Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Letters of Administration definition

What does Letters of Administration mean? A court grant authorising an administrator (the personal representative) to collect, manage and distribute a deceased person’s estate where there is no valid will, or no executor able and willing to act. It is a grant of representation used in probate and intestacy practice. In England and Wales, letters of administration are issued by the Probate Registry under the Administration of Estates Act 1925 and the Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987. Variants include letters of administration (intestacy) and letters of administration with will annexed (where a will exists but no executor can act). In Northern Ireland, they are granted under the...

Probate jurisdiction and practice in England and Wales, with UK-wide recognition of Scottish confirmations and Northern Ireland grants

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Practice notes

Role of the court

The High Court exercises jurisdiction over probate and letters of administration, encompassing all contentious and non-contentious matters relating to:

testamentary causes and matters
the grant, amendment or revocation of probate and letters of administration, and
the real and personal estates of deceased persons

Probate jurisdiction

The probate jurisdiction of the High Court is divided between the Family Division and the Chancery Division (and the County Court). The Family Division handles non-contentious, or common form probate work, while the Chancery Division deals with contentious, or solemn form probate. See Practice Note: What are common and solemn form probate?

Probate jurisdiction-Family Division

The key issues are:

whether a document is admissible to probate
who is entitled to a grant of representation
whether a grant already issued should be revoked

Right of interpretation-Family Division

When granting representation, the Family Division considers the terms of testamentary documents to resolve a construction point, but is not obliged to do so. It may instead exercise its discretion to issue a grant to an appropriate person, leaving any construction question to be determined in the Chancery Division...

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Web page updated on 28/05/2026

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