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. A fixed-fee quote, fast turnaround.
Match me with a probate lawyerDoes 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