Grant of Probate
It usually takes a shorter period to obtain a Grant of Probate compared to the Grant Letters Of Administration because of additional steps required for the latter.
In cases where all required information is available and the value of the assets are easily ascertainable, provided that there are no minor beneficiaries (ie. beneficiaries under the age of 21 years old), the time taken to complete the process can be as short as 3-4 months from the time the first Court papers are filed.
Otherwise, on average it takes about 6 months and more as an Executor or Administrator often require time to identify the assets of the deceased and discover their value. Some of these assets may be located in other countries and this also requires time to discover.
It is not uncommon for the Executor to be unfamiliar with all the assets of the deceased, especially is the deceased had many assets. This can also apply to administrators in the case of Grant Letters Of Administration.
Grant of Letter of Administration
For a Grant Letters Of Administration, additional time may be needed for the family has to decide on who should be the administrator and to arrange for the next-of-kin to sign the Renunciation. Where there are minor beneficiaries, the Court requires a co-administrator to be an applicant as well as sureties to be provided. Additional time may be required to identify a suitable. Co-Administrator. Sureties are required by the Court and we can advise you on how you may apply for a dispensation of sureties. The application’s success depends on the provision of suitable justification for it.
