Northern Ireland Probate Forms: NIPF1, NIPF2, and the Online Portal

One of the most common and most avoidable errors Northern Ireland executors make is submitting the wrong paperwork. A significant portion of the "stopped" applications sitting in the Belfast Probate Office's backlog — those that balloon from a 4-week wait into a 15-week wait — are there because an executor searched for "probate forms UK" and downloaded forms designed for England and Wales.

The English and Welsh forms are PA1P and PA1A. If you send either of those to the Northern Ireland Probate Office in Belfast, your application will be returned without being processed. Northern Ireland uses its own distinct forms, issued by the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS), and using the wrong ones is an immediate ground for rejection.

The Three Core Forms

NIPF1 — Application Where a Valid Will Exists

If the deceased left a valid will, the lead executor named in that will applies for a Grant of Probate using form NIPF1. This form gathers information about the deceased, the estate's value, the identity of the applying executors, and whether any inheritance tax is due. You submit NIPF1 alongside the original will and the NIPF7 estate summary form (for excepted estates) or the completed IHT400 (for taxable estates).

You can download NIPF1 from nidirect.gov.uk, or you can complete the equivalent online through the probate portal.

NIPF2 — Application Where There Is No Will (Intestacy)

If the deceased died without a valid will — or if the existing will does not name an executor, or the named executor has died or wishes to renounce — the applicant applies for a Grant of Letters of Administration using form NIPF2. This route applies strict eligibility rules based on the intestacy hierarchy: the deceased's spouse or civil partner applies first; if there is none, adult children may apply; and so on down the statutory order.

NIPF2 also applies in certain cases where there is a will but it only partially covers the estate, requiring a grant of letters of administration with the will annexed.

NIPF7 — Estate Summary Form

NIPF7 is not an application form — it is the accompanying estate valuation document. For deaths occurring on or after 1 January 2022, NIPF7 replaced HMRC form IHT205 for "excepted estates" (broadly, estates below the inheritance tax threshold). The NIPF7 captures the key asset and liability figures; NICTS then transmits this data to HMRC on your behalf. You do not separately file with HMRC for an excepted estate.

If the estate is taxable — meaning it exceeds the available nil-rate bands and residential nil-rate bands — you use IHT400 instead of NIPF7, and you must arrange payment of inheritance tax before the Probate Office will issue the grant.

Applying Online vs. by Post

The Digital Portal

NICTS operates an online probate portal where executors can complete the application without printing anything. The digital route has a meaningful speed advantage: error-free online applications can be processed in as little as two to four weeks from submission, compared with a longer wait for paper applications.

To apply online, you must complete identity verification via the nidirect Identity Assurance service. This is an electronic authentication process. You will need valid photographic identification — a current passport or a driver's licence — and the system may ask you to confirm personal details drawn from your credit file to verify your identity remotely.

Once your identity is verified, you can upload the NIPF7 data and proceed through the application. The original will, however, must still be posted to the Probate Office in Belfast separately, even if the rest of the application is submitted digitally. You cannot upload a scan of the original will in place of the physical document.

The Postal Route

For executors who prefer paper, or who cannot use the digital portal, the NIPF1 or NIPF2 form can be completed by hand and posted to:

Probate and Matrimonial Office Royal Courts of Justice Chichester Street Belfast BT1 3JF

Identity verification for postal applications is more demanding. You cannot simply sign the form and post it off. The Probate Office requires a certified photocopy of an accepted photographic ID — a current passport, a photocard driving licence issued in the UK, or certain other documents listed on the nidirect guidance pages.

The certifier must be a person of good standing who has known you personally for at least two years. Accepted certifiers include: medical practitioners, teachers, solicitors, bank officials, police officers, and other professionals. The certifier must write the following exact wording on the photocopy:

"I certify that this is the photographic ID of [your full name and address]."

This phrasing is non-negotiable. A stamp saying "Certified True Copy" is insufficient. A signature without this specific sentence is insufficient. The Probate Office will return the application if the certification does not meet this standard.

Initialling the Original Will

Whether applying online or by post, all executors who are applying for the grant must physically initial the original will before it is sent to the Probate Office. This requirement serves as confirmation that the applying executors have seen and reviewed the exact document the court is receiving.

The initials should go in a consistent location — typically the bottom right of each page of the will — but NICTS guidance specifies what is required. If you have not done this before posting the will, the Probate Office will return it to you, adding further weeks to the process.

The Will Must Arrive Unaltered

This cannot be overstated: the original will must be submitted in the exact physical condition it was in when it was signed. Do not:

• Remove staples or metal clips
• Undo any binding
• Add paperclips, sticky notes, or rubber bands
• Tape pages together or attempt any repair

Any marks or physical evidence that the will has been interfered with — even a round rust mark from an old paperclip — will trigger a "requisition" from the court. A requisition is a formal written request for an explanation, and your application will not progress until the court is satisfied. Requisitions are one of the most common causes of the 15-week processing delay.

If the original will is damaged or has marks that were there when you found it, note this in your application and explain the circumstances.

The Personal Application Fee

Executors applying without the assistance of a solicitor pay a personal application fee in addition to the standard grant fee. Under the 2026 fee schedule (SR 2026/35), the combined cost for a personal probate application for an estate exceeding £10,000 is £261 for the grant plus £65 for the personal application surcharge — a total of £326 at the point of submission. Certified copies of the grant cost £14 each; you will typically need at least five to eight to deal with banks, investment platforms, and the Land Registry simultaneously.

If your income is below a certain threshold, you may be eligible to apply for fee remission using form ER1. The ER1 is available from the NICTS and asks for evidence of income and benefits. If granted, some or all of the court fees may be waived.

What Happens After Submission

Once the Probate Office receives a complete, error-free application, they will review the paperwork, verify the estate summary figures, and — if everything is in order — issue the sealed Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration. For digital applications without complications, this can take as little as two to four weeks. For paper applications, or any application that triggers a query, it takes longer.

When the grant arrives, it will be sealed with the court's official stamp. This is the document banks, the Land Registry, share registrars, and other institutions require before they will act on your instructions. Order enough certified copies upfront — chasing additional copies later extends the process unnecessarily.

The Northern Ireland Probate Process Guide walks through the NIPF1, NIPF2, and NIPF7 forms in detail, with field-by-field explanations and a pre-submission checklist to help you avoid the most common rejection triggers.

See more Northern Ireland guides →