When you prepare a Will with us, we register it with the National Will Register, at no extra cost to you.
It's a straightforward step that can make an enormous difference when the time comes.
The National Will Register is the UK’s largest central database for recording the existence of Wills and details of the firm or Will writer that holds or prepared them.
Exclusively endorsed by the Law Society of England and Wales, it is the most widely used Will registration and search service in the UK, trusted by solicitors, banks, charities, and probate professionals nationwide.
Over 10.5 million Wills are registered in the system, approximately half of all Wills in the UK.
1 in 5 Will searches find a Will that was presumed missing, or uncovers a later Will that supersedes the one being relied upon.
At peak times, one Will is registered every two seconds.
The Register has been in operation for over 20 years.
At ELM, we register every Will we prepare as standard. We believe the job isn’t finished until your wishes are properly protected, not just written down.
Registering your Will with the National Will Register means:
If a loved one passes away and their family needs to locate a Will, the process is straightforward:
The Register is checked against its database of over 10.5 million records to identify whether a Will has been registered.
If a match is found, the Register confirms the existence of the Will and provides details of where it is held.
If no registered Will is found, a wider REACH search can also be conducted, which targets law firms and Will writers in relevant geographical areas to look for unregistered Wills.
No, it doesn’t hold a copy of your Will. It simply records that one exists, and which firm holds or prepared it, providing a clear starting point for anyone trying to trace it. The contents remain entirely private.
A search can be requested by a family member, executor, or solicitor following a person’s passing. A death certificate is required to access the information, so your details cannot be accessed during your lifetime without your consent.
No. Registration is voluntary, but it is strongly recommended as best practice by leading bodies including the Law Society. At ELM, we include it as standard because we believe it is the responsible thing to do.
If you update or rewrite your Will with ELM, we update the registration at the same time. This ensures the register always reflects your most recent and valid Will.
We’re here to help you put the right plans in place for the future.
For support with Wills, Trusts, LPAs or Probate, please complete our contact form and a member of our team will get back to you as soon as possible. Alternatively, you can contact us by phone or email using the details below.