Find answers to common questions about probate applications submitted through the Courts Portal, including eligibility, supported application types, executors, Statements of Truth, required documents, processing and other probate-specific requirements.
Eligibility and Application Types
This section answers common questions about who can submit probate applications through the Courts Portal, the types of applications currently supported, and any restrictions that may apply.
Are there any restrictions when applying for probate online?
Yes. The following restrictions currently apply:
- Only applications for Grants of Probate are supported.
- Only applications submitted by solicitors are supported. Support for personal applications will be introduced in a future release.
- Foreign domicile applications are not currently supported.
- The deceased's date of death must be on or after 5 December 2001.
- All applicants must:
- be over 18 years of age;
- be capable of making their own decisions; and
- be named as executors in the will.
Can a Probate Administrator set up an account or does it have to be a solicitor?
Anyone within a registered legal firm can submit probate applications through the Courts Portal once they have completed portal registration.
It does not have to be a solicitor. However, some documents may still need to be signed by a solicitor where required. For example, if a solicitor witnessed the will and a Statement of Truth of Attesting Witness is required, the solicitor must sign that document. The portal allows documents to be sent to the appropriate person for electronic signing.
Can you apply for a De Bonis Non Grant in the portal?
No. Applications for De Bonis Non Grants are not currently supported through the Courts Portal.
Are Will Annexed applications supported in the portal?
No. Currently, only applications for Grants of Probate are supported through the Courts Portal.
If a residuary beneficiary is applying, can the application be made through the portal?
No. Applications by residuary beneficiaries are Will Annexed applications, which are not currently supported through the Courts Portal.
When will Intestate and De Bonis Non grant applications be available on the portal?
Support for Intestate applications is expected to be introduced during Q3 2026.
There is currently no confirmed timeframe for supporting De Bonis Non or other probate application types.
Can you apply through the portal if the solicitor is applying as Attorney for a non-resident executor?
No. Attorney applications are not currently supported through the Courts Portal.
Can copy grants or wills be ordered through the portal for grants that have already issued?
No. It is not currently possible to order copy grants or wills through the Courts Portal.
Can I request additional copies of documents when I apply for probate online?
Yes. You can request additional copies of documents as part of your online probate application.
The applicable fee will include both the application fee and the cost of any additional document copies requested.
Executors and Applicants
This section answers common questions about executors and applicants, including joint applications, reserved rights, renunciations and special circumstances involving executors.
Can you apply online if there is more than one executor?
Yes. Up to four executors can apply jointly through the Courts Portal.
Can you apply online if there are two executors but only one applies, reserving the rights of the other?
Yes. Applications where one executor applies while reserving the rights of another executor are supported through the Courts Portal.
Can you apply in the portal in a situation where the instituted executor renounces and a substituted executor is applying?
No. Unfortunately, this scenario is not currently supported in the portal. A paper application would need to be submitted.
Are renunciations supported in the portal?
Yes. Renunciations are supported. You can either upload a scan of a wet-ink signed and witnessed Deed of Renunciation or a you can send a digital Deed of Renunciation to the executor who is renouncing for them to sign digitally and capture a witness signature digitally. The portal guides them through this process.
How does the witness sign a Deed of Renunciation?
The person renouncing their appointment is prompted by the portal to send the Deed of Renunciation to a witness of their choosing for electronic signature.
The witness is guided through the electronic signing process within the Courts Portal.
Can a non-resident executor complete a Statement of Truth?
Yes.
Please note that access to the Courts Portal is restricted from some countries. If a non-resident executor experiences difficulty accessing the portal to sign a Statement of Truth, please contact portal@courts.ie for assistance.
Can the Statement of Truth of Executor be emailed to the solicitor for the executor where the executor does not have an email address?
No. If an executor does not have an email address, the application cannot be completed through the Courts Portal and must instead be made offline.
The Courts Service is exploring ways to support situations like this in future.
Statements of Truth
This section answers common questions about Statements of Truth used in probate applications, including who needs to sign them, how they are completed, and special circumstances that may arise during the signing process.
Looking for general information about Statements of Truth? For general questions about Statements of Truth and electronic signing in the Courts Portal, see the Statements of Truth & Electronic Signing FAQs.
Do I need to prepare an Oath when applying for probate online?
No. The Courts Portal will guide you through generating a Statement of Truth of Executor, which replaces the Oath for probate applications submitted through the portal.
What if a doctor will not provide a mobile phone number in order to send a Statement of Truth of Testamentary Capacity for signing? Can the general landline of the office be used instead?
No. A mobile phone number is required because it is used to send a secure authentication code during the electronic signing process.
If the doctor is unwilling to provide both an email address and a mobile phone number, the application will need to be submitted offline.
If the doctor has already signed an affidavit of testamentary capacity, can that be lodged instead of completing a Statement of Truth of Testamentary Capacity?
Ideally, a Statement of Truth of Testamentary Capacity should be completed through the Courts Portal.
However, the Probate Office may accept an Affidavit of Testamentary Capacity in these circumstances. Upload a scanned copy of the affidavit through the portal and send the original affidavit to the Probate Office together with the original supporting documents, certified copies and the portal cover sheet.
If an executor has already signed an Oath, can I upload it through the portal?
No. The executor must sign the Statement of Truth of Executor electronically through the Courts Portal.
Can a Statement of Truth be printed, signed in wet ink and then uploaded by the solicitor?
No. Order 40A of the Rules of the Superior Courts requires Statements of Truth to be signed electronically within the Courts Portal.
Printing, signing in wet ink and uploading the document does not meet the legal requirements.
If there is more than one executor applying, is the Statement of Truth sent to all or only one?
All executors who are applying must sign the Statement of Truth.
The solicitor should send the Statement of Truth to each executor through the portal. Each executor can sign independently of the others.
Can the Statement of Truth of Testamentary Capacity be signed by the solicitor who took instructions and witnessed the will?
Yes, but only in certain circumstances.
The Statement of Truth of Testamentary Capacity should normally be completed by the medical practitioner who attended the deceased when the will was made.
If that medical practitioner is deceased or unable to complete the statement, another medical practitioner from the same practice should complete it.
Only if neither of those options is possible should the solicitor who drafted the will complete the Statement of Truth. In these circumstances, the solicitor should provide as much detail as possible regarding the instructions received, how long they knew the testator, and any previous dealings with them.
Preparing and Submitting Documents
This section answers common questions about preparing and submitting documents for probate applications, including wills, supporting documents, death certificates and other application requirements.
Can I submit scanned Deeds of Renunciation online with my application for probate?
Yes. You can upload a scanned copy of a Deed of Renunciation that has been signed in wet ink. The Courts Portal also supports generating and signing the deed electronically.
Do I still need to submit the original Will when I apply for probate online?
Yes. You must submit the original Will, together with any original codicils and maps where applicable.
All applicants must sign the back of the original Will. You must also submit a certified copy of the original documents.
At the end of the online application process, the Courts Portal generates a cover sheet with instructions explaining what documents need to be submitted and where to send them.
Does the portal handle variations of the name and address of the deceased?
Yes. The Courts Portal checks that key information, such as the deceased's name and address, matches across important documents, including the death certificate and the Will.
Sometimes there is not sufficient room on the SA2 to include all variations of a deceased's name. How do we include the name variations on the probate application?
The Courts Portal prompts you to enter any variations of the deceased's name. These are then included in the Statement of Truth of Executor generated by the portal.
Does the original Will still need to be signed by the executors before submitting a portal application?
Yes. All applicants must sign the back of the original Will before it is submitted.
Does the applicant's signature on the back of the Will need to be witnessed?
No. A witness is not required for signatures placed on the back of the original Will for applications made through the Courts Portal.
If there is a map that forms part of the Will, is a Probate Officer's Order to incorporate the map still required?
Yes. A Probate Officer's Order is still required where a map forms part of the Will.
Does an original Will need to be executed by the executors and sworn by a Commissioner for Oaths before uploading it in the portal?
No. However, all applicants must sign the back of the original Will before submission.
Can the executors signing the Will on the back jeopardise the testamentary documents?
No, provided the signatures do not interfere with the wording of the Will. Signatures should be placed clearly away from the text of the document.
Does the Will need to be in the physical presence of the executor when they sign the Statement of Truth?
No. The original Will does not need to be physically present when the executor signs the Statement of Truth electronically.
Does the uploaded Will have to be a certified copy?
No. You should upload a scan of the original Will.
When submitting the original Will with the portal cover sheet, you must also include a certified copy.
Is a Coroner's Certificate or Fact of Death accepted instead of a death certificate?
Yes. If a death certificate is not yet available, you may upload a Coroner's Certificate in its place.
Does the original death certificate have to be sent with the original Will?
No. You only need to send the original Will, together with any original codicils or maps, certified copies of those documents and the portal cover sheet.
Do all original Wills go to Dublin?
Yes. Original Wills should always be sent to the Dublin Probate Office, in accordance with the instructions provided on the portal cover sheet.
What is the DX number to use for submitting the original documents?
The DX number for submitting original documents is DX: 263001.
What happens if a charity does not have a registered charity number?
You can still complete the charitable bequest section of the application. Enter "N/A" where a registered charity number is requested.
Using the Portal
This section answers common questions about using the Courts Portal while preparing a probate application.
Can you save your progress as you work through the online application process?
Yes. Your progress is automatically saved as you complete your application.
You can leave your application at any stage and return to continue it later.
Does the executor have to download the portal?
No. There is nothing to download.
The executor only needs access to the internet using a computer or mobile device.
Executors usually only need to sign the Statement of Truth of Executor and do not need to create a full Courts Portal account.
After You Submit Your Application
This section answers common questions about what happens after you submit a probate application, including processing times, queries, notifications and paper applications.
When the grant is issued, are the applicants notified?
No. The solicitor will be notified when the grant is issued and will receive the physical grant by post.
Will queries on portal applications be notified to solicitors only or to solicitors and applicants?
Queries relating to probate applications submitted through the Courts Portal are notified to solicitors only.
If a query is raised, will the solicitor be notified by email?
Yes. An email notification will be sent as soon as a query is raised. Full details of the query can also be viewed in the Courts Portal.
How long does it take for a portal application to be processed?
The Probate Office will endeavour to assess your application within 7–10 working days after receiving the original Will and the portal cover sheet.
If there are no issues requiring further queries, the Grant of Probate will generally issue within a further 7–10 working days after the assessment has been completed.
I recently lodged a paper application with the Dublin Probate Office. Can I withdraw it and apply online instead?
Yes, provided your paper application has not yet been assessed.
If you choose to withdraw your paper application and apply through the Courts Portal:
- You must pay the applicable court fees when submitting the online application.
- You will need to apply separately for a refund of any fees paid with your paper application.
- Applicants must complete and sign the Statement of Truth through the portal, even if an Oath had previously been sworn for the paper application.
Can I still apply on paper, even if my application meets the criteria for applying online?
Yes. You can continue to submit a paper application, even if your application is eligible to be submitted through the Courts Portal.
Will local probate offices be able to receive portal applications in future?
The Courts Service will continue to monitor the operation and uptake of the online probate application process and will consider future options for receiving portal applications through local probate offices.
