read this.

Read the update on Probate Delays before going any further.   Do not attempt to contact any of them (apart from 0300 303 0648) unless they contact you.

Registries do NOT deal with registering births, marriages or deaths (but the local Registrars’ details are on our Local Information Pages. 

Be aware that the Registries seem to be in chaos at the moment (February 2022 and still nearly 3 years later) so don’t waste your time repeatedly ringing and ringing – use email and copy in your MP (update – not sure either of those works any better)!  

To find the local Registrar of Births and Deaths, click HERE.

Probate Registries and Registrars of Birth and Deaths are entirely different organisations.

Please do NOT call the Registries below if you need Forms; download them via our page or  (very much second best as they seem to be slow and unreliable) call the Government Service on 0300 123 1072 (or +44 300 123 1072 from abroad) or try 0117 930 2430.  That office is open 9-5 Monday to Friday and is also the Inheritance Tax Helpline.  For contact details of the various Registries, continue down the page.  If you just need a small amount of guidance, use our form if you just need a question answered.  Just bear in mind that we can only point you in the right direction. We cannot give advice.

We can introduce you to flexible probate services, from DIY Support for simple estates to sophisticated tax advice on taxable estates.  They don’t insist on taking over everything.  We do strongly recommend contacting us where there will be Inheritance Tax to pay, any trusts or if there may be disputes. Many families never speak again after a probate dispute, so keeping the dispute impersonal helps no end.  They can blame the professionals!

Links to the nearest Government probate offices / Registry Directory and contact details are further down the page. Most have been closed to cut costs.  Closed offices are crossed through, and (anyway) you should always contact the relevant regional main office. Currently, the Probate Registries seem to be woefully understaffed, so it is often better to email as phones are often not answered. At least an unanswered email doesn’t waste your time!

For copy Wills and Grants, click here.

For help with probate, go here.

For DIY Probate, click here.

All applications must be sent to a HARLOW except in very specific circumstances, or you are directed otherwise, or they will be delayed while they are redirected. 

The job of executor can be both demanding and thankless.   Considering that professional fees would come from the estate, you may wish to consider an economical professional service. This page gives an insight into where you can run into profit-inflating tactics elsewhere. To contact us call 03 300 102 300.  Quotes here. If your concern is a possible probate dispute, then this page may be helpful.

Probate Registry Complaints Procedure

If you’re unhappy with their service.

Online Probate Helpline if you need support to apply online

You can phone the Digital Support probate support line if you:

• do not feel confident using the internet
• do not have access to a computer or smartphone – I have to say, not sure how they can help apart from posting out an application pack – let me know please!

FREE PROBATE GUIDE while you wait to help organise the necessary information.

Error: Contact form not found.

Directory of HM Court and Tribunals Service Probate Helpline Numbers.

HM Courts and Tribunals Probate Registry Directory

The HM Courts and Tribunals Service is an agency which is responsible for the Probate Service and the Tribunals. It was formed in 2011 as a merger between Her Majesty’s Court Service and the Tribunals Service. The head office of the agency was based at 102 Petty France, London, SW1, but it operates in locations around England and Wales.  

Other Ways to Contact the HM Court and Tribunals Service (probate offices.)

You can contact the HM Court and Tribunals Service via Twitter.

What happened to all the local probate sub-registration offices?

The more cynical amongst us could purely look at their loss as a cost-saving exercise.

A more generous interpretation is that the sub-registry offices were previously establishments where individuals would go to take an oath during the probate application process. However, as time has passed, there have been notable changes in this application process, leading to a shift in the requirements for swearing an oath. Consequently, the need for sub-registry offices has diminished, making them obsolete.

.