Probate in Ireland: Process, Fees and Waiting Times (2026 Guide)

When someone dies in Ireland, their bank accounts, property and investments are usually frozen until a personal representative gets legal authority to deal with them. That authority is a Grant of Representation, issued by the Probate Office in Dublin or a District Probate Registry, and obtaining it is what most people mean by 'going through probate'.

The process is more manageable than its reputation suggests, and in a straightforward case you can apply without a solicitor. But fees scale with the estate, a Revenue form must be filed before you apply, and strict statutory rules decide who inherits when there is no will. Fees and waiting times below are current as of July 2026.

Information last verified on 20 July 2026. This page is general legal information for the Republic of Ireland, not legal advice.

What is a Grant of Probate?

A Grant of Representation is the document that authorises someone to administer a deceased person's estate. It comes in two main forms.

A Grant of Probate issues where the deceased left a valid will and an executor named in it is able and willing to act. The executor proves the will and becomes the personal representative.

Letters of Administration issue where there is no will, or where there is a will but no acting executor (administration with will annexed). The administrator is usually the next of kin, in a priority order running spouse or civil partner, then child, parent, sibling and outward; the Probate Registrar decides doubtful cases, and an administrator must enter into an administration bond.

Anyone objecting to a grant, for example over the will's validity, can lodge a caveat with the Probate Office, blocking the grant until the dispute is resolved.

What does the personal representative actually do?

Whether executor or administrator, the job is the same: collect the assets, pay the debts, funeral costs and taxes, and distribute what remains to those entitled, accounting to the beneficiaries throughout. If the deceased had a Fair Deal nursing home loan, that deferred contribution is repaid to Revenue from the estate too; our Fair Deal scheme guide explains the charge.

Step one: file the SA.2 Statement of Affairs

Before you can apply for probate at all, you must complete Revenue's Statement of Affairs (Probate) Form SA.2, filed online through myAccount or ROS, setting out the estate's assets, liabilities and beneficiaries. A paper version exists only for limited cases through Revenue's National CAT Unit, and beneficiaries living abroad need a PPS number.

Filing the SA.2 generates a Notice of Acknowledgement (Probate), which must accompany your application to the Probate Office. The SA.2 is also how Revenue learns what each beneficiary is taking: anything above the relevant CAT group threshold is taxed at 33%, with a 31 October pay and file deadline. See our full guide to inheritance tax and CAT in Ireland, or run the figures through the Ireland inheritance tax calculator.

Where do you apply?

Applications go to the Probate Office in Dublin or to the appropriate District Probate Registry, attached to Circuit Court offices around the country; each runs its own queue, so timings differ by venue.

Do you need a solicitor for probate in Ireland?

Not always. Personal applications are allowed, and the Probate Office assists personal applicants with the process, though it cannot give legal advice. Personal applicants attend an appointment in person as part of the application.

A solicitor is required where the applicant is a minor or lacks capacity; where the will's validity or next-of-kin entitlement is disputed; where the original will is lost; in certain foreign cases, such as a non-resident applicant where a beneficiary other than the deceased's spouse will inherit €20,000 or more of the estate, or a will in a foreign language; and wherever the Probate Office directs. Many families use a solicitor anyway where there is land or any tension.

How much does probate cost in Ireland?

The Probate Office fee is not a flat charge: it scales with the value of the estate, and personal applicants pay a different scale from solicitor applications. The current Courts Service fees are below.

Personal applicants

A second or subsequent grant on the same estate costs €300 for a personal applicant.

Applications through a solicitor

A second or subsequent grant costs €150 through a solicitor. These are court fees only: a solicitor's professional fee for administering the estate is separate and agreed with the solicitor. Both scales are set by S.I. No. 80 of 2021, which replaced the earlier bands.

Copies cost extra: €15 for an official copy of the will, grant or another document, €30 for the will and grant together, and €40 for a sealed and certified copy of the will and grant, or €20 for a sealed and certified copy of either one on its own.

How long does probate take in Ireland?

Waiting times move constantly, so treat any figure as a snapshot. On the times published by the Courts Service on 20 July 2026, the Dublin Probate Office was processing solicitor applications lodged on 28 April 2026, roughly 12 weeks behind, and personal applications lodged on 22 June 2026, with a 10 to 12 week wait for an appointment. Once an application is in order, the grant typically issues within about 3 weeks.

District Probate Registries run their own queues and vary from office to office; the Courts Service publishes live processing times on courts.ie, worth checking before you plan around a date.

When is probate not needed?

Not every estate needs a grant. Assets held in joint names, such as a joint bank account or a home owned as joint tenants, generally pass automatically to the surviving joint owner outside the estate. Financial institutions can also release small balances without a grant under their own procedures, each setting its own limit and paperwork, so ask the institution before assuming probate is required.

Where there is land in the deceased's sole name, or sole accounts or shareholdings of any real size, a grant will almost always be needed.

Who inherits if there is no will?

Where someone dies intestate, the Succession Act 1965 fixes the shares. Nobody has discretion over them, and an unmarried partner gets nothing automatic.

Civil partners have broadly similar succession rights under the Civil Partnership Act 2010, but the rules are not identical to a spouse's: section 117(3A) of the Succession Act allows a court to override a civil partner's legal right share where the civil partner is not the child's parent. Cohabitants get no automatic share, only possible redress under the 2010 Act. If you are putting your own affairs in order, pairing a will with an enduring power of attorney also covers who manages things if you lose capacity.

What is the legal right share?

A will cannot simply disinherit a spouse or civil partner. Under section 111 of the Succession Act 1965, the surviving spouse has a legal right share of one-half of the estate if there are no children, or one-third if there are children, and section 112 gives that share priority over the gifts made in the will.

Where the will leaves the spouse a bequest, the spouse elects between the bequest and the legal right share. The executor must notify the spouse in writing, and under section 115(4) the election must be made within 6 months of receiving that notification or one year from the first taking out of representation, whichever is the later. The share can be renounced, and it is lost on divorce or dissolution, after 2 years' desertion, or on conviction for killing or certain serious offences against the deceased.

The surviving spouse can also require the family home to be appropriated toward the share under section 56, paying any difference if the home is worth more, unless the court relieves that on hardship grounds.

Can a child challenge a will? Section 117 claims

A child of the deceased, of any age, marital or non-marital or adopted, can apply under section 117 of the Succession Act 1965, arguing that the testator failed in their moral duty to make proper provision for the child in accordance with their means; the court judges this from the standpoint of a prudent and just parent.

Two limits matter. An order cannot reduce the spouse's legal right share, and where the spouse is the child's parent it cannot touch bequests to that spouse. And the window is just 6 months from the grant of representation, so get advice from a solicitor immediately. That window was reduced from twelve months to six by section 46 of the Family Law (Divorce) Act 1996, with effect from 27 February 1997, so older guides still quoting a year are out of date. For the broader picture, see our Ireland legal guides hub.

This page is general information about probate and estate administration in the Republic of Ireland, not legal advice. Fees and processing times change over time, and succession law contains strict deadlines. For a specific estate, consult a solicitor, and check current fees and waiting times with the Probate Office or on courts.ie.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does probate take in Ireland in 2026?

As of July 2026, Dublin was working on solicitor applications lodged in late April 2026, about 12 weeks earlier, with a 10 to 12 week wait for a personal application appointment and the grant issuing around 3 weeks after it. District Probate Registry times vary by office.

How much does probate cost in Ireland?

The Probate Office fee depends on estate value: a personal applicant pays €200 up to €100,000, rising in bands to €1,300 up to €1 million, with more above that. Solicitor applications carry lower court fees, but the solicitor's professional fee is separate.

Can I apply for probate without a solicitor?

Yes, personal applications are allowed and the Probate Office assists with the process, though not with legal advice. A solicitor is compulsory in certain cases, including disputes about the will or next of kin, a lost original will, and an applicant who is a minor or lacks capacity.

Do I need probate if everything was in joint names?

Often not. Jointly held assets generally pass to the surviving joint owner automatically, and banks can release small balances under their own procedures. A grant is normally needed for land in the deceased's sole name or sole accounts and shareholdings of any real size.

What does a spouse inherit if there is no will?

Under the Succession Act 1965, a surviving spouse or civil partner takes the whole estate if the deceased left no children. If there are children, the spouse takes two-thirds and the children share one-third equally.

How long do I have to challenge a will in Ireland?

A section 117 claim by a child must be brought within 6 months of the grant of representation. Other challenges, such as disputing the will's validity, follow different procedures and can involve lodging a caveat before the grant issues.