From the FAQ section Right after a death
You need the death certificate, the deceased's identity document, and the original Will if there is one. You also need a set of completed reporting forms, being the death notice, the inventory of assets, and the next-of-kin affidavit. The exact pack depends on the size and type of the estate.
You report the estate by lodging a pack of documents with the Master of the High Court. The forms vary a little with the size of the estate, and with whether there is a Will. The core of the pack stays the same.
A typical reporting pack includes:
- The death certificate and the deceased’s identity document.
- The original Will, if there is one. A copy is not enough. The original is lodged with the Master and you do not get it back.
- The death notice and the inventory, which record the next of kin and everything the estate owns.
- The next-of-kin affidavit, where there is no Will, along with the nomination and acceptance forms that go with appointing an executor.
- Supporting documents, correctly certified: identity documents, marriage details, and proof of the assets that are listed.
Certification is where packs die, and it is usually the manner rather than the age. A photocopy or a photo on a phone is not a certified copy; it needs a Commissioner of Oaths to stamp and sign it as a true copy of the original. The Master is not usually strict about how old a certification is. Banks and insurers are, so keep a set of freshly certified copies to hand for them. An incomplete pack is the most common reason estates stall.
The fifteen steps an estate walks
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