Probate Application Address UK: Where to Post Forms

At a glance

• Postal address for individual applicants: HMCTS Probate, PO Box 12625, Harlow, CM20 9QE — used by executors and administrators applying without a probate practitioner.
• Postal address for probate practitioners: Newcastle District Probate Registry, 2nd Floor, Kings Court, Earl Grey Way, North Shields, NE29 6AR — a separate address most guidance online does not mention.
• HMCTS Probate helpline: 0300 303 0648, Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm, closed weekends and bank holidays. Webchat runs Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. These hours changed from the longer opening times quoted in older guidance.
• Welsh language probate line: 0300 303 0654, Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm, Friday 9am to 4.30pm.
• HMRC Inheritance Tax helpline: 0300 123 1072, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, closed bank holidays.
• Application fee (from 13 July 2026): £526 for estates worth more than £5,000; no fee for estates of £5,000 or less. Check GOV.UK's fees page for the figure in force on the day you apply.
• Typical processing time: around 12 weeks from a complete application, whether online or by post — GOV.UK notes paper applications generally take longer than online ones.
• Originals only by post: the original will and the official death certificate must go with a paper PA1P or PA1A application — photocopies are not accepted.

Where to send your probate application

If you are an executor named in a will, or an administrator applying under the intestacy rules, and you are applying yourself without a probate practitioner, GOV.UK's current guidance on completing form PA1P or PA1A gives one address:

HMCTS Probate, PO Box 12625, Harlow, CM20 9QE.

This is the address for your completed application form together with your supporting documents — the original will (if there is one), the official death certificate, and your payment. Because the package usually contains the only original copies of documents that matter enormously to the estate, send it by a tracked or signed-for postal service so you have proof of delivery and can trace the package if it goes missing.

A second address most people do not know about

Very few guides online mention this, but GOV.UK's guidance for probate practitioners gives a different postal address entirely. If a solicitor or other probate practitioner is applying on behalf of the executors or beneficiaries, their completed form and supporting documents go to:

Newcastle District Probate Registry, 2nd Floor, Kings Court, Earl Grey Way, North Shields, NE29 6AR.

If you are represented by a probate practitioner, they will normally handle this themselves, but it is worth knowing the two addresses are not the same — sending a practitioner-prepared application to the Harlow PO Box, or a personal application to the Newcastle address, is one way applications go astray.

What to send with your paper application

Whichever address applies to you, GOV.UK's guidance is consistent about what the envelope needs to contain:

1. The completed PA1P (if there is a will) or PA1A (if there is not) form. Only one of these applies to any single application.
2. The original will and any original codicils, if the person who died left a will. Photocopies are not accepted — the registry needs the original because it becomes a public document once probate is granted, and it will not be returned to you.
3. The official death certificate. For a postal application this should be included with your paperwork; GOV.UK notes that for the online route a copy is only required if the death occurred outside England or Wales or you hold an interim death certificate from the coroner, so the paper and online routes differ slightly on this point.
4. Payment of the application fee, if one is due. GOV.UK's guidance for postal applicants asks for a cheque made payable to "HM Courts and Tribunals Service".

Keep good-quality copies of everything for your own records before you post the originals.

The probate application fee changed in July 2026

If you have seen a fee of £300 quoted anywhere — including on older versions of pages like this one — that figure is now out of date. The Ministry of Justice confirmed that from 13 July 2026, the probate application fee for estates worth more than £5,000 increased to £526, implemented through an amendment to the Non-Contentious Probate Fees Order 2004. There is still no fee where the estate is £5,000 or less.

At the same time, the fee for ordering extra copies of the grant at the same time as your application was reduced to £2 each (copies ordered later still cost £16 each). Because this is a recent change and fees can be revised again, always check GOV.UK's fees page immediately before you send your payment, rather than relying on any fixed figure — including the one quoted here.

If a low income or certain benefits make the fee difficult to pay, you may be able to get help with fees online or using paper form EX160.

HMCTS Probate helpline — current opening hours

The probate helpline is run by the Courts and Tribunals Service Centre on 0300 303 0648. According to GOV.UK's current contact guidance, the telephone line is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm, and is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays. A separate webchat service runs longer hours, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and you can also email contactprobate@justice.gov.uk.

These hours are shorter than the extended weekday and Saturday hours some older guidance still quotes — the telephone opening hours have been reduced, so do not plan a call around Saturday availability without checking GOV.UK first.

A separate Welsh language line is available on 0300 303 0654, open Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm, and Friday, 9am to 4.30pm.

HMRC Inheritance Tax helpline

Questions about Inheritance Tax after a death — rather than about the probate application itself — go to HMRC, not HMCTS. The number is 0300 123 1072, open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, closed on bank holidays. HMRC can help with understanding your Inheritance Tax responsibilities, confirming which forms you need, and getting paper copies of forms, but it will not advise you on how to structure your own estate. There is also an HMRC digital assistant that can answer routine valuation and payment questions online.

If you do not feel confident applying online

GOV.UK signposts a separate support service for people who do not have internet access, or do not feel confident using it, called We Are Group. You can call 03300 160 051, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, closed on bank holidays, text FORM to 60777 for a callback, or email support@wearegroup.com. This is a distinct service from the HMCTS probate helpline — it helps with using the digital service itself, not with the substance of your application.

Applying online instead of by post

Most applications are now made through the online probate service at apply-for-probate.service.gov.uk, and GOV.UK's guidance notes this route is generally processed faster than a paper application. Before you can apply — online or by post — you need to have estimated the estate's value for Inheritance Tax purposes and, where the estate is not "excepted", reported full details to HMRC using form IHT400 and started paying any tax due.

Even applying online, you will usually still need to post your original will if there is one, since it cannot be uploaded. GOV.UK's guidance on what you will need to apply is worth reading carefully here: for the online route, a copy of the death certificate is only needed if the death happened outside England or Wales, or you hold an interim death certificate — otherwise the registry can verify a standard UK death certificate itself. See our Probate Forms UK guide for a fuller comparison of the online and paper routes, including the PA1A form used when there is no will.

What happens after you post your application

Your application is reviewed by the Probate Service. If you applied by post, GOV.UK says you should hear back — by letter or email — within around 12 weeks; if you do not, you can contact the Courts and Tribunals Service Centre using the number above. If your application is approved, the will (and any codicils) is kept by the probate registry and becomes a public record; if you sent in the death certificate, it will be returned to you. You will then receive a grant of probate, letters of administration with will annexed, or letters of administration, depending on your circumstances. For more on what the registry does with your documents once a grant issues, see our guide to the Probate Registry.

Common reasons posted applications get delayed

• Using an out-of-date address. Addresses have changed before, and the practitioner and non-practitioner addresses are different — always check the current GOV.UK guidance rather than a bookmarked page or forum post.
• Sending photocopies instead of originals. The original will and official death certificate are required for postal applications; copies will not be accepted.
• A missing signature or incomplete statement of truth. Read back through every page before you post it.
• Paying the old fee. With the fee having changed on 13 July 2026, a cheque for the previous amount will not match what is owed.
• Applying before HMRC has issued your code. If Inheritance Tax is due, you need to have started paying it and received a unique code from HMRC before applying.

How to use this document

1. Work out which route and which address apply to you. If you are applying yourself, without a probate practitioner, your address is HMCTS Probate, PO Box 12625, Harlow, CM20 9QE. If a probate practitioner is applying for you, check whether they are using the separate Newcastle address instead.
2. Gather every original document the registry needs. The original will and any codicils, the official death certificate, the completed PA1P or PA1A form, and any Inheritance Tax paperwork the estate requires.
3. Check the current fee on GOV.UK before you pay. The fee changed on 13 July 2026 — do not rely on a figure quoted elsewhere, including this page, without checking first.
4. Post the full bundle by tracked or signed-for delivery to the correct address, and keep copies of everything you send.
5. Wait for the grant and respond promptly to any queries. GOV.UK's typical timescale is around 12 weeks for a complete application; if HMCTS needs more information, the file is usually set aside until you reply.

This guide provides general information about where to send a probate application and what the current HMCTS and HMRC contact points are for England and Wales. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice tailored to your specific circumstances. The position described was accurate as at August 2026, including the probate fee that took effect on 13 July 2026 and the current probate helpline opening hours — always check GOV.UK for the most current position, particularly on fees and opening hours, which can change again.

Last reviewed: August 2026 by a non-practising solicitor · Next review due: August 2027, or sooner if GOV.UK changes the probate fee, postal addresses, or helpline hours again.