FAMILY HANDOVER KIT · IRELAND

Probate in Ireland — north and south are two different systems

Q: How long does probate take in Northern Ireland and the Republic?

They run to different clocks. In Northern Ireland, a straightforward, uncomplicated application typically takes around six weeks. In the Republic, straightforward estates often reach a grant in roughly four to six months from the date of death, with moderately complex estates commonly taking six to twelve months. A family holding assets on both sides should expect the two halves to conclude at different times, not together.

Q: Is inheritance tax different in Ireland and the UK?

Fundamentally, yes. Northern Ireland sits inside the UK Inheritance Tax regime — the same £325,000 nil-rate band and £175,000 residence nil-rate band as the rest of the UK, charged on the estate. The Republic charges Capital Acquisitions Tax instead: 33% above group thresholds (the Group A threshold for a child inheriting from a parent is currently around €400,000), assessed on the person inheriting rather than on the estate. How the two meet for an estate spanning both is a question for professionals qualified on each side.

Q: Does Valoren's product work for a Northern Ireland household?

Yes, more directly — Northern Ireland is part of the UK, shares the same Inheritance Tax regime, and its succession law closely follows England & Wales, though it runs through its own Probate Office in Belfast rather than the England & Wales registry. The Household Continuity Dossier works for an NI household with that one distinction in mind.

Q: What if a household has assets on both sides of the border?

Then two separate grants are usually needed — a Northern Irish grant doesn't extend to Republic of Ireland assets, and an Irish grant doesn't extend to NI ones. This is exactly the kind of fact worth recording once, clearly, rather than an executor discovering it under pressure.

Northern Ireland (part of the UK) and the Republic of Ireland (a separate state) run under different law, different tax, and different courts. We won't guess which one you mean — pick below.

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Which one applies to you

Part of the United Kingdom

Northern Ireland

Same UK Inheritance Tax regime as England & Wales; its own Probate Office in Belfast.

—Grant of probate applied for at the Probate Office, Royal Courts of Justice, Belfast — a separate registry from England & Wales, not the same office.
—Governed by its own statutes (Administration of Estates Act (NI) 1955, Intestates' Estates Act (NI) 1955) — closely aligned with England & Wales, but not identical.
—Personal application fee: around £407 (£326 court fee + £81 personal application fee).
—Typical timeline: around six weeks for a straightforward, uncomplicated application.
—Same £325,000 nil-rate band and £175,000 residence nil-rate band as the rest of the UK — Inheritance Tax is reserved to Westminster.

Guidance, not legal advice — confirm current fees and forms with the Probate Office or an NI-qualified solicitor.

A separate state — not part of the UK

The Republic of Ireland

Its own courts, its own currency (euro), its own tax — Capital Acquisitions Tax, not Inheritance Tax.

—Application to the Probate Office with the original will, the death certificate, and Form SA.2 (the Statement of Affairs, filed online through Revenue's myAccount or ROS).
—Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT) applies at 33% above group thresholds — the Group A threshold for a child inheriting from a parent is currently around €400,000.
—Timeline: straightforward estates often reach a grant in roughly four to six months from the date of death; moderately complex estates commonly take six to twelve months.
—The Succession Act 1965 gives a surviving spouse a legal right share — half the estate with no children, a third with children — claimable regardless of what the will says.

Guidance, not legal advice — Irish CAT thresholds and SA.2 requirements change; confirm current figures with Revenue.ie or an Irish solicitor.

A grant issued in one does not extend to the other — a household with assets on both sides of the border typically needs two separate grants.

Figure watch · checked weekly

These thresholds are republished.

Irish CAT thresholds and Northern Irish probate fees both change over time. Leave an email and we'll send one short note if anything on this page moves — only when it actually changes.

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What Valoren actually covers

Valoren's records system, forms and Advisor are built around England & Wales law and UK institutions. A household anywhere can use The Household Continuity Dossier's 33-record architecture to organise accounts, contacts and wishes — that structure travels. What doesn't travel automatically is the legal-process content: UK probate references, England & Wales form guidance, and the Advisor's statutory answers assume a UK estate. For Republic of Ireland households especially, treat the record-keeping as universal and the legal-process guidance as not applicable — the right first call for Irish administration is a Republic-qualified solicitor.

Common questions

They're two different jurisdictions with different law, currency and courts. Northern Ireland is part of the UK; the Republic of Ireland is a separate state. This page covers both, clearly separated, because the search term doesn't specify which one a reader means.

They run to different clocks. In Northern Ireland, a straightforward, uncomplicated application typically takes around six weeks. In the Republic, straightforward estates often reach a grant in roughly four to six months from the date of death, with moderately complex estates commonly taking six to twelve months. A family holding assets on both sides should expect the two halves to conclude at different times, not together.

Fundamentally, yes. Northern Ireland sits inside the UK Inheritance Tax regime — the same £325,000 nil-rate band and £175,000 residence nil-rate band as the rest of the UK, charged on the estate. The Republic charges Capital Acquisitions Tax instead: 33% above group thresholds (the Group A threshold for a child inheriting from a parent is currently around €400,000), assessed on the person inheriting rather than on the estate. How the two meet for an estate spanning both is a question for professionals qualified on each side.

Valoren's records system and Advisor are built around England & Wales law and UK institutions — banks, HMRC, the DVLA, UK probate forms. A Republic of Ireland household can still use it as a records-keeping architecture (accounts, contacts, wishes), but the legal-process content (the will, probate references) is UK-shaped and shouldn't be relied on for Irish law. For Irish-specific administration, a Republic-qualified solicitor is the right first call.

Yes, more directly. Northern Ireland is part of the UK, shares the same Inheritance Tax regime, and its succession law closely follows England & Wales — though it runs through its own Probate Office in Belfast rather than the England & Wales registry. The Household Continuity Dossier works for an NI household with that one distinction in mind.

Then two separate grants are usually needed. A Northern Irish grant doesn't extend to Republic of Ireland assets, and an Irish grant doesn't extend to NI ones. This is exactly the kind of fact worth recording once, clearly, rather than an executor discovering it under pressure.

For a Northern Ireland household, the Household Continuity Dossier works today.

£195 first year, then £99/yr. All 33 records, your Advisor on call, annual review prompts so it never goes stale.

Explore The Household Continuity Dossier→Or the £29 Family Handover Kit→Or the free template→

The £29 brief writes up your records for you — who to call, where things are kept, what exists. Those hold on either side of the border. The grant itself does not: that stays with a solicitor qualified where the estate sits. And the £29 counts in full toward the Dossier’s first year if you move up within 30 days — nothing you start with is wasted.