You do not have to register a Will in the UK, but doing so with the National Will Register can prove invaluable.Contact our Lifetime Planning and Wills Team on 01225 755656, or complete the Contact Form at the foot of this page. |
Do you have to register a Will?
This is a very common question, and the answer is no, you do not have to register a Will in the UK. However, registering your Will on the National Will Register system helps to ensure it can be located upon death.
National Will Register
Founded in 2006 in response to the challenges of tracking down a Will for a deceased loved one, the National Will Register (NWR) provides a central database of Wills. They also provide a Will search service allowing beneficiaries to locate the solicitor who drafted the Will and with whom it is most likely to be stored. NWR has recently announced they have more than 10 million Wills registered on their system.
Although we like to think that we will leave our affairs in good order, a recent survey suggested that 67% of people in the UK would not know where to find a parent’s Will.
Traditionally, tracking down an original Will has involved a combination of luck and guesswork, mainly cold-calling solicitors and banks. This process is not only frustrating but distressing at what is inevitably a very difficult time. It’s perhaps not surprising then that the National Will Register found a ready market for its services. Indeed, the Law Society lists the NWR as their preferred provider of Will registration and search services.
National Will Register cost
Currently, the NWR charge £30 to register a Will. The cost of searching for a Will varies depending on whether you wish to limit the search to Wills held on the NWR system. Full details of costs are available on the NWR’s Will search page.