How to Find Out Whether Someone Left a Will in Singapore

By Johnathan Lee, Advocate and Solicitor (Singapore). Updated 28 September 2026.

The first place to check is the Wills Registry run by the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL), which you search online for a fee per submission. The registry does not hold wills. It holds a short record of a will: who made it, when it was dated, who drew it up and where it is kept. Registration is voluntary, and the Ministry of Law has stated that a will’s validity does not depend on whether it was registered, so a “no record” result does not mean there is no will. If the search is empty, you look for the original will yourself: with the lawyer who may have drafted it, among the deceased’s papers and in any safe deposit box.

What is the Wills Registry, and is every will registered?

The Wills Registry is a confidential database of will records. A person making a will (the “testator”), or their lawyer, can deposit details of the will so that family members can trace it later. The registry was run for many years by the Public Trustee’s Office and has been managed by SAL since 4 May 2020.

Not every will is registered. In a written parliamentary reply dated 8 April 2025, the Minister for Law stated that there were over 153,000 will records deposited with the registry as at 1 April 2025, that registration is voluntary, and that the validity of a will does not depend on whether it was registered.

When I was assisting in my family’s funeral business, the question of whether there was a will often came up in the first few days after a death, usually before anyone had looked. The registry search is a sensible first step, but it is only one step.

What does a Wills Registry search tell you?

According to SAL and the government’s My Legacy guidance, a registry record contains:

• details of the testator;
• the date of the will;
• details of the person who drew up the will (often a law firm); and
• details of where the will is held.

My Legacy states plainly that “the registry does not store your actual physical will.” A positive search result is therefore a pointer, not the will. It tells you who to contact and where the original should be. You then have to go to that firm or location to obtain it.

Since 9 September 2026, the Singapore Academy of Law has also offered a Wills Repository service: a testator can have a participating law firm deposit a digital copy of the will, and that copy “can only be accessed by persons nominated and authorised by the testator.” SAL states that depositing a digital copy “does not replace the original signed paper Will”. So even where a digital copy exists, the family will still need to locate the original for a probate application.

Keep two limits in mind. First, a record shows a will existed on a particular date. It does not show that the will was never revoked or replaced. A later will, a written revocation signed and witnessed like a will, or destruction of the will by the testator (or by someone in their presence and at their direction) with the intention of revoking it can revoke an earlier will (Wills Act 1838, s 15), and a will is generally revoked by the testator’s later marriage unless it was expressed to be made in contemplation of that marriage (s 13). Second, a negative result only means no one deposited a record.

Who can search the Wills Registry after someone dies?

Access is restricted. When SAL took over the registry, it and the Ministry of Law stated that registry information would be released only to the testator, the lawyers acting for the testator or for the estate of the deceased testator, or the next-of-kin or a beneficiary of the deceased testator (a beneficiary is someone who stands to receive something under the will).

In practice, after a death, the people who search are usually a close family member, a person who believes they are named in the will, or a lawyer instructed by the family or the estate. Check SAL’s online form and FAQs for the information and supporting documents it currently requires from a searcher. It is sensible to have the death certificate and the deceased’s particulars to hand before you start.

How do you apply for a search, and what does it cost?

Searches are made online through the SAL Wills Registry website. SAL states that “to deposit a will record or to search for a will record with the Wills Registry, you will need to access our online form by logging in to our website.” SAL’s Getting Started page lists the fees as “Will Deposit $50/per submission & Will Search $10/per submission” (as shown in September 2026). Fees can change, so check that page before you apply.

If the result shows a record, contact the person or firm named as holding the will and ask how they release an original will after the testator’s death. They may ask for proof of death and for details of the executor (the person the will appoints to deal with the estate).

Where else might the original will be?

If the registry search comes back empty, or it points to a firm that has since closed or merged, work through the usual places:

• The lawyer who drafted it. Look through the deceased’s emails, invoices, receipts and bank statements for payments to a law firm. Firms often keep original wills in safe custody for clients.
• The deceased’s own papers. Check files, drawers, home safes and envelopes marked “will” or “important”. Look for a copy too: a copy may name the firm or the executor.
• A bank safe deposit box. Banks have their own procedures for opening a deceased customer’s box. Ask the bank what it needs from the family or the executor.
• The people named in it. Executors and close family members are sometimes given the original, or told where it is.
• Digital records. The government’s My Legacy Vault lets people upload documents to share with loved ones. An uploaded scan is useful evidence, but it is not the original.
• Other law firms. The Law Society’s “Information on Wills” service circulates notices about the wills of deceased persons to all its members each month. Law practices place these notices, and Pro Bono SG’s LawGoWhere portal notes that non-lawyers can also place one. A fee is charged.

It is also worth checking whether anyone has already applied to court. The Family Justice Courts Practice Directions 2024 (para 208(2)) note that an applicant may conduct a search of the court’s record of caveats and record of probate applications for the estate. A lawyer can run this for you.

Why does the original will matter so much?

To obtain a grant of probate (the court order confirming the executor’s authority to deal with the estate), the executor files a certified true copy of the will with the application, generally certified on every page (Practice Directions, para 208(4)(c)). The original will must then be submitted to the Probate Counter by 4.30 p.m. of the next operating day after filing, so the court can verify that its copy is exact. The court returns the original after verification (paras 208(8) and 208(9)). Our guide to applying for a grant of probate explains the full process.

The physical condition of the original also matters. Under para 210(5) of the Practice Directions, the Registrar may require an extra affidavit (a sworn written statement) where a will has unauthenticated alterations, where marks suggest another document was once attached, where the date is in doubt, or where there are signs of attempted revocation by burning, tearing or otherwise. So once you find the original:

• do not remove staples, clips or anything attached to it;
• do not write on it, fold it again or add notes to it;
• make copies for reference and keep the original somewhere safe; and
• record where and in what condition you found it.

What if you can only find a copy of the will?

A copy is not automatically enough, but it is not the end of the matter. Section 9 of the Probate and Administration Act 1934 applies where a will “has been lost or mislaid after the death of the testator”, or “cannot for any sufficient reason be produced”. In that case:

• if a copy or draft is produced and it appears to be identical in terms with the original, probate may be granted of that copy or draft; and
• if there is no copy or draft, probate may be granted of the contents of the will, if they can be sufficiently established.

In both cases the grant is “limited until the original is admitted to probate”, so if the original later surfaces, take advice promptly. The Practice Directions (para 208(4)(d)) show that this route involves first obtaining a court order admitting the copy to proof. The certified copy filed with the probate application then carries a cover page referring to that order and its case number.

Because section 9 applies only where the will was lost or mislaid after the death, or cannot for a sufficient reason be produced, you will need to explain why the original is missing. A will can be revoked by the testator burning, tearing or otherwise destroying it with the intention of revoking it (Wills Act 1838, s 15(d)). So evidence of where the original was last kept, and who had it, becomes important. This is an area where legal advice is worth taking early, before an application is filed.

What happens if no will is found?

If a reasonable search turns up no valid will, the deceased is treated as having died “intestate” (without a will). For non-Muslim estates, the Intestate Succession Act 1967 decides who inherits, under the rules for distribution in section 7. The Act does not apply to the estate of a Muslim (s 2), whose estate is distributed under Muslim law. To deal with the estate, someone will usually need to apply for letters of administration: the court may grant letters of administration where a person has died intestate (Probate and Administration Act 1934, s 18(1)).

Read our guide on dying without a will in Singapore, try the intestacy calculator to see who inherits in your family’s situation, and see the letters of administration guide for the court process. If a will is found later, the position changes, so keep a record of the searches you have made. For the wider list of things to deal with after a death, see what to do when someone dies in Singapore.

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Frequently asked questions

Is a will valid if it was never registered with the Wills Registry?

Yes, if it was otherwise validly made. Registration is voluntary, and the Ministry of Law has stated that the validity of a will does not depend on whether it was registered. Registration only makes the will easier to trace.

Will the Wills Registry give me a copy of the will?

No. The registry holds only a record, which includes who drew up the will and where it is held, and you then contact that person or firm for the original. SAL’s separate Wills Repository, available since 9 September 2026, holds digital copies deposited through participating law firms, but only persons nominated and authorised by the testator can access them, and a digital copy does not replace the original signed will.

The registry search found nothing. Does that mean there is no will?

No. It only means no record was deposited. Check the deceased’s papers, any safe deposit box and any law firm they used, and consider a notice through the Law Society’s “Information on Wills” service.

Can I search the registry while my parent is still alive?

The access categories SAL has published cover the testator, their lawyers, and, after death, the lawyers for the estate and the next-of-kin or beneficiaries of the deceased. While your parent is alive, the practical course is for them, or their lawyer, to search or to tell you where the will is kept.

We found an old will. Can we rely on it?

Not without checking. A later will, a written revocation, deliberate destruction or a later marriage can revoke an earlier will under the Wills Act 1838. Search for anything more recent before applying for probate.

This article is general information, not legal advice. It states Singapore law as at September 2026. Speak to a lawyer about your specific situation.