Whether a beneficiary can see the will in Ireland depends on two things: what kind of beneficiary you are, and whether a grant of probate has issued yet. This guide is part of our wider overview of beneficiary rights in Ireland.
It covers three things in plain terms: what you can read in the will before probate, why the will becomes public once a grant issues, and your right as a residuary beneficiary to the estate accounts. It also shows you how to obtain a copy of the grant and will yourself, so you do not have to rely on anyone else to share them.
Who is entitled to see the will?
Family members do not have an automatic right to see a deceased person's will. Before a grant of probate issues, the only person legally entitled to see the will is the executor. Named beneficiaries are entitled to be informed that they are named and what they stand to inherit — the nature and extent of their gift — but this is a right to information, not a right to see or read the will document.
The executor controls access to the will before probate is granted. They can choose to share the full document with beneficiaries — and many do, for the sake of family clarity — but they are not obliged to. Sharing the will is common practice, not a legal requirement.
In many cases, a solicitor or the executor writes to each beneficiary to inform them of their gift. That letter sets out the nature and extent of your inheritance only; it does not give you access to the will itself. The table below summarises what each person is entitled to, before and after a grant issues.
A specific or pecuniary beneficiary (a set gift or sum)
The right to be informed of their gift — its nature and extent — but not an automatic right to see the will or any part of it before a grant issues. The solicitor typically writes with the details; the executor decides whether to share the document itself.
A residuary beneficiary (takes what is left over)
The right to be informed of their inheritance, and — once the estate is administered — a full account of the estate assets and how they were distributed, so their share can be checked.
A family member who is not a beneficiary
No automatic right to see the will before a grant issues.
Anyone, once a grant of probate has issued
The will and grant are public; a copy can be ordered from the probate register.
What different beneficiaries and family members are entitled to, before and after a grant of probate issues. Sources: BDM Boylan Solicitors; PJF Solicitors; McCarthy Solicitors.
| Your position | What you are entitled to |
|---|---|
| A specific or pecuniary beneficiary (a set gift or sum) | The right to be informed of their gift — its nature and extent — but not an automatic right to see the will or any part of it before a grant issues. The solicitor typically writes with the details; the executor decides whether to share the document itself. |
| A residuary beneficiary (takes what is left over) | The right to be informed of their inheritance, and — once the estate is administered — a full account of the estate assets and how they were distributed, so their share can be checked. |
| A family member who is not a beneficiary | No automatic right to see the will before a grant issues. |
| Anyone, once a grant of probate has issued | The will and grant are public; a copy can be ordered from the probate register. |
Why the will becomes public once probate is granted
The private phase does not last forever. When the estate goes through probate, the will is lodged with the Probate Office and, once the grant of probate issues, it becomes a public document that anyone can inspect or copy. This is why newspapers are able to report on the contents of people's wills.
For a beneficiary, this is a useful safeguard. If an executor declines to share the full will before the grant, you can simply wait until the grant issues and then obtain your own copy of the will and grant from the public record — without needing the executor's cooperation at all.
The record sits on the online probate register at courts.ie, which holds details of wills and grants of representation issued in Ireland since 1992. To understand how that register works and what it shows, see our guide to searching the probate register in Ireland.
How to obtain a copy of the grant and will
Once a grant has issued, getting a copy is a straightforward, four-step process. You search the register, note the record details, complete an order form, and send it with the fee to the probate office. You do not need to be a beneficiary to do this — the record is public.
How to order a copy of a will and grant
Once a grant of probate has issued, anyone can obtain a copy of the will and grant from the probate register.
Search the probate register
Search the online probate register at courts.ie, which holds basic details of wills and grants issued in Ireland since 1992. Search by the deceased's name. If they were known by more than one name, try each, and consider leaving out prefixes such as Mc, Mac, O', or Ní for a broader result.
Note the record details
From your search result, write down three things: the record number, the date of the grant, and the probate office that issued it. You will need all three to identify the correct record on the order form. For grants made before 1992, the records are held by the National Archives rather than the online register.
Complete the probate order form
Download the probate order form from courts.ie and enter the details you noted. The form lets you request the documents you need — for example an official copy of the will and grant, or a sealed and certified copy. The fee depends on which type of copy you ask for.
Send the form and fee to the probate office
Send the completed form with payment to the probate office shown on your search result. Members of the public can pay by postal order, money order, or cheque made payable to the Courts Service — do not send cash. Always check the current fee on the courts.ie probate fees page before you post, as fees can change.
The fee depends on which type of copy you request. An ordinary official copy is enough for most people who simply want to read the will; a sealed and certified copy is needed where an institution requires proof. The table below shows the main copy-document fees, which are the same for solicitors and personal applicants.
Official copy of any will, grant, or other document
€15
Official copy of a will and grant together
€30
Sealed and certified copy of a will, or of a grant
€20
Sealed and certified copy of a will and grant
€40
Copy-document fees for wills and grants. Source: Courts Service of Ireland. Fees may change — check courts.ie for the latest schedule.
| Type of copy | Fee |
|---|---|
| Official copy of any will, grant, or other document | €15 |
| Official copy of a will and grant together | €30 |
| Sealed and certified copy of a will, or of a grant | €20 |
| Sealed and certified copy of a will and grant | €40 |
Your right to the estate accounts
Seeing the will is one thing; knowing what the estate was actually worth and how it was shared out is another. Here, the key distinction is whether you are a residuary beneficiary. A residuary beneficiary is the person (or people) who take what is left of the estate after specific gifts, debts, taxes, and expenses have been dealt with.
Only the residuary beneficiary is entitled to a full account of the estate. If the will leaves you the remainder of the assets after the specific bequests, you are entitled to receive a full account of all the assets and how they were distributed, so you can see exactly how your share was calculated.
A beneficiary of a fixed gift — say a set sum of money or a named item — is in a different position. You are entitled to receive your gift, but you have no automatic legal entitlement to the full estate accounts. Any additional information beyond your own gift is at the executor's discretion. To understand exactly what falls to you, see our guide to what a beneficiary is entitled to in Ireland.
What if you cannot get the information you need?
Most estates are administered without friction, but some beneficiaries find the process opaque — letters go unanswered, or there is no clear word on when distribution will happen. The first thing to know is that, once a grant has issued, you are not dependent on the executor to read the will: you can order your own copy from the public register as described above.
For the estate accounts, the position is more practical than legal in the early stages. Within the executor's year, it is reasonable to wait — the law allows the executor that time. If the delay runs well beyond that, or you suspect something is wrong, you can press the executor for a full account, or take advice on your options. We cover this situation in our guide on what to do when an executor is silent or delaying in Ireland.
Knowing your rights in advance changes the conversation. If you can see the will from the public record and understand whether you are entitled to the accounts, you can ask the executor focused, reasonable questions rather than feeling shut out of the process entirely.