Wills and probates

You can order either a digital copy immediately, or if ordering the paper record you will need to order it ahead of time before visiting the Victorian Archives Centre. 

From July 2020, all probate records are ‘born-digital’ items, meaning that no paper record exists. These can be accessed via the catalogue like digitised records.

Probates administered from approximately 2021 onward are still with the Supreme Court of Victoria.

Search below using the surname and given name/s of the deceased to find a Will and Probate or Administration file.

• After July 2020, Probate are in digital format only and include a PDF copy of the Will. You may see more than one result relating to the person you are looking for because Wills continue to be transferred as physical items. However, it is not necessary to order the Will to view the complete record, as the Will is included in the digital Probate record.
• From 1994 to July 2020, Wills were placed in the Probate file, and you only need to order one record (the 'Probate' file).
• Before 1994, Wills were not placed in the Probate file, and you need to order both the Will and the Probate file. You will see more than one search result relating to the person you are looking for.
• Before 1909, you may need to order three files as the Probate part may be split between two consignments (VPRS 28/P0 and VPRS 28/P2).  Again, request all the records that match the person or file number you seek.

Note that if you request a copy of a record, in most cases we will publish the copy on our catalogue.

Enter a partial or full name in the search below. For common names, a year of death is also useful. Try different spelling variations, or think about how a name might have been misspelt.

Sort by date ascending on the top right hand side of the results page.

Note: Only some wills and probate records are digitised:

• Wills 1841-1950 and Probates 1841-1930 can be viewed online;

• Probates from July 2020 onwards can only be viewed online;

• All other records can be ordered to view at the North Melbourne reading room;

• View and photograph the records in the reading room for free;

• Or, request a copy to be emailed or posted to you (fees apply) on your selections page.

Further digitised Probates for the period 1930 to 1950 are progressively being published online to the PROV catalogue.

A will is a legal document in which a person can give instructions on how their property should be distributed after they die, and naming executors to do this on their behalf.

A probate file contains documents received or created by the Supreme Court to verify the will and issue the grant of probate that authorises the executors named in it to distribute the estate.

An administration file contains documents received or created by the Supreme Court to issue the grant of letters of administration that authorises the distribution of the estate in cases where the deceased left no will or new executors had to be named.

A deceased’s estate consists of real estate and / or personal property and debts that need to be managed and finalised.