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. 

Probates administered from approximately January 2020 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 1994, 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 (1841-1937) can be viewed online;
•    records 1926- January 2020 can be ordered to view at North Melbourne;
•    View and photograph the records in the Reading Room for free;
•    Or, request a copy be emailed or posted to you (fees apply) on your selections page.

Digitisation of these records is ongoing; the next batch that will be digitised and published online will be for the period 1926-1950.

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.