The Dublin Probate Office

The Dublin Probate Office is the busiest Grant-issuing body in the country. It handles an estimated 40% of all Irish probate applications, both personal and solicitor-led, across its catchment of Dublin and the three counties adjacent to it. This page covers where it is, what to expect on appointment day, current processing times, and the most common causes of rejection.

Location and contact

The Dublin Probate Office (Principal Probate Registry) is located at Phoenix House, 15/24 Phoenix Street North, Smithfield, Dublin 7. The Probate Office was previously at the Four Courts complex but moved to this dedicated location in 2023.

Address. Probate Office (Principal Registry), 1st Floor, Phoenix House, 15/24 Phoenix Street North, Smithfield, Dublin 7, D07 X028. Phone 01 888 6174.

Appointment line. Personal applicants book appointments by phone or through the Courts Service online system. Appointment slots fluctuate; as of early 2026 the typical wait for a first appointment is two to six weeks depending on season (slower around Christmas and summer).

Opening hours. Monday to Friday, 9:30 to 16:30. The office closes for a 45-minute lunch break and does not accept new appointments during that window.

Catchment. Dublin (all postal districts), Meath, Kildare, and Wicklow. If the person who died was permanently resident in any of these counties at the date of death, the application goes here. Resident elsewhere in Ireland, and the application goes to the relevant District Probate Registry.

Current processing times

As of March 2026, the Dublin Probate Office is processing personal applications at approximately 10 to 12 weeks from the lodgement appointment to the Grant being sealed. A further three weeks elapses between sealing and the Grant arriving in the post at the applicant's address.

Total time from appointment to Grant in hand: 13 to 15 weeks.

Solicitor-led applications sit in the same queue. The processing time is the same regardless of whether the application is personal or solicitor-led; what differs is the pre-appointment work, where solicitors may be faster because they have done hundreds of applications before and can avoid common mistakes.

The Courts Service publishes updated processing times monthly on courts.ie/probate. If the figure on this page is more than a month old, check the live number before relying on it.

Booking an appointment

Personal applicants book in-person appointments. Applications cannot be lodged by post. The applicant must attend, bring the original documents, and swear the Oath before a Probate Officer on the day.

When booking, you will be asked for:

• The name, address, and date of death of the person who died
• Your own name, address, and relationship to the person who died
• Whether there is a will and, if so, who is named as executor
• The type of Grant being applied for (Probate, Administration with Will Annexed, or Administration Intestate)

The booking staff do not review the content of your application at this stage; they schedule the slot. Review happens at the appointment itself by a Probate Officer.

Appointments are typically 45 minutes. Arrive 15 minutes early to clear security at the Phoenix House entrance. The building is a short walk from Smithfield Luas stop and there is paid parking nearby.

What to bring on appointment day

The Probate Office is specific about what must be produced at the appointment. Missing any one of these items sends you home and you will be asked to rebook.

For all applications:

• The original death certificate
• The Revenue Notice of Acknowledgement of your SA2 submission
• Photo ID for the applicant (passport or driving licence)
• Proof of address for the applicant (utility bill within 3 months, or bank statement)
• Court fees in the form of a bank draft or card payment (lodgement fee scales by net estate value: €200 for estates up to €100,000, €400 up to €250,000, €700 up to €500,000, €1,000 up to €750,000, €1,300 up to €1,000,000, and €800 for each additional €500,000 above that; plus €20 per certified copy of the Grant)

For a Grant of Probate (valid will):

• The original signed will, with original witness signatures
• Any codicils (amendments) to the will, in original form
• The Oath of Executor, sworn and signed

For a Grant of Administration with Will Annexed:

• The original will
• A renunciation of executorship from any named executor who is not applying
• The Oath of Administrator with Will Annexed, sworn and signed

For a Grant of Administration Intestate:

• No will (this is confirmed on the Oath)
• The Oath of Administrator Intestate, sworn and signed
• Evidence of your entitlement to apply (proof of relationship to the person who died, such as a marriage certificate or birth certificate)

What happens during the appointment

The Probate Officer reviews your papers while you wait. The review covers:

1. Identity. Matching your photo ID to the name on the application.
2. Death certificate. Confirming the original certificate matches the name and date of death on the papers.
3. Will or intestacy evidence. For a Probate or Administration with Will Annexed Grant, the original will is inspected. The Probate Officer checks that witnesses signed in the presence of the testator, that there are no alterations without initials, and that the will is on its face valid. For an Intestate Grant, the Oath statement that there is no will is accepted at face value unless there is reason to query it.
4. SA2 Notice. Confirming the Notice of Acknowledgement matches the applicant's name and the person who died.
5. Oath. You swear the Oath in front of the Probate Officer. This is a legal declaration that the information is true and that you will administer the estate properly.
6. Fees. Lodgement fee scaled by net estate value (€200 for estates up to €100,000, rising to €1,300 at €1,000,000 net value), plus €20 per certified copy of the Grant ordered. Most applicants order three to five certified copies because banks and other institutions generally retain their copy.

If all documents are in order, the Probate Officer accepts the application. The papers are taken into the processing queue and the Grant is sealed in the usual 10 to 12 week window.

Common causes of rejection

About one in five personal applications has a document defect that causes rejection or deferral at the appointment. The most common:

1. SA2 Notice of Acknowledgement not produced. The Probate Office will not accept an application without it. Do not book the appointment until you have the Notice.
2. Oath wording incorrect. Each type of Grant has different Oath wording. Using the wrong template or missing required declarations.
3. Will not original. Photocopies, scans, and faxes are not accepted. The original signed document with original witness signatures.
4. Death certificate not original or certified. Photocopies of death certificates are not accepted by the Probate Office. Order several originals from the General Register Office.
5. Applicant mismatch. The person swearing the Oath must be the person named on the SA2 and the Notice of Acknowledgement. Filing the SA2 in one name and trying to lodge under a different name causes immediate rejection.

All five of these are correctable. A rejection adds two to four weeks while the correct papers are obtained and the appointment rebooked. Avoiding them all is a matter of careful document checking before the appointment day.

After lodgement

Once lodged, the application enters the processing queue. The Probate Officer may raise further queries during the 10 to 12 week window; these come by letter to the address on the application. Respond quickly to any query to avoid falling to the back of the queue.

When the Grant is sealed, certified copies are posted to the applicant's address by standard post. Allow three working days for delivery within Ireland.

The Grant is the document you present to every institution holding estate assets. Banks, share registrars, the Property Registration Authority, pension providers. Each institution will typically retain one certified copy. This is why ordering three to five copies at the time of lodgement is practical.

Processing times for district registries outside Dublin differ, often substantially. If the person who died was resident outside the Dublin catchment, a district registry is frequently faster.