Certificate of Appointment Application: With or Without a Will (ON)

Summary

When a person dies, one of the first roles of an executor, along with arranging the funeral, is to determine if the deceased left behind a will. The executor may have to submit different documents with the estate court depending on whether there is or there is not a will. The process by which a will is formally accepted as valid by the court is initiated pursuant to an Application for Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee with a Will. The procedure by which a person is appointed by the court to deal with the assets of a deceased person who died without leaving a will is initiated by an Application for Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee without a Will. This practice note discusses the process involved in both cases.