Searches for wills and probate
Unlike some other Australian jurisdictions, the Supreme Court of Queensland does not hold Queensland wills.
The court retains the original will only if a person has died and their executor has applied for a grant of probate. There is no legal requirement to apply for probate in every deceased estate.
Once a will is filed in the court, it becomes a public document. Any person can view the will on the file on payment of a fee.
To establish whether probate has been applied for, you can search for wills and estates documents on the website. If you search the deceased’s name (exact spelling required) and don't find a file, it’s unlikely that probate or any other grant has been applied for or granted.
What you can and can’t search
You can search for wills that have been provided as part of an application for probate or letters of administration with the will.
However, we are unable to tell you whether a will is the most current version.
Additionally, if probate or letters of administration with the will have been applied for but not yet granted, we are unable to guarantee the will is valid at that point.
Search for a wills and estates court document
To find a will with probate or letters of administration with the will, or an application for a grant (probate, letters of administration with the will, or letters of administration on intestacy):
- Go to the Probate search
- Search and filter for records using :
- A court file number
- Application type
- Filing location
- Filing date
- Deceased given names and family name
- Applicant family name
- Click Search.
To view the full details, click on the relevant search result. You will be taken to a new page that shows the information listed above, and:
- Applicant name
- Documents
You can only see the type of documents, date filed and a description here. You cannot access the documents. To access the documents you can use the search and copy service.
If you don’t get a result, the will or file you’re after probably hasn’t been filed with the court.
You will not be able to download documents from this search. To get access to the documents you need to request a copy by following the instructions below.
Get a copy
If you find the file you’re after, you may request a copy. Follow these instructions to order a copy of any filed document for a fee (i.e. a search and/or retrieval fee and photocopy fee per page):
- Take note of the file number of the successful search result.
- Go to our Search and copy court documents page and read the instructions.
- Click on ‘Apply to search and copy’ and complete your application.
Electronic lodgement by practitioners
Practitioners can lodge applications for Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration
Probates - Wills and Letters of Administration Electronic Lodgement Guide
Principal Registrar (Supreme and District Courts) – Approval 1 of 2024