This guide is for solicitors applying for probate on behalf of a client. If you are making a personal application, see the personal application guide.
Step 1 of 4: Before you apply
Confirm which grant you need
Common grants
- Grant of probate – the deceased left a valid will and an executor named in it is applying
- Grant of administration intestate – the deceased died without a valid will
- Grant of administration with will annexed – there is a valid will but no executor able or willing to apply
Special and limited grants
- De bonis non grants – a further grant where a previous grant issued but the estate was not fully administered
- Foreign domicile applications – the deceased was domiciled outside the Republic of Ireland
- Ad litem grants – a court-ordered grant, limited to allow proceedings involving the estate
- Ad colligenda bona applications – an urgent, limited grant to preserve estate assets
- Trust corporations – applications where a trust corporation is the applicant
Provide information to Revenue
Before you apply, you must give Revenue information about the deceased’s assets.
- For deaths on or after 5 December 2001, complete Revenue’s online Statement of Affairs (SA.2).
- For deaths before 5 December 2001, complete the Inland Revenue Affidavit (Form CA24).
For older deaths — for example, estates from the 1970s to the 1990s — Revenue may require older forms such as Form AX or Form D1 instead of Form CA24. Request these directly from Revenue. If you are unsure which form applies for the year of death, contact Revenue’s Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT) Section for guidance.
Check which office will handle the application
This depends on where the deceased lived at the date of death.
- Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath or Wicklow: the application must be made to the Dublin Probate Office.
- Any other county in the Republic of Ireland: the application can be made to the Dublin Probate Office or to the District Probate Registry for the county where the deceased lived.
- Outside the Republic of Ireland: the application must be made to the Dublin Probate Office.
Step 2 of 4: Compile your documents
Work through the checklist for your grant type (see Step 1). Each checklist sets out the documents you will need and the most common issues to check before you lodge your application.
As well as the documents on your checklist, every application must include:
- the Notice of Acknowledgement (Probate) form from Revenue, and
- the required fee (see Step 3 for fee amounts and how fees must be paid).
Submit a complete set of documents. Incomplete applications will not be accepted and will be returned by the Probate Office or District Probate Registry.
Step 3 of 4: Submit your application
Apply online through the Probate Portal
Solicitors can submit applications for grants of probate online. At present:
- only solicitors can use the Portal – personal applications are not yet supported
- only applications for grants of probate can be submitted
- foreign domicile cases are not supported
- the date of death must be on or after 5 December 2001
- all applicants must be over 18 years old, have the capacity to make their own decisions, and be named as executors in the will
Register for an account on the Courts Service Portal.
Paper applications
Applications that cannot be made through the Portal must be submitted on paper. You can hand-deliver them to the relevant office or send them by Tracked DX or registered post.
Important: Fees must be stamped on the Notice of Application. We cannot accept payment by fee sheet.
Application fees
| Net value of the estate | Fee |
|---|---|
| Not more than €100,000 | €100 |
| Over €100,000 and not more than €250,000 | €200 |
| Over €250,000 and not more than €500,000 | €350 |
| Over €500,000 and not more than €750,000 | €500 |
| Over €750,000 and not more than €1,000,000 | €650 |
| Over €1,000,000 – for the first €1,000,000 | €650 |
| Plus, for every €500,000 (or part of it) above €1,000,000 | €400 |
| Double, Cessate, Unadministered or duplicate Grant of Representation | €150 |
| De bonis non applications | €150 |
Step 4 of 4: Processing and issue of the grant
The latest information on current waiting times is published on our probate processing times page.
To ask for urgent processing, contact the office where you lodged the application. Urgent processing is only granted in exceptional circumstances – the sale of a property does not qualify.
What happens during processing
- Application assessment: the application is checked. If queries need to be raised, they are sent to you by post or email.
- If queries were raised: once you respond and resubmit the papers, the application is re-checked.
- Drafting the grant: if everything is in order, the grant is drafted.
- Final check and approval: the draft grant is checked and approved by the Probate Officer.
- Preparing the grant: the grant is prepared for issue.
- Final impediments check: a final check for impediments (such as caveats or rival applications) is made on the day of issue.
- Signing the grant: the original grant of representation is signed by the Probate Officer.
- Updating Revenue: the application details on the Revenue Online Service (ROS) are updated with the date of issue.
- Posting the grant: the original grant is posted to your office.
When the grant issues
Provided there are no impediments, the Probate Office or District Probate Registry issues the grant of representation and posts the original to your office.
info Corrective affidavits and amended Revenue forms
If you discover a material error or omission in the Revenue information after a grant of representation has issued, you may need to file an amended Notice of Acknowledgement (Probate) or a Corrective Affidavit.
Amended Notices of Acknowledgement forms and Corrective Affidavits from Revenue
