Online probate system now fully live
From today (2 June), solicitors across the country will be able to apply for probate online on the Courts Portal at portal.courts.ie.
This follows a pilot project that the Courts Service has been running since late last year, involving a small number of solicitors in Dublin, to test the portal for applications for grants of probate.
The courts body says that more than 100 applications have been received, and the system has been updated based on solicitor feedback.
It adds that, as part of the test project, the Dublin Probate Office have been turning around applications online within ten working days.
Fewer errors
Probate officer Anne Heenan said that feedback from Dublin solicitors on the pilot project had been good.
“Probate is a complicated process; compounding the situation are the level of errors and mistakes we receive in hard-copy applications,” she stated.
Heenan said that the office had noticed a reduction in the errors and mistakes received through the online applications, adding that, as a result, it had been able to improve the turnaround times.
“With a nationwide rollout we don’t know what turnaround times might be like at this point, but we’re looking forward to receiving more applications online,” she said.
Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan welcomed the announcement, saying that it would benefit people across Ireland and their solicitors, adding that faster probate processes would also help to address housing supply.
Integration
A Dublin solicitor involved in the test phase, Niall Gaffney of Gaffney Mullins & Co, said that integration between the system and Revenue had “greatly simplified” the application process, minimising the amount of time spent inputting repetitive information.
Owen Harrison (Courts Service assistant secretary for ICT) said that the body had received much feedback from solicitors on the Statement of Truth – the online affidavit introduced into court rules for the purpose of filing online.
“We now need to create volume on the system so we can make further improvements. We encourage all solicitors to register their firms on portal.courts.ie and then to file probate applications online,” he stated.
Further improvements
The Courts Service said that it would make further improvements to the system as more solicitors filed online.
It intends to roll out support for intestacy applications – where people die without leaving a will – as the system improves.
The Courts Portal, part of the Courts Service’s modernisation programme, is being rolled out across different areas of law and jurisdictions.
In the next few years, across civil and family law, it will allow for e-filing, e-serving, making e-payments, and the collection of digital orders.
Practitioners with queries on the portal can email portal@courts.ie.