How long does probate take in Australia?

The time it takes for probate to be granted in Australia is dependent on a few different factors. 

The main factor that determines the timeframe for probate is which state the application for probate is being made.  In Australia the application for probate or letters of administration needs to be made to the Supreme Court in the state where the deceased’s assets are held.  Generally that is the state where the deceased was residing at their time of their passing.  Victoria ranks as the fastest state in Australia for processing times for probate and letters of administration.  Victoria’s probate fees and how they have increased is another matter.

It is important to understand which state you may need to apply for probate or letters of administration in.  For example, if the deceased was residing in their own home in the state of Victoria, and that home is one of the assets in the deceased estate, then the probate application would be made to the Supreme Court of Victoria.  Or as another example, if the deceased was residing in an aged care facility in Queensland, and the aged care facility requires a grant of probate in order to release a Refundable Accommodation Deposit (or RAD), then the application needs to be made to the Supreme Court of Queensland.  

If assets are held in multiple states, that’s easily dealth with by obtaining probate in one state and then having that grant “resealed” in the other.  Resealing a grant is essentially the court in the other state saying, ok you’ve obtained probate in another state, so you don’t have to go through the same process here, we will respect, reseal and agree with that grant.  Still costs involved though.

Another factor that plays a part in how long probate takes in Australia is whether or not the court issues any requisitions in regards to the application.  A requisition is a request for some additional information to assist with the probate or letters of administration application.  This could be an additional form, or just some more information regarding the documents that have already been lodged.  A common example of a requisition is if the original will has had staples or binding removed.  If that has happened, the court will usually require assurances by way of affidavit that there is no codicil to the will, or any additional pages of the will.  For that reason it’s a good idea to always leave the will intact if it is bound or stapled, and not remove the staples or binding, even if it’s just to make copies of the will.

Whilst the basic probate processes are similar across the various states in Australia, there are some differences in the way applications are lodged and subsequently processed by the respective courts, which results in the timeframes being somewhat different from state to state.  Below are the current probate timeframes for each state in Australia as at December 2025.

How long does probate take in Victoria?

Victoria can lay claim to being the fastest state for processing probate applications in Australia.  Currently probate and letters of administration applications in Victoria are taking between 2 and 4 weeks from the date the relevant documents are lodged with the court.  Most of the required probate documents including a certified copy of the death certificate are lodged with the Supreme Court of Victoria via their Redcrest online probate portal.

After those documents are lodged online, the physical original will document is then lodged with the Supreme Court of Victoria at the Probate Registry located at 450 Little Bourke St Melbourne.  The original will can be delivered in person, or sent via Registered Mail.  The 2 – 4 week processing time begins from the date the original will is received by the court.

Click here to see Victorian Probate Costs

How long does probate take in Queensland?

Queensland have recently moved the main part of their probate and letters of administration process to an online system as well, via their Wills and Estates portal, which simplifies the process and is helping to reduce processing times.  As is the case with Victoria, most of the probate documents once they are signed and witnessed can now be lodged online. The original physical will document though must be lodged with the Supreme Court – in this case of course the Supreme Court of Queensland – before the probate application can be processed.

In terms of the timeframe, probate and letters of administration applications in Queensland are currently as at December 2025 taking approximately 8 weeks from the time documents are received by the court.  That timeframe has improved from where it was earlier in 2025.

Click here to see Qld Probate Costs

How long does probate take in Western Australia?

Western Australia has a slightly different system for probate and letters of administration applications, in that none of the documents are lodged online.  Every document, including the original will, must be physically lodged with the Supreme Court of Western Australia.

WA does have an online portal for probate, whereby various details regarding the deceased person, their assets, who the executors are etc, is inputted into the ecourts portal.  The probate documents are then generated, and when signed and witnessed, all the documents including the original will must be physically lodged with the Supreme Court of Western Australia.

In terms of how long probate applications take in Western Australia, as at December 2025 they are currently taking 8-10 weeks from the time the documents are lodged with the court.

Click here to see WA Probate Costs

How long does probate take in Tasmania?

The timeframe for probate applications in Tasmania as at December 2025 is approximately 10-12 weeks.  For probate applications in Tasmania there is no online component.  None of the probate documents can be lodged online, nor is there an online system that generates the documents.  The required documents must all be prepared manually, and lodged physically with the Supreme Court of Tasmania.  Unlike most other states, Tasmania does still issue a hard copy document when probate or letters of administration is granted.

Click here to see Tasmania Probate Costs

if you get in touch with us via the form below we’ll be happy to answer any questions