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How long does probate take in Ireland?

Last reviewed 3 November 2026

There is no single answer, because probate in Ireland is a series of steps and the slowest one sets the pace. A simple estate with a clear will can move quickly; an estate with a house to sell, missing paperwork or a family dispute can take well over a year. This guide breaks the process into stages so you can see where the time goes.

What probate means

Probate is the process by which the Probate Office, or a District Probate Registry, confirms that a will is valid and gives the executor legal authority to deal with the estate. The document issued is called a grant of probate. Where there is no will, or no executor able to act, the equivalent document is a grant of letters of administration. Both are types of grant of representation, and banks, insurers and Tailte Éireann (which runs the Land Registry and Registry of Deeds) normally want to see one before they release or transfer assets held in the deceased's sole name.

When is probate needed?

Not every estate needs a grant. It is usually needed where the deceased owned assets in their sole name, especially land or a house. It may not be needed where:

• everything was held jointly with a surviving spouse or civil partner, for example a joint bank account or a house owned as joint tenants, which passes to the survivor automatically;
• the only money was a small balance that the bank or credit union agrees to release without a grant (this is at the institution's discretion);
• a credit union nomination or a pension scheme pays out under its own rules.

If there is a house or land in the deceased's sole name, a grant will almost always be required before it can be sold or transferred.

The stages and what affects their length

1. Finding the will and listing the estate

The executor locates the original will (see what happens to a will after a death), then writes to banks, the credit union, insurers, pension providers and An Post to find out what the deceased owned and owed at the date of death. Property is valued. This stage depends heavily on how organised the deceased's papers were: a few weeks if everything is in one folder, several months if assets have to be traced.

2. The Revenue form (SA.2)

Before applying for a grant, the executor completes the Statement of Affairs (Probate), Form SA.2, online through Revenue's myAccount or ROS. It lists the deceased's assets and liabilities, the beneficiaries and what each will receive. Once it is submitted, Revenue issues a Notice of Acknowledgement, which goes in with the probate application. The form cannot be finished until values are known, so delays in stage 1 carry through.

3. Applying for the grant

Applications can be made through a solicitor or personally.

• Through a solicitor: solicitors can now apply for probate online through the Courts Service's Courts Portal.
• Personal application: the executor sends a Personal Application Form, the original death certificate and a copy of the will to the Probate Office in Dublin or the relevant District Probate Registry. When the file is complete, the office gives the executor an appointment, which must be attended in person with photo ID and the original will. According to Citizens Information, the grant is then usually posted out about three weeks later.

The Probate Office may raise queries, for example asking a witness to swear an affidavit about the signing of the will, or asking for more information about an unusual clause. Each query adds time. The Courts Service publishes current processing information on courts.ie, and waiting times change over the year, so it is worth checking the current position there rather than relying on a general figure.

4. Collecting assets and paying debts

With the grant, the executor can close accounts, cash in policies and sell or transfer property. Funeral costs, debts and any tax owed by the deceased are paid. If the deceased was on a social welfare payment, the Department of Social Protection must be told before the estate is distributed, and it has three months to check for overpayments.

5. Distribution

Finally, the executor pays out the legacies and transfers property to beneficiaries. Land is transferred by a document called an assent, which is then registered with Tailte Éireann. Beneficiaries are responsible for any Capital Acquisitions Tax on what they inherit; a spouse or civil partner pays no inheritance tax on what they receive from each other.

The executor's year

Executors should distribute the estate as soon as they reasonably can, but beneficiaries cannot normally sue them for failing to distribute until a year has passed from the date of death. Many executors wait at least six months from the grant before distributing everything, because that is the window in which a child may bring a section 117 claim against the estate, and a spouse or civil partner may still be deciding about their legal right share.

What usually slows probate down

• Selling a house, which brings in the time it takes to market and close a sale.
• Missing or unclear paperwork, such as share certificates, title deeds or foreign accounts.
• Problems with the will: no original, an unwitnessed alteration, or a doubt about capacity.
• Disputes between family members, a caveat lodged at the Probate Office, or a section 117 claim.
• Beneficiaries or assets abroad, which can bring in foreign procedures and the need for a solicitor.
• Tax issues, for example where the deceased's own tax affairs were not up to date.

When a solicitor must be used

Personal applications are not allowed in every case. The Probate Office requires a solicitor where, among other situations, the person entitled to the grant is under 18 or lacks capacity, the validity of the will is in question, there is a dispute among the next of kin, the original will is lost, or the deceased lived abroad and left a will in a foreign language.

Probate fees

Probate Office fees depend on the net value of the estate. Fees for personal applications are double those charged where a solicitor applies. The figures published by Citizens Information for personal applications are:

Above €1 million the fee rises by €800 for each further €500,000 or part of it. There are separate small charges for certificates and affidavits. A solicitor's own professional fees are additional and vary from firm to firm.