- Check carefully for a will before treating the estate as intestate.
- Relatives with an equal or prior right must formally give up that right and consent.
- Where a beneficiary is under 21, the court requires at least two administrators.
- Applications are expected within six months of the death; a later filing needs an explanation.
1. Make sure there really is no will
Go through the person's papers and ask family members whether a will was mentioned. A search of the Wills Registry can also show whether a will was recorded, though registration is voluntary. If a will turns up but its executor cannot or will not act, the grant is instead letters of administration 'with the will annexed', and the will still governs who inherits.
2. Work out who should apply
The right to apply follows a priority order beginning with the spouse, then the children, then the parents and other relatives. If you are not first in line, everyone with a prior right, or the same right as you, needs to sign a renunciation and consent. For example, if your father dies leaving your mother and a brother, both of them would sign.
When any beneficiary is under 21, at least two administrators (or a trust corporation) must be appointed. For a Muslim estate, the Syariah Court's inheritance certificate comes first, and the heir with the largest share is normally the one who applies.
3. Gather the documents
The core papers are:
- the death certificate;
- a schedule of the deceased's assets and debts, with values at the date of death;
- renunciations and consents from relatives with a prior or equal right;
- the inheritance certificate, for a Muslim estate.
Banks and other institutions often refuse to tell family members what the deceased held until an application has been started, so the asset list may have to be completed in stages.
4. File the application
The application is made to the Family Justice Courts. Alongside it, the applicant swears that the information given is true and takes an oath to administer the estate faithfully and account for it. Published firm guides current as at April 2026 say the application is expected within six months of the death, and that a later application must explain the delay.
5. The court's decision and the grant
If the papers are in order, the court may approve the application without the applicant attending a hearing. The applicant is then told when the grant can be extracted.
6. Administer the estate
With the grant, the administrator approaches banks, HDB, insurers and others to collect the assets, often through a dedicated estate bank account. Funeral costs, debts and taxes are paid first. What remains is shared out according to the Intestate Succession Act, and the administrator keeps a record of every payment in and out.
This article is general information on Singapore law and is not legal advice. Rules and agency policies change, and every situation is different. For advice on your own circumstances, speak with us.
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