Executor checklist for Victoria: the tasks official bodies publish, in their own words
The general tasks after a death in Victoria as Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria, the Supreme Court of Victoria, VicRoads, Land Use Victoria, the State Revenue Office, State Trustees and Victoria Police publish them, with the federal bodies, the banks and the super funds in brief, each in that body's own words and with its own time limit where it gives one, laid out to print, and not a plan for any one estate.
General information · not legal advice · not a law firm.
§1What this checklist is, and what it is not
This page lists the general tasks that official bodies publish for the time after a death in Victoria: Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria, the Supreme Court of Victoria, VicRoads, Land Use Victoria, the State Revenue Office, State Trustees and Victoria Police, with Services Australia, the Australian Taxation Office, the free national notifier, the banks and the super funds in brief.
Every row is one task as that body describes it, with the body's own time limit where it publishes one, and a link to the page on this site that explains it.
The rows are grouped by the body that publishes them, not numbered as steps. This page does not say which task comes first for you, which tasks apply to the estate you are dealing with, who the executor or administrator is, or whether a grant of probate or letters of administration is needed.
Each body can say what it asks for in a particular case, and a solicitor can look at the whole estate.
The word executor is on this page because people search for it. No line on this page says what an executor must do.
Each line says what a Victorian or federal body publishes about its own task, in that body's words, and the body's name is on the line.
Three different time limits that sound alike appear on this page. One is the time Services Australia asks to be told within.
Another is the Australian Taxation Office's own time to update its records once it has been told. The third is the window some super funds give for objections to a proposed payment. The cards keep them apart.
§2Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria: registering the death and the certificate
Victoria · general information · checked 10 October 2026
Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria registers the death and issues the death certificate. These are the registry's own lines on who usually does each, its fee and its time.
Registering the death
In Victoria, the funeral director usually registers the death, after the burial or cremation.
The medical practitioner or coroner also completes a form, which makes up part of the registration.
The registry asks anyone registering a death without a funeral director to contact it for help.
The registry says that in most cases the funeral director applies for the death certificate, so the family does not need to apply directly.
A death certificate can only be issued after the death has been registered.
Who the registry says can apply
The registry's published rule: the applicant proves they are the person's next of kin. Anyone who is not the next of kin also provides third-party authority from the next of kin.
Every applicant also proves their own identity, online or with certified copies of documents.
The fee
The registry's published fee for a death certificate is A$59.10, with or without the cause of death, or A$95.80 for the package: the death certificate and the cause-of-death certificate. Express post within Australia is A$10.60.
How long it takes
The registry's published processing times: up to 14 days for a death certificate, and up to 7 days for a death registration and certificate in the last 3 months. The time starts once all the documents are in, and postage is extra.
Applying online
The registry's page links to an online application, and says a Service Victoria account is now needed to complete online transactions.
§4The Supreme Court of Victoria: the advertisement, the application, the fee and the grant
Victoria · general information · checked 10 October 2026
A grant of probate or letters of administration is a Supreme Court document. These are the court's own lines on what a grant is, on whether one is needed, and on applying.
Where the court explains it
The Probate Office of the Supreme Court of Victoria processes applications for probate and letters of administration, issues grants, keeps a register of the grants the court has issued, and holds wills deposited with the court for safekeeping.
What a grant is, in the court's words
The court says a grant of probate is a legal document it issues that confirms the will is valid and that the executor can act on the will.
Whether a grant is needed, in the court's words
The court says it does not decide whether probate is needed to deal with an estate, and that there is no automatic requirement to apply for probate when someone dies.
The court says that depends on what was left in the person's sole name and on what the institutions holding those assets require.
The court says to contact each asset holder and ask it directly whether it will need a grant before it releases money.
The Supreme Court of Victoria says a grant is always required where the person owned real estate solely or as a tenant in common, and that for jointly held real estate an application may be made to the Land Titles Office to transfer the property to the survivor's name.
That is the court's general statement. What a particular estate needs is for the asset holders, the court or a solicitor to say, and this page does not say it.
How the application is made
The court says a person can apply for probate or administration without a lawyer, and can choose to use one.
Applications are made online, through the court's system called RedCrest-Probate.
The notice
A notice of the intention to apply, called the advertisement, is published online at least 15 days before the application is filed.
The court says the advertisement is the start of the application, whether or not there is a will. It gives anyone with important information a chance to contact the applicant.
Posting the advertisement on RedCrest-Probate costs A$38. Republishing it costs A$51.80.
In its RedCrest-Probate video guide, the court says re-advertising restarts the waiting period of 15 days before the application can be submitted.
What the court says is filed
The court lists the documents an application uses: a certified copy of the death certificate showing the cause of death, the original will or codicil if there is one, and information about the person's assets and debts.
The court says the forms for an application are prepared in RedCrest-Probate. Its forms page holds the other forms filed with the Probate Office.
The court says the forms are printed and signed in front of a qualified witness, such as a justice of the peace.
If there is a will or codicil, the original is then sent to the Probate Office.
This page does not say what to enter in any field of RedCrest-Probate.
The fee the court publishes
The court's filing fee for an application for a grant is set by the gross value of the estate's Victorian assets. From 1 July 2026 it runs from A$0, below A$250,000, to A$17,770.80 at A$7,000,000 or more.
The fee schedule says a waiver of fees can be applied for, including on the grounds of financial hardship, using the court's application for waiver of court fees.
The court says there is no time limit for applying, but if more than three years have passed since the death, the delay is explained in the affidavit.
How long it takes
The Supreme Court of Victoria says it may take several weeks for the application to be granted from the date the application process starts, and that once filed it usually takes 5-10 working days for the application to be reviewed.
The court says applications are taking longer than its published processing time of 5 to 10 working days.
The Probate Office says that in the week starting 5 October 2026 it is reviewing applications received in the week starting 7 September 2026, and that it reviews applications in the order it receives them.
If the application is granted, the Probate Office emails the grant.
The court no longer issues paper copies of grants.
Asset holders view the grant on RedCrest-Probate, using the application number and the unique identifier, which are both shown on the grant. The court says it cannot give these details out.
When there is no will
Where the person did not leave a valid will, the court's grant is called letters of administration.
The Probate Office's phone
The Probate Office's phone number is (03) 8600 2006. The court says it can help with the application process, but cannot give legal advice or help with administering the estate after the grant.
§5Services Australia: the time it asks to be told within
Victoria · general information · checked 11 October 2026
Services Australia is the federal agency behind Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support. It publishes a time to be told within, and one form.
The time
Services Australia says it needs to be told of a death within 28 days, in one of three ways: by calling the Older Australians line, by sending the Advice of death form, or at a service centre.
The form
Services Australia says it uses the Advice of death form to update records with Medicare, Centrelink and Child Support.
Payments
Services Australia says that when it is told about a death, it works out whether a payment can be made, and how much. This page does not say whether any payment will be made to anyone.
For an executor or administrator
To give an executor or administrator details from its records, Services Australia asks for proof of their authority to act on the estate and an Executor/Administrator request for information form, one from each executor or administrator.
Not reached by the free notifier
Services Australia (Centrelink, Medicare) · not on the ADNS list
This is Services Australia's time to be told. The Australian Taxation Office's own time to update its records, in the next card, is a different thing.
§6The Australian Taxation Office: its own times, and the estate's tax
Victoria · general information · checked 11 October 2026
The Australian Taxation Office publishes one notification, a suggestion about when to send it, and two times of its own.
Before the documents are ready
The ATO says that if the supporting documents are not ready yet, its Individuals enquiries line can be told unofficially that the person has died, and it will pause the deceased's tax correspondence until you are ready.
One form
One ATO form does both jobs: it officially tells the ATO of the death and of who will manage the estate.
Who the ATO says can manage the estate with it
The ATO says only the executor or administrator can nominate to manage the estate with it.
The ATO's suggestion about timing
The ATO says that if a grant of probate or letters of administration will be applied for, it is better to wait for the grant before sending the notification, to avoid delays.
This is the ATO's own suggestion about its own process. It is not a reason, on its own, to apply for a grant, and this page does not say whether a grant is needed.
Proving identity at Australia Post
After the online form is sent, the ATO asks for identity to be verified at a participating Australia Post outlet within 30 days.
The ATO's time to update its records
The ATO says it takes up to 28 days to update the deceased person's records after it receives the notification. This is the ATO's time to act once told. It is not Services Australia's time to be told, in the card above.
The ATO says a final tax return for the income year in which the person died is called a 'date of death' tax return, and that it is different from the trust tax return for the estate.
When the ATO says it is finished
The ATO lists when an estate's tax affairs are finalised, including that the date of death return and any outstanding returns are lodged and finalised, all tax liabilities are paid, any credits due are claimed, and business tax registrations are cancelled.
This page does not say whether a return is needed for the estate you are dealing with, or whether tax will be owed.
§7VicRoads: licences, registrations, plates and permits
Victoria · general information · checked 11 October 2026
VicRoads holds Victoria's driver licences and its vehicle and vessel registrations. These are its own lines, from its deceased estates page, on what it settles and how.
VicRoads says an authorised representative may need to surrender any licences held by the person, transfer or cancel vehicle and vessel registrations, and handle any related permits or plates.
One visit
VicRoads says it is easiest to settle these matters in one visit at a VicRoads Customer Service Centre, and that an appointment is not needed.
How to tell it
VicRoads says a death can be notified in person at a VicRoads Customer Service Centre, or by post (certified copy only) to VicRoads at GPO Box 1644, Melbourne, VIC 3001.
Documents
VicRoads says it needs an original or certified copy of a death certificate issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages, an interim death certificate, a coroner's court letter or form confirming the person's full name, date of birth and date of death, or an international death certificate in English or with an accredited translation.
Showing authority, as VicRoads describes it
VicRoads lists what it accepts to show that someone is the authorised representative of the estate: a relevant section of the will, a grant of probate issued by an Australian Supreme Court, letters of administration, a solicitor's letter on letterhead stating that the solicitor represents the estate, or a Statutory declaration for the administration of a deceased estate form.
VicRoads says the statutory declaration option is for an estate worth less than A$32,470. That is VicRoads' own figure for its own form, and it is not a rule about whether a grant is needed.
VicRoads says that where there is more than one executor or administrator it needs a letter signed by all of them saying who they choose as the representative.
VicRoads says the authorised representative completes the step of showing their authority in person at a VicRoads Customer Service Centre.
VicRoads says that where there is no original or certified copy of a grant, it can verify it online with the application number and the unique identifier.
Cancelling, as VicRoads describes it
VicRoads says the final step is to cancel or transfer the licences, number plates, permits and registrations held by the person who has died.
VicRoads says licences are surrendered, and vehicle or vessel registrations that will not be transferred can be cancelled, by filling in a Cancellation and refund request for deceased estate form, in person at a VicRoads Customer Service Centre.
VicRoads says it has to invalidate the licence card, which can be kept afterwards.
Transferring, as VicRoads describes it
VicRoads says each vehicle or vessel registration being transferred needs its own form: a Transfer of registration from a deceased estate form for a vehicle, or an Application for transfer of vessel registration from deceased estate form for a vessel.
VicRoads says the transfer form includes details of the person who has died, the authorised representative of the estate, and the person the vehicle or vessel will now be registered to, called the acquirer.
VicRoads says the transfer form can be given in person at a VicRoads Customer Service Centre, or by post to VicRoads at GPO Box 1644, Melbourne, VIC 3001.
VicRoads says a trailer that goes with a vessel is transferred separately, as a vehicle.
What VicRoads keeps
VicRoads says it does not keep or copy the documents it is given, except those created for VicRoads such as a statutory declaration, and that forms sent by post should have certified copies because originals cannot be returned.
This page does not say who the authorised representative is for any estate, whether a vehicle is transferred or cancelled, or who it goes to.
VicRoads' page, linked above, describes its own forms, and VicRoads can say what it will accept in a particular case.
§8Land Use Victoria: the titles office's own application
Victoria · general information · checked 10 October 2026
Land Use Victoria is the titles office. It publishes a customer information bulletin on the application an executor or administrator makes to it. These are its own lines, and the court's line on what a grant is for.
The application, as the titles office describes it
Land Use Victoria says an executor or administrator of a deceased registered proprietor can apply under section 49 of the Transfer of Land Act 1958 to be registered as the proprietor of the deceased's land.
What it says the application states
Land Use Victoria says the representative capacity must be stated in the application.
What the court says a grant is for
The court says a grant allows the person named in it to deal with banks, Land Use Victoria and other organisations on behalf of the estate.
This page does not say whether the land in any estate passes this way, who holds it, or what a person needs to do to hold or sell it.
Land Use Victoria's bulletin, linked above, describes its own application, and a solicitor can look at the title.
§9The State Revenue Office: duty on a transfer from the estate
Victoria · general information · checked 11 October 2026
The State Revenue Office is Victoria's duty authority. It publishes a page on transfers from a deceased estate, and a manual of the evidence it asks for. These are its own lines.
The State Revenue Office says whether duty applies to a transfer from a deceased estate depends on how the property is transferred.
The route it describes
The State Revenue Office says all other transfers of dutiable property arising from a deceased estate are lodged with it using Duties Online (DOL) for complex assessment. It says it then considers whether duty is payable or whether an exemption applies, and notifies the person lodging.
The evidence it lists
The State Revenue Office's Evidentiary Requirements Manual lists, for a transfer to a beneficiary strictly in accordance with the will for no consideration, a Digital Duties Form and a copy of the grant of probate sealed by the Supreme Court with a copy of the will attached. It gives the lodgement time as before settlement, through Duties Online.
For a transfer to a beneficiary under a will or intestacy that goes through a complex assessment, the State Revenue Office's Evidentiary Requirements Manual lists, where there was no will, a copy of the letters of administration and the affidavit lodged with the Supreme Court when letters of administration were obtained. It gives the lodgement time as 30 days before settlement, through Duties Online.
This page does not say whether duty is payable on any transfer, or whether an exemption applies. The State Revenue Office's page, linked above, or a solicitor, can.
§10State Trustees, Victoria's public trustee: what it publishes for executors
Victoria · general information · checked 11 October 2026
State Trustees administers deceased estates in Victoria and publishes its own guide for executors. These are its lines about estate administration and about its own service.
State Trustees says estate administration is the process of managing and distributing someone's assets after they die. It says the person who manages it is typically called the executor if named in the will, or the administrator if there is no will and the court has appointed them.
The first jobs, as State Trustees describes them
State Trustees says the executor's role begins as soon as the person has passed away. It says the first job is to find the person's original will and arrange the funeral.
Tax, as State Trustees describes it
State Trustees says executors and administrators may be required to lodge a final individual tax return, prepare deceased estate tax returns, manage ATO correspondence, and obtain tax clearance before distributing assets. This page does not say whether any return is needed for the estate you are dealing with. The ATO's own lists, on this site →
Authorising State Trustees
State Trustees says an executor who does not believe they have the capacity to fulfil the required duties can choose to authorise State Trustees to administer the estate on their behalf.
Documents
State Trustees lists the documents for managing a deceased estate in Victoria as a certified copy of the death certificate (or a grant of probate or letter of administration), a certified copy of the will, and certified copies of either a grant of probate or letters of administration.
How long it takes
State Trustees says estate administration usually takes between nine months and one year.
Its phone
State Trustees gives 03 9667 6444, or 1300 138 672 from outside Melbourne, for obligation free advice for executors.
These are State Trustees' own descriptions of estate administration and of its own service. This page does not say who the executor is, whether anyone should authorise State Trustees, or what the service costs.
§11Victoria Police: firearms that belonged to the person who died
Victoria · general information · checked 11 October 2026
Victoria Police's Licensing and Regulation Division publishes a page for executors, administrators and beneficiaries on firearms in a deceased estate. Every line below is the police's own statement, shown as the police publish it.
Victoria Police says the only person who can authorise the transfer of firearms belonging to deceased licence holders is the executor or administrator of the deceased estate. It says that in relation to firearms this could include ensuring firearms are transferred correctly to the person they are left to, or selling them through a licensed firearms dealer.
Victoria Police says that, for privacy reasons, the executor or administrator is the only person the Licensing and Regulation Division can discuss the particulars of the licence holder or their firearms with.
What the police list as legal requirements
Victoria Police lists three legal requirements for the executor or administrator. They are to notify the Licensing and Regulation Division of the licence holder's death as soon as practicable, to ensure the continued safe storage of the firearms, and to dispose of the firearms within six months of the date of death.
How to tell it
Victoria Police says the executor or administrator emails the Licensing and Regulation Division with a certified copy of the death certificate, their own name and contact details, and a copy of the will confirming the executor. It adds the deceased's firearms licence number (if known), details of each firearm (make, model, calibre and serial number), and the address where each firearm is to be ordinarily stored.
Storage, as the police describe it
Victoria Police lists four storage options: leaving the firearms where the licence holder stored them if no unlicensed person can access them, storing them with appropriate storage facilities, arranging for another appropriately licensed holder to store them, or arranging storage with a licensed firearms dealer. It also says that if firearms are moved to a new storage location, the Licensing and Regulation Division must be notified of the change in storage address.
Disposal, as the police describe it
Victoria Police says disposal of firearms can mean transferring ownership to an existing licence holder, selling them to a licensed firearms dealer, or surrendering them for destruction.
Victoria Police says firearms that have not been left to anyone, or that the person they were left to does not want, must be disposed of within six months of the licence holder's death. It says surrendering them for destruction is encouraged in this situation.
Victoria Police says the executor or administrator notifies the Licensing and Regulation Division by email of any transfer within seven days of the firearms being disposed, and makes the transfer through a licensed firearm dealer. It warns against allowing inherited firearms to be given to another person without an official transfer through the permit to acquire process.
The exemption the police describe
Victoria Police says an executor or administrator is exempt from needing a licence to possess or carry the firearm for the purpose of disposing of it, provided they store it correctly and dispose of the firearms within six months of the licence holder's death. It says the exemption is valid only for six months after the death and does not allow the executor or administrator to use the deceased person's firearms.
A firearm left to someone, as the police describe it
Victoria Police says a person may acquire a firearm left to them in a will if they can demonstrate a genuine need for it, obtain a permit to acquire, and have the transaction witnessed by a licensed firearms dealer. It adds that the person must also hold the appropriate licence for that firearm.
Victoria Police says a person without a firearm licence who wants to keep an inherited firearm can apply for a firearm licence, or for an Heirloom Licence if they would like to keep it for inheritance purposes only. It says an Heirloom Licence allows a single firearm or a matched pair of firearms, and that any firearm on it is made permanently inoperable and stored correctly.
Every line in this card is Victoria Police's own statement, shown as it publishes it. This page does not say whether any of this applies to the estate you are dealing with, and it does not say what to do with any firearm. The Licensing and Regulation Division, on the page linked above, can.
§12Banks and super funds: each one's own route and time
Victoria · general information · checked 10 October 2026
Each bank and each super fund publishes its own route. A bank's figure for when it asks for a grant is its own rule for money held with that bank, and the figures differ, so none appears here.
Telling a bank before the documents are ready: Commonwealth Bank
It says a notification can be made online or at a branch appointment, even before any of the documents are to hand.
What a bank says happens next: Westpac
It says it will write within 14 business days confirming how the accounts have been protected and what to do next.
Funeral costs: Westpac
Westpac lists payments it can make even without probate, including funeral costs, probate application fees, medical fees and aged care facility bills.
The ATO says the super fund's trustee works out who will receive the benefits. Super paid after a death is called a super death benefit.
Super: telling the fund
The ATO says the super fund (or funds) should be contacted directly, to tell them of the death and discuss the release of the super. If there is no authorised legal personal representative, the ATO may inform the fund, which then decides whether to contact the family.
Super: what the Victorian court says
The court says its Probate Office cannot help with questions about super, and that the super fund is the one to contact.
A fund's first contact: Aware Super
Aware Super says a dedicated case manager will contact the person who told it within 10 business days.
A fund's objection window: AustralianSuper
Claimants have 28 days from being notified of its decision to agree or object, and if one disagrees with the final decision, 28 days to complain to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), which it describes as free and independent. These are the fund's objection windows, not a time to tell anyone of the death.
Victoria · general information · checked 10 October 2026
Each body publishes what it asks to see. These are the lines gathered for this site, body by body. The body itself can say what it will accept in a particular case.
The Supreme Court of Victoria
The court lists the documents an application uses: a certified copy of the death certificate showing the cause of death, the original will or codicil if there is one, and information about the person's assets and debts.
VicRoads
VicRoads says it needs an original or certified copy of a death certificate issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages, an interim death certificate, a coroner's court letter or form confirming the person's full name, date of birth and date of death, or an international death certificate in English or with an accredited translation. Its list of what shows authority is in the VicRoads card above.
State Trustees
State Trustees lists the documents for managing a deceased estate in Victoria as a certified copy of the death certificate (or a grant of probate or letter of administration), a certified copy of the will, and certified copies of either a grant of probate or letters of administration.
Victoria Police
Its list of what goes in the email to the Licensing and Regulation Division is in the Victoria Police card above.
The State Revenue Office
Its evidence lists are in the State Revenue Office card above.
The ATO
To notify the ATO of a death, it asks for one of these: the death certificate, the grant of probate or letters of administration, or the will.
The ATO: proof of identity at Australia Post
The ATO lists these as proof of identity: an Australian or foreign passport, an Australian driver's licence or learner's permit, a state or territory proof of age or photo card, an Australian firearms licence, or a student ID card.
The ATO: originals or certified copies
The ATO says the documents shown at Australia Post need to be either originals or certified copies, and can be taken home afterwards.
The ATO: a grant with no paper version
The ATO says that where a grant is issued online with no paper version, the online document is printed and the printed copy is certified by an approved certifier before it is shown to Australia Post. The Victorian court's grants are of this kind, in the court card above.
Services Australia, for an executor or administrator
To give an executor or administrator details from its records, Services Australia asks for proof of their authority to act on the estate and an Executor/Administrator request for information form, one from each executor or administrator.
A bank: ING
In all matters ING requires a certified copy of the death certificate issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages.
A super fund: Hostplus
Hostplus's claims guide asks for a certified copy of the death certificate, with the cause of death if available, and one certified proof of the member's identity, such as a passport, birth certificate or driver's licence.
This page is laid out to print. Use your browser's print or share menu. Every line shows the day it was checked, and the bodies change their pages, so a printed copy is a snapshot of that day.
The page itself is re-checked, and a line that cannot be confirmed is withheld rather than left to go stale.
FAQ
Common questions
This page cannot say. Each body publishes its own tasks, and the cards above show them body by body: the registry, the Supreme Court of Victoria, VicRoads, Land Use Victoria, the State Revenue Office, State Trustees, Victoria Police, Services Australia, the ATO, the banks and the super funds.
One Victorian body describes the role in general terms: State Trustees says estate administration is the process of managing and distributing someone's assets after they die. It says the person who manages it is typically called the executor if named in the will, or the administrator if there is no will and the court has appointed them.
The court draws its own line on what it can help with: The Probate Office's phone number is (03) 8600 2006. The court says it can help with the application process, but cannot give legal advice or help with administering the estate after the grant.
Who the executor is for a particular estate, and which tasks apply to it, is for the will, the court or a solicitor to say.
Victoria · general information · checked 10 October 2026
No single Victorian body publishes one for the whole estate. The Victorian Department of Health publishes a list of who may need to be told: The Better Health Channel (Victorian Department of Health) names VicRoads in its list of organisations that may need to be contacted when someone dies. The list also names Centrelink, the Australian Tax Office, banks, insurance companies, the person's super fund, healthcare professionals, utility companies and the person's workplace. Two federal bodies publish a list, and the free notifier points to one of them.
Victoria · general information · checked 10 October 2026
This page cannot say. The Supreme Court of Victoria publishes its own general line, and these are its words.
The court says it does not decide whether probate is needed to deal with an estate, and that there is no automatic requirement to apply for probate when someone dies.
The court says that depends on what was left in the person's sole name and on what the institutions holding those assets require.
The court says to contact each asset holder and ask it directly whether it will need a grant before it releases money.
Victoria · general information · checked 10 October 2026
Two bodies publish a general figure, and each is that body's own. State Trustees says estate administration usually takes between nine months and one year.
Services Australia says it can take around 12 months for an estate to be finalised.
The court's own time is for the grant alone: The Supreme Court of Victoria says it may take several weeks for the application to be granted from the date the application process starts, and that once filed it usually takes 5-10 working days for the application to be reviewed.
Victoria · general information · checked 10 October 2026
Each body names its own, and the documents card above gathers the lines found for this site. State Trustees' line: State Trustees lists the documents for managing a deceased estate in Victoria as a certified copy of the death certificate (or a grant of probate or letter of administration), a certified copy of the will, and certified copies of either a grant of probate or letters of administration.
The court's line: The court lists the documents an application uses: a certified copy of the death certificate showing the cause of death, the original will or codicil if there is one, and information about the person's assets and debts.
VicRoads' line on authority: VicRoads lists what it accepts to show that someone is the authorised representative of the estate: a relevant section of the will, a grant of probate issued by an Australian Supreme Court, letters of administration, a solicitor's letter on letterhead stating that the solicitor represents the estate, or a Statutory declaration for the administration of a deceased estate form. The body asking can say what it will accept in a particular case.
Victoria · general information · checked 10 October 2026
VicRoads publishes its own route, and the VicRoads card above shows it in full. VicRoads says an authorised representative may need to surrender any licences held by the person, transfer or cancel vehicle and vessel registrations, and handle any related permits or plates.
VicRoads says it is easiest to settle these matters in one visit at a VicRoads Customer Service Centre, and that an appointment is not needed.
VicRoads says each vehicle or vessel registration being transferred needs its own form: a Transfer of registration from a deceased estate form for a vehicle, or an Application for transfer of vessel registration from deceased estate form for a vessel.
This page does not say whether a particular vehicle is transferred or cancelled, or to whom. VicRoads' page: VicRoads · Deceased estates
Victoria · general information · checked 11 October 2026
Victoria Police publishes its own page, and the Victoria Police card above shows its lines in full.
Victoria Police says the only person who can authorise the transfer of firearms belonging to deceased licence holders is the executor or administrator of the deceased estate. It says that in relation to firearms this could include ensuring firearms are transferred correctly to the person they are left to, or selling them through a licensed firearms dealer.
Victoria Police says disposal of firearms can mean transferring ownership to an existing licence holder, selling them to a licensed firearms dealer, or surrendering them for destruction.
Victoria · general information · checked 11 October 2026
This page cannot say. The State Revenue Office publishes its own line and its own route, and these are its words.
The State Revenue Office says whether duty applies to a transfer from a deceased estate depends on how the property is transferred.
The State Revenue Office says all other transfers of dutiable property arising from a deceased estate are lodged with it using Duties Online (DOL) for complex assessment. It says it then considers whether duty is payable or whether an exemption applies, and notifies the person lodging.
Whether duty is payable on a particular transfer, or whether an exemption applies, is for the State Revenue Office or a solicitor to say. Its page: State Revenue Office · Deceased estates and duty
Victoria · general information · checked 11 October 2026
Where to get help with your situation
This page cannot tell you what applies to the estate you are dealing with. These official routes can point you to someone who can.
Victoria
Victoria · general information · checked 10 October 2026
Victoria Legal Aid's Legal Help line is 1300 792 387, 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. It gives general legal information, and legal advice to people who are eligible.