Probate requisitions
Updated 20 August 2026 · 5 minute read
A requisition is the probate registry's query letter: something in your application doesn't add up, and the grant is paused until you answer. Roughly one in five self-filed applications attracts one. It's not a rejection — but it typically costs 4–8 weeks.
The usual suspects
- Inventory problems — the number one cause: estimates instead of bank-confirmed date-of-death balances, missed accounts, joint assets wrongly included
- Name mismatches — the will says 'Bill', the death certificate 'William Arthur'; every alias needs explaining
- The will's condition — staple holes, tears, pencil marks: the registry suspects a missing attachment and wants an affidavit
- Execution doubts — irregular witnessing, no attestation clause, a witness who benefits
- Late filing — beyond the expected window without an explanatory affidavit
- Notice defects — the advertisement ran with a wrong name or the waiting period wasn't respected
Answering one
Read it literally
Registries ask precise questions. Answer what's asked — no more, no less — in a further affidavit.
Get the evidence, not just the assertion
'The balance was $48,212.07 per the attached bank letter' beats 'we believe the figure is correct'.
File promptly
Requisitions don't expire quickly, but the queue position does — a fast, complete answer often gets picked up within days.
Almost every requisition traces to a shortcut in preparation: an estimated balance, an unexplained name, an unswept detail. The prevention checklist lives in how to apply and each state's forms guide.
An incomplete answer generates a follow-up requisition and another trip to the back of the queue. If the first one flummoxes you, that's the moment to hand it to a firm — fixing is usually a fixed-fee job.
Requisition sitting in your inbox?
Firms answer these weekly and know each registry's expectations. Fixed-fee quotes, fast turnaround.
Get fixed-fee probate quotesDoes a requisition mean my application failed?
No — it's a query, not a refusal. Answered properly, the application continues from where it paused.
Can I phone the registry to sort it out?
Registries will clarify what a requisition means, but the answer itself must be filed formally — usually by affidavit.
Will using a lawyer avoid requisitions entirely?
Not entirely, but professionally-prepared applications attract far fewer — and when one lands, the response is same-week routine.
Sources
- Supreme Court probate registries — requisition practice
- Law society probate practice guidance