How to Store a Will Safely in England and Wales (2026 Guide)

At a glance

• Storage options: keep the original at home, or leave it with your solicitor, your bank, a private will-storage company, or HMCTS's Probate Service.
• HMCTS deposit fee: a one-off £23 (as last published by GOV.UK) — always check GOV.UK for the current amount before you send anything.
• How deposit works: complete the PA7ENV envelope label in block capitals, get it signed by a witness, and send it by recorded delivery to the Newcastle District Probate Registry.
• Turnaround: around 2 weeks to lodge, after which you receive a lodgement certificate.
• For probate, the original is required: GOV.UK is explicit that a photocopy cannot be used to apply for probate.
• A missing original is a real risk: under section 20 of the Wills Act 1837, if the last-known original can't be found, the starting presumption is that the testator destroyed it intending to revoke it.
• Never staple, pin, or attach anything to the original will — unexplained marks can suggest a missing document and prompt probate queries.
• The National Will Register (Certainty) is private, not governmental — it records where a will is kept, not its contents, and is not a substitute for storing the document itself.

Why where you keep your will matters

A will only does its job if it can be found, in its original form, when it's needed. That sounds obvious, but it's the single most common practical failure in this area — not badly drafted wills, but well-drafted wills nobody can locate, or that turn up damaged, altered, or with pages missing.

The legal backdrop is set out in the Wills Act 1837, which is still the core statute governing how a will can be validly made and revoked in England and Wales. Section 20 provides that a will can only be revoked by a later will or codicil, by a written declaration executed with the same formalities as a will, or by the testator (or someone in their presence, on their instruction) destroying it with the intention of revoking it.

That last point creates a well-established evidential presumption. If an original will was last known to be in the testator's possession and cannot be found after their death, the law's starting assumption is that they destroyed it themselves, intending to revoke it — even if that's not what actually happened. The presumption can be rebutted with evidence, for example that the will was lost, destroyed accidentally, or that the person's intentions towards their beneficiaries plainly hadn't changed. But rebutting a presumption in front of a probate registry, after the person who could explain what happened has died, is a difficult and often expensive position for a family to be in. Storing the original properly, and telling the right people where it is, avoids the problem entirely.

Your storage options

GOV.UK sets out several ways to keep a will safe, and none of them is mandatory — you choose whichever suits your circumstances:

• At home. Free and immediately accessible, but exposed to fire, flood, accidental disposal, or simply being misplaced among other papers.
• With your solicitor or will-writer. Many firms offer storage as part of drafting a will, often at no extra charge. Useful if you already have an ongoing relationship with a firm.
• With your bank. Some banks offer document storage. Be aware that a safe deposit box can sometimes be harder for executors to access quickly than other options, since access itself may depend on formalities that take time to complete.
• With a private will-storage company. Several commercial providers specialise in this; GOV.UK suggests searching online if you want to compare options.
• With HMCTS's Probate Service. The government's own deposit scheme, run through the Newcastle District Probate Registry — covered in detail below.

Whichever you pick, GOV.UK's guidance on making a will is clear on the one non-negotiable: tell your executor, or a close friend or relative, exactly where the will is.

Storing a will with the Probate Service (HMCTS)

Depositing your will with HMCTS means sending the signed original to the Probate Service for safekeeping. It's a long-established public service, and the process is straightforward, though it's worth following the steps precisely:

1. Make a copy for yourself first. Before you send the original anywhere, take a clear photocopy or scan for your own records.
2. Download and complete the envelope label. GOV.UK's current form for this is the label referred to as PA7ENV — sometimes informally called the "PA7" — which must be filled in in block capitals with your details.
3. Get the label witnessed. A witness needs to sign the PA7ENV label before you post it.
4. Package it up. Put the will (and any codicils) in an envelope with the completed, witnessed label attached, then place that inside a larger envelope.
5. Include the fee. As last published on GOV.UK, the one-off deposit fee is £23, payable by cheque or postal order made out to "HM Courts and Tribunals Service" — unless you've separately applied for help with fees. Always check GOV.UK for the current figure, as court and tribunal fees are reviewed periodically.
6. Post it by recorded or tracked delivery to the Newcastle District Probate Registry, so you have proof of posting and delivery.
7. Wait for confirmation. GOV.UK indicates it typically takes around 2 weeks for the will to be lodged, after which you'll receive a lodgement certificate confirming it's safely stored.

If you're on a low income or receiving certain benefits, you may be able to get help with the fee — GOV.UK's guidance explains how to apply and how to let HMCTS know if you have.

Getting your will back — or changing it

Depositing a will with HMCTS doesn't lock it away permanently. While you're alive, it remains your property, and GOV.UK publishes a process for withdrawing a will from HMCTS storage at any time — useful if you want to update it, replace it, or move it elsewhere.

You cannot edit or amend a will while it sits in the registry. If your circumstances change, you have two options: withdraw the original and deposit a replacement will, or add a codicil. A codicil is a short document that formally amends an existing will, and under section 9 of the Wills Act 1837 it must meet exactly the same formalities as a will — in writing, signed by you, with your signature made or acknowledged in the presence of two witnesses who are both present at the same time, and each witness then signing too.

Do not staple, pin, or attach anything to the original

This is a small, practical point that causes disproportionate trouble. Probate registries examine the physical condition of an original will closely, because certain marks — staple holes, pin marks, paperclip indentations, or glue residue — can suggest that another document, such as a codicil, was once attached and has since gone missing. Even where nothing was ever actually attached, an unexplained mark can prompt the registry to raise a query before probate is granted, which slows the whole process down for your executors at an already difficult time.

The safest approach is to keep the will, and any codicils, entirely loose or paperclip-free within their envelope, and to avoid marking, folding awkwardly, or annotating the original document at all. If you do need to keep related papers together, store them alongside the will rather than physically attached to it.

Telling your executors — and the National Will Register

Storage only works if the right people know about it. Once you've decided where your will is kept, tell your executors, and ideally a close friend or family member too, exactly where it is and how to access or request it. A short written note kept with your personal papers — naming your executors and stating where the original will is stored — removes a significant amount of stress and uncertainty later.

Some people also register the existence of their will with Certainty, the National Will Register. This is a private register, not a government service, and it works differently from HMCTS storage: it doesn't hold the document itself, only a record that a will exists and roughly where it can be found, so that solicitors and probate professionals searching after someone's death have somewhere to check. It's a helpful addition for some families, particularly where there's a risk that different branches of a family might not otherwise know who to ask, but it doesn't replace the need to store the physical original safely and tell your executors directly.

What happens to your will when you die

Whoever deals with your estate will need the original will to apply for probate — GOV.UK is explicit that a photocopy cannot be used for this purpose. If your will was deposited with HMCTS, your executors (or whoever is entitled to apply) can ask the Newcastle registry to release it, typically by providing the death certificate and evidence that they are the named executor.

If the original genuinely cannot be located — because it was lost, destroyed by accident, or its whereabouts were simply never recorded — GOV.UK has a process for reporting that a will is lost to support a probate application, using form PA13. This can allow probate to proceed on the strength of a copy in some circumstances, but it involves satisfying the registry that the presumption of revocation discussed earlier should not apply — an extra hurdle, and sometimes a costly one, that proper storage is designed to avoid. If a will's validity or the circumstances of its loss are disputed, our guide on contesting a will covers how that process works.

This guide provides general information about storing a will in England and Wales. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice tailored to your specific circumstances. The law and fees described were accurate as at July 2026 and are subject to change — always check GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk for the most current position.

Last reviewed: July 2026 by a non-practising solicitor · Next review due: July 2027 or on legislative change.