Probate is the legal term referring to the application for the rights to administer the assets (known as estate) of a deceased person. A person who administers the deceased's estate is called a Personal Representative. However, if the Personal Representative is appointed under a will, he/she is called an Executor. The person who is entitled to any share in the deceased's estate is known as Beneficiary.
There are different types of Probate Applications:
Grant of Probate
This is applicable when there is a will. The application for a Grant of Probate may be filed and heard in the Subordinate Courts or the High Court (if the estate value is more than S$3 million or if there are foreign assets and the grant is required for use overseas).
Letters of Administration
This is applicable if the deceased has no will (the deceased died intestate). This particular Probate application may be filed and heard in the Subordinate Courts or in the High Court (if the estate value is more than S$3 million or if there are foreign assets and the grant is required for use overseas).
Resealing
Resealing is applied for when a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration is obtained overseas, but the deceased's assets to be administered are within Singapore. This application can only be filed and heard in the High Court.
After a Probate case has been filed and submitted, a Checklist tab will be created in the case file. The Checklist tab displays a list of mandatory or optional documents based on the Nature of Probate. Refer to the Checklist topic for more details.