How to Register a Will, How to Find a Lost Will - National Will Register for the UK

At Willdata we manage data relating to the whereabouts of Wills.

Currently in the UK, unlike most other European countries, there is still no legal requirement to register either the location of a Will or even that a Will exists. It is left to the individual to ensure that their most recent Will can be found. Even though it may be stored in a safe place, if nobody knows where it is, it will remain there for eternity. The vaults of Banks, Will Writers, Solicitors and secure Storage Companies contain many Wills that are 'lost'.

Our customers can register the location of their own Will or submit a Search Request for the location of a 'lost' Will using our service.

We do not store the Will itself or a copy of the Will nor do we have any details as to what may be written in the Will.

Registering your own Will
Once a Will Registration Form has been submitted to Willdata, the details are held securely on our bespoke database until the Will is needed. The database is not directly accessible from the internet so your details are extremely safe and secure. Upon receipt of a Search Request, only the last registered location will be released. No other details about you will be given.

Search for a 'lost' Will
Anyone can submit a Search Request Form to enquire whether we hold information relating to the location of an individual's Will.

Sometimes people may be known by a different name than the one on their birth certificate, or maybe they used a different spelling. Because of these factors, a fully automated system would give an incorrect result which could have a huge impact on the administration of a deceased persons estate. We oversee all searches manually as an additional safeguard and email you the results.

If you have details of a Will Writer or Solicitor that you believe may have written the Will but who is now not contactable, we will try to trace them for you and ascertain whether the Will you are looking for is still held by them or is now held by someone else.

Only the Executors of a Will, a legal professional with appropriate authority, or the person whose Will it is can retrieve a Will.

We work closely with Legal Practitioners in accordance with the Data Protection Act. (See our Terms and Conditions) and we employ the services of a Solicitor to ensure that our service meets and exceeds all privacy and security regulations.

Due to the voluntary nature of Will registration we cannot guarantee to be 100% successful, but our service is proven and we have helped many families at what is a very difficult and distressing time.

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