Probate in Victoria

Victoria · general information · checked 10 October 2026

A grant of probate is a court document. 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.

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 a grant is needed for the estate you are dealing with. 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 court sets this out in its own words, in general terms, on this page: Supreme Court of Victoria · How to determine if a grant of probate or administration is required

SourcesSupreme Court of Victoria: Probate Office FAQs · Supreme Court of Victoria: Wills and probate · Supreme Court of Victoria: How to determine if a grant of probate or administration is required

Victoria · general information · checked 10 October 2026

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.

Applications are made online, through the court's system called RedCrest-Probate. The system itself: RedCrest-Probate, the court's online application system

The court's step-by-step guide is the place to start: Supreme Court of Victoria · How to apply for a grant of probate or administration (the court's step-by-step guide)

The court says a person can apply for probate or administration without a lawyer, and can choose to use one.

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.

RedCrest-Probate prepares the affidavit and the inventory of assets and liabilities from the answers given in it. 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. The court keeps the original will.

If the application is granted, the Probate Office emails the grant. What that emailed grant is, and how a bank sees it, is answered in the questions below.

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.

SourcesSupreme Court of Victoria: Wills and probate · Supreme Court of Victoria: How to apply for a grant of probate or administration · Supreme Court of Victoria: Probate Office FAQs

Victoria · general information · checked 10 October 2026

In Victoria the notice of an intended application is called the advertisement.

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.

Check the advertisement carefully before publishing it. An advertisement cannot be changed after it is published. A mistake means publishing a new one.

What it costs is in the fees card below.

Advertisements published in the last three years can be searched on RedCrest-Probate without an account. The court's guide to searching advertisements and its other records: Supreme Court of Victoria · Searching advertisements and Probate Office records (applications since 1970, caveats, deposited wills)

SourcesSupreme Court of Victoria: How to apply for a grant of probate or administration · Supreme Court of Victoria: Probate Office FAQs · Supreme Court of Victoria: How to search Probate Office advertisements and records

Victoria · general information · checked 10 October 2026

Supreme Court of Victoria · Probate Office fees, 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 (PDF)

This table shows the court's filing fee only. It says nothing about whether a grant is needed, and nothing about what the estate you are dealing with would pay.

SourcesSupreme Court of Victoria: Probate Office Fees, effective from 1 July 2026 (PDF) · Supreme Court of Victoria: Probate Office fees · Supreme Court of Victoria: Probate Office Forms

Victoria · general information · checked 10 October 2026

Where the person did not leave a valid will, the court's grant is called letters of administration.

Where there is a valid will but no executor is named or able to apply, the grant is called letters of administration with the will annexed.

These are the court's descriptions of its grants. They are not advice on which one to apply for.

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. The court's step-by-step guide covers both probate and administration: Supreme Court of Victoria · How to apply for a grant of probate or administration (the court's step-by-step guide)

This page does not say who may apply for letters of administration, or who inherits when there is no will. The help routes below can point you to someone who can look at a particular estate.

Letters of administration, by state →

SourcesSupreme Court of Victoria: Probate Office FAQs · Supreme Court of Victoria: How to apply for a grant of probate or administration

Victoria · general information · checked 10 October 2026

For a small, simple estate, the Probate Office offers an optional paid service that prepares the application. The court says the service is optional and the application can be prepared without it.

For that service, the court's small estate limit is A$137,210 for deaths between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027. The limit changes each financial year.

That limit says which estates the service is for. It says nothing about whether an estate needs a grant.

The court lists the small estates service at A$285, plus the A$38 advertisement fee: A$323 in total.

The court's page on the service: Supreme Court of Victoria · Small estates optional service

SourcesSupreme Court of Victoria: Small estates optional service

Victoria

Victoria · general information · checked 10 October 2026

• Law Institute of Victoria · Find Your Lawyer Referral Service: a referral to a member law firm, which offers a free first interview of up to 30 minutes. The Law Institute says it is not a law firm and does not give legal advice itself.
• 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.

SourcesLaw Institute of Victoria: Looking for Legal Help · Victoria Legal Aid: Speak to us