Skip to main content
  • About
  • News & Insights
  • Careers
  • International
0808 291 3524
Dialog that contains search functionality
Irwin Mitchell Logo
  • Personal
    • Personal
    • Personal Home
    • Personal Injury Claims
      • Personal Injury Claims
      • Personal Injury Claims Home
      • Abuse Claims
      • Accidents In Public Places Claims
      • Criminal Injury Compensation Claims
      • Accident At Work Claims
      • Air, Rail & Maritime Claims
      • Asbestos & Mesothelioma Claims
      • Changing Solicitors During a Personal Injury Claim
      • Group Claims
      • Holiday Accidents & Illness Claims
      • Illness Compensation Claims
      • Industrial Disease Claims
      • Injury Types
      • Military Injury Compensation Claims
      • No Win No Fee Personal Injury Claims
      • Personal Injury Claims In Scotland
      • How To Claim Compensation For Personal Injury
      • Product Liability Claims
      • Road Traffic Accident Claims
      • Serious Injury Claims
      • Who Can Help?
      • Support Services
    • Medical Negligence Claims
      • Medical Negligence Claims
      • Medical Negligence Claims Home
      • Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Birth Injury Claims
      • Cauda Equina Syndrome Claims
      • Never Event Claims
      • Ambulance & Paramedic Medical Negligence Claims
      • Cosmetic Surgery Claims
      • Private Healthcare Claims
      • Cerebral Palsy Claims
      • Defective Medical Device Claims
      • Dental Negligence Claims
      • Diabetes Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Fatal Medical Negligence Claims & Inquests
      • GP Negligence Claims
      • Hospital Negligence Claims
      • What Is Medical Negligence?
      • Meningitis Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Failure To Prevent Suicide Claims
      • Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Ophthalmic Negligence Claims
      • Pregnancy & Gynaecology Injury Claims
      • Sepsis Negligence Claims
      • Pharmacy And Medication Negligence Claims
      • Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust Maternity Care Claims
      • Stroke Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Surgery Compensation Claims
    • Counselling
      • Counselling
      • Counselling Home
      • Counselling Myths Dispelled
    • Family Law
      • Family Law
      • Family Law Home
      • Divorce Solicitors
      • Prenuptial & Postnuptial Agreement Solicitors
      • Child Abduction Solicitors
      • Civil Partnership Solicitors
      • LGBT+ Family Law Solicitors
      • Unmarried Couples' Rights
      • Divorce Financial Settlement Solicitors
      • Child Arrangement Orders
      • Family Mediation
      • Out of Court Divorce Solicitors
      • Separation Agreement Solicitors
      • Adoption & Surrogacy Solicitors
    • Wills, Trusts & Estates
      • Wills, Trusts & Estates
      • Wills, Trusts & Estates Home
      • Estate Planning Solicitors
      • Powers Of Attorney
      • Trusts
      • Will Writing Services
      • Will Disputes & Contentious Probate
    • Conveyancing & Property Solicitors
      • Conveyancing & Property Solicitors
      • Conveyancing & Property Solicitors Home
      • Conveyancing Fees Calculator
      • Buying A Property
      • Selling A Property
      • Remortgage
      • Transfer Of Equity
      • Buy To Let
      • Freehold Purchase (Leasehold Enfranchisement) Solicitors
      • Lease Extension Solicitors
      • Conveyancing Guide
      • Residential Property Disputes
    • Tax
      • Tax
      • Tax Home
      • Business Tax
      • Inheritance Tax
      • International Tax
      • Professional Negligence
      • HMRC Tax Investigations
      • Tax Disputes & Litigation
      • Tax Residence
      • Tax Returns & Compliance
      • UK Resident Non-Doms
      • Wealth Structuring
    • Probate
      • Probate
      • Probate Home
      • International Probate
      • Probate Sale Conveyancing
      • What Is Probate & How Does It Work?
    • Will, Trust & Estate Disputes
      • Will, Trust & Estate Disputes
      • Will, Trust & Estate Disputes Home
      • Trust Disputes
      • Inheritance Act Claims
      • Contesting A Will
      • Contentious Probate
      • Pre-Death Agreements
      • Professional Negligence
      • Challenging A Lifetime Gift
      • Financial Abuse
      • Statutory Will Disputes
      • Defending A Contested Will
    • Employment Solicitors
      • Employment Solicitors
      • Employment Solicitors Home
      • Employment Contract Solicitors
      • Employment Disputes
      • Dismissal & Redundancy Solicitors
      • Employment Discrimination Solicitors
      • Employment Lawyers for Legal Expenses Insurance
      • Harassment & Bullying At Work Solicitors
      • Parental & Family Friendly Employment Rights
      • Professional Discipline Solicitors
      • Recruitment & Promotion
      • Senior Executive Employment Lawyers
      • Settlement Agreements
      • Whistleblowing Solicitors
    • Elderly Legal Services
    • Protecting Your Rights
      • Protecting Your Rights
      • Protecting Your Rights Home
      • Actions Against The Police
      • Inquests
      • Environmental & Planning Law
      • Assessment & Treatment Unit Solicitors
      • Data Protection Breach Claims
      • Education Law
      • Healthcare & Social Services
      • Human Rights
      • Judicial Review
      • Mental Capacity
      • Professional Regulation & Discipline
      • Dispute Resolution
      • Legal Aid
    • Immigration Solicitors
      • Immigration Solicitors
      • Immigration Solicitors Home
      • British Citizenship & Naturalisation Solicitors
      • EU & EEA Immigration Solicitors
      • Indefinite Leave To Remain Solicitors
      • Spouse Visa Solicitors
      • Innovator Visa
      • Permanent Residence Solicitors
      • Business Immigration Solicitors
    • Crime & Investigations
      • Crime & Investigations
      • Crime & Investigations Home
      • Crime
      • Fraud & Financial Crime
      • Court Martial Solicitors
      • Motoring Offences Legal Advice
      • Regulatory Investigations & Enforcement
    • Insolvency
      • Insolvency
      • Insolvency Home
      • Business Restructuring & Insolvency
      • Debt Consultancy
      • Insolvency Disputes & Litigation
    • Court Of Protection
      • Court Of Protection
      • Court Of Protection Home
      • Court Of Protection Deputyship
      • Personal Injury Trusts
      • Court Of Protection Problems & Disputes
      • Healthcare and Social Services
      • Court of Protection Frequently Asked Questions
      • Powers Of Attorney Disputes
      • Statutory Wills Solicitors
  • Wealth Management
    • Wealth Management
    • Wealth Management Home
    • Asset Management For Personal Injury
    • Charity & Philanthropy
    • Estate Planning
    • Ethical & Sustainable Investing
    • Financial Planning
    • Intergenerational Wealth Management
    • Investment Management
    • Retirement Financial Planning
    • Family Offices
    • Succession Planning
    • Tax Planning
  • Business
    • Business
    • Business Home
    • Sectors
      • Sectors
      • Sectors Home
      • Agriculture & Rural Business
      • Retail, Leisure & Hospitality
      • Education
      • Financial & Professional Services
      • Landed Estates
      • Manufacturing
      • Real Estate
      • Sport
      • Technology & Communications
    • Banking & Finance
      • Banking & Finance
      • Banking & Finance Home
      • Corporate Banking
      • Leveraged & Acquisition Finance
      • Real Estate Finance
      • Receivables Finance & Asset Based Lending
    • Environmental, Social & Governance
      • Environmental, Social & Governance
      • Environmental, Social & Governance Home
      • Cyber Security
      • Environment
      • Net Zero
      • Social
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Governance
      • International
      • ESG Legal Advisory Services
      • Legislation Library
      • Manufacturing Sector
      • Real Estate
      • Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Sector
      • Sports Sector
    • Business Crime
      • Business Crime
      • Business Crime Home
      • Anti-Bribery & Corruption
      • Asset Tracing & Recovery
      • Cartels & Illegal Price Fixing
      • Cybercrime
      • Dawn Raids
      • Deferred Prosecution Agreements
      • Extradition
      • INTERPOL Red Notices
      • Mutual Legal Assistance
      • Private Prosecution
      • Proceeds Of Crime Act
      • Unexplained Wealth Orders
      • Fraud Lawyers
      • Insider Trading & Market Abuse
      • Corporate Internal Investigations
    • Business Immigration
      • Business Immigration
      • Business Immigration Home
      • Business Visitor Visa
      • Global Business Mobility Visas
      • Innovator Visa
      • Prevention Of Illegal Working
      • Skilled Worker Visas
      • Sole Representative Of An Overseas Business
      • UK Visa Sponsor License
    • Commercial
      • Commercial
      • Commercial Home
      • Commercial Contracts
      • Competition Law
      • GDPR & Data Protection
      • Information Technology
      • Sourcing
      • Notary Public Solicitors
    • Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution
      • Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution
      • Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution Home
      • Banking & Finance Litigation
      • Business Interruption Insurance Lawyers
      • Contract Disputes
      • Defamation & Reputation Management
      • International & Cross-Border Disputes
      • Commercial Debt Recovery
      • Litigation Funding
      • Professional Negligence
    • Corporate
      • Corporate
      • Corporate Home
      • Corporate Advisory
      • Equity Capital Markets
      • Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
      • Private Equity
      • Search Funds and Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Lawyers
    • Costs Team
    • Employment Law
      • Employment Law
      • Employment Law Home
      • Business Immigration
      • Employment Contracts, Policies & Procedures
      • Disciplinary & Grievance
      • Employee & Industrial Relations
      • Employment Lawyers for Legal Expenses Insurance
      • Employment Litigation & Resolution Lawyers
      • Equality, Diversity & Discrimination
      • Flexible Working Arrangements
      • Health & Safety
      • HR Advice Service - IMhrplus
      • Managing Sickness Absence
      • Pensions
      • Recruitment
      • Restrictive Covenants
      • Restructuring & Redundancy
      • Self Employment, Contractors & Agency Workers
      • Employment Seminars, Training & Updates
      • TUPE
    • In-House Counsel
    • Intellectual Property and Media
      • Intellectual Property and Media
      • Intellectual Property and Media Home
      • Defamation & Reputation Management
      • Copyright Lawyers
      • Design Rights Lawyers
      • Image Rights Lawyers
      • Online Marketplace Seller Account Or Listing Suspensions
      • Stopping IP Infringement By Sellers On Online Marketplaces
      • Patent Lawyers
      • Trade Mark Lawyers
      • Trade Secrets Lawyers
    • Legal Helpline
    • Licensing
      • Licensing
      • Licensing Home
      • Betting & Gaming Licensing
      • Event Licences
      • Alcohol Licensing
    • Pensions
      • Pensions
      • Pensions Home
      • Employment
      • Managing Death Benefit Trusts
    • Regulatory & Compliance
      • Regulatory & Compliance
      • Regulatory & Compliance Home
      • Road Transport & Operator Compliance
      • GDPR & Data Protection
      • Regulatory Investigations
      • Account Freezing Orders
      • Anti-Money Laundering
      • Companies House Prosecutions
      • Environment & Safety Regulatory Compliance
      • Financial Services Regulation
    • Real Estate
      • Real Estate
      • Real Estate Home
      • Corporate Occupiers
      • Real Estate Development and Regeneration
      • Construction & Engineering
      • Environmental
      • Real Estate Finance
      • Real Estate Investment
      • Later Living & Care
      • Planning
      • Property Litigation & Real Estate Disputes
      • Real Estate Tax
      • Residential Development
      • Strategic Land
      • Structured Real Estate
    • Restructuring & Insolvency
      • Restructuring & Insolvency
      • Restructuring & Insolvency Home
      • Corporate Insolvency
      • Partnership Insolvency
      • Directors' Duties
      • Restructuring Plans
      • Debt Recovery (up to £100,000) – Pricing
      • Restructuring
    • Tax
      • Tax
      • Tax Home
      • Corporate Tax
      • Real Estate Tax
      • Tax Investigations
  • People
    • People
    • People Home
    • Search By Name
    • Search By Location
    • Search By Expertise
    • Business Management
  • Offices
    • Offices
    • Offices Home
    • Birmingham
    • Brighton
    • Bristol
    • Cambridge
    • Cardiff
    • Chichester
    • Edinburgh
    • Gatwick
    • Glasgow
    • Leeds
    • Liverpool
    • London
    • Manchester
    • Middlesbrough
    • Newbury
    • Newcastle
    • North Yorkshire
    • Nottingham
    • Reading
    • Sheffield
    • Southampton
  • Contact
  • About
  • News & Insights
  • Careers
  • International
Irwin Mitchell Logo
Dialog with Irwin Mitchell phone number
Call us on 0808 291 3524

We're here 24/7, 365 days a year.

  • Home
  • Personal
  • Probate
  • International Probate

International Probate

Trustpilot

Services in: International Probate

    • International Trust & Succession Dispute Resolution

If you’ve lost a loved one who was a UK national with assets abroad or a foreign national with UK assets, our international probate solicitors can help manage their estate.

When someone dies, their estate must be managed or ‘administered’ in a process known as probate. This includes organising and collecting their property, paying inheritance tax, and passing on inheritance.

International or cross-border probate happens when the deceased lived in one country but owned assets elsewhere. This applies for:

  • Foreign nationals who owned assets in the UK
  • UK nationals who owned assets abroad
  • Ex-pats who still have assets in the UK, e.g. a family home
  • People living in the UK whose official home for tax purposes is abroad (non-domiciled residents or ‘non-doms’).

The different laws and taxes around the world mean that international probate can be much more complicated and time-consuming than normal probate. Successfully administering an international estate requires an in-depth knowledge of estate and tax law in different countries and how these laws interact.

Our international Probate lawyers have the necessary blend of legal and tax expertise you need to navigate the entire process, from getting a Grant of Probate to passing on inheritance.

As a dedicated team in one of the UK’s largest law firms, we handle a great number of complex international estates. This means we’ve optimised our processes so we can help you as quickly, efficiently, and affordably as possible.

We’re experienced with large, complex, high-value estates and can offer expert advice on handling heritage properties, international trusts, and international wealth management structures.

Our services are tailored exactly to your needs – we can advise you on completing probate yourself or take over the entire estate administration process on your behalf. Contact us today to find out more.

Legal team able to speak different languages particularly French and German
Specialists in helping foreign lawyers apply for UK Grant of Probate
Advice and guidance on related issues like tax and trust services
Work with international tax planners, lawyers and courts

For general enquiries

0808 291 3524

Or we can call you back at a time of your choice

Phone lines are open 24/7, 365 days a year

Contact us today

And let us know how we can help

Freephone

0808 291 3524

Prefer not to call?

Use our form

This data will only be used by Irwin Mitchell for processing your query and for no other purpose.

Caroline Shelton Profile
Caroline Shelton Partner Meet the team

International Probate - More Information

The word ‘probate’ is often used to refer to the entire process of administering a dead person’s estate. This involves organising their money, assets and possessions and distributing them as the will instructs – after paying any taxes and debts.

More specifically, a Grant of Probate is a legal document that confirms someone as the executor of an estate. This document gives them the authority to deal with the deceased’s assets.

If you have been named as someone’s executor in their Will, you need to apply for a Grant of Probate before you can begin administering their estate as per their instructions.

Read more about Probate and how it works.

An executor is the person that the deceased has chosen to administer their estate. Someone’s executor is named in their Will.

The executor has a number of responsibilities towards the deceased’s estate and the people they’ve chosen to leave assets to in their Will (these people are known as beneficiaries). Read more about the duties of an executor.

If someone has died without a Will, the person that administers their estate is called an administrator and is chosen according to the Intestacy Rules. Read more about how probate works if there is no will.

If you’ve lost a loved one who was a UK national with assets abroad or a foreign national with UK assets, our international probate solicitors can help manage their estate.

The basic Probate process for an executor is:

  1. Gather the full details of the estate’s assets and debts
  2. Our solicitors will prepare the probate papers based on this information
  3. You receive a Grant of Probate
  4. Complete an inheritance tax return and pay any tax due
  5. Repay any of the deceased’s outstanding debts
  6. Distribute the rest of the estate according to the instructions left in the Will.

This process can change depending on which country the deceased had connections with (e.g. their ‘tax domicile’) and which countries their assets are in.

Different countries have different probate and intestacy laws. Conflicts between these laws can complicate probate when an estate has assets in different countries. Inheritance tax laws also differ between countries which can cause extra difficulties.

Probate will take between six months and two years for most estates. The exact amount of time will depend on the size and complexity of the estate. Disputes between the executor, beneficiaries, tax authorities, and creditors can also cause delays.

Our solicitors can advise on or help with any stage of the Probate process. We can help if disputes are stopping you from making progress or can even take over your duties as executor entirely.

Call us today on 0370 1500 100 to find out more.

Someone who dies without leaving a Will is known as ‘intestate’ and their estate is in intestacy. Their property is distributed according to the rules of intestacy since there is no Will to determine the deceased’s wishes.

The rules of intestacy also set out who can administer the estate in place of a named executor. This person is known as an administrator.

This also applies if someone leaves a Will but it is invalid.

Read more about intestacy.

We offer a highly personalised service for each of our customers. A straightforward UK estate, whether or not there is a valid will, is usually in the region of 2.95% of the value of the gross assets, with a minimum fee of £3,000 plus VAT. This fee is for dealing with the whole estate administration.

If you only need us for specific parts of the administration the fee will vary depending on how much work needs to be done. Visit our pricing page to get more detailed information on our prices.

When you speak to one of our team, we’ll judge how much work is involved based on your requirements and the size of the estate. We’ll give you an estimate for our fees before starting any work and – wherever possible – quote a fixed-fee cost for your peace of mind.

Contact us online or call us on 0370 1500 100 for more information.

Person relaxing by the sea with no legal problems

Irwin Mitchell are a very professional, trustworthy and straightforward company to deal with. I would recommend them to anyone."

Frank Clayton, client

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is A Tax Domicile?

Domicile under English law is a complex concept. Your domicile will often be the jurisdiction where you have your closest personal and financial connections.

You can live in one country but have a domicile elsewhere – people who live in the UK but are domiciled abroad are known as non-domiciled residents or ‘non-doms’.

HMRC will treat someone as being domiciled in the UK (for tax purposes only) if they have:

  • Lived in the UK for 15 of the last 20 years
  • Had their permanent home in the UK at any time in the last three years of their life.

Someone’s domicile can impact the tax that they and their estate have to pay.

UK resident non-doms, for example, may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income or capital gains (e.g. from selling a second home abroad). They may have to pay inheritance tax on their UK assets.

When you are administering someone’s estate, you’ll need to find out their domicile to make sure that you pay the correct taxes.

Our lawyers can help and advise with all the issues that tax domicile can present for international estates, whether the deceased was a UK resident non-dom or was UK-domiciled and lived elsewhere.

Call us on 0370 1500 100 to find out more.

What Counts As A Foreign Asset?

UK and foreign assets are treated differently by HMRC when calculating the UK inheritance tax that an estate must pay. It’s important to record the value of any foreign assets correctly in order to pay the right amount of tax.

Foreign assets might include:

  • Property, such as holiday homes
  • Valuable possessions such cars, art, or jewellery
  • Bank accounts
  • Shares
  • Businesses
  • Investments.

We can help you track down details of all an estate’s foreign assets and get them accurately valued. We can also help you get local authorisation to access the assets so you can pass them on to the deceased’s successors

International Probate - Related Information


International Estate Planning – our experts can help you protect your global assets for the future
International Tax – read more about our experience with worldwide tax law
No Will Probate – what happens if someone dies without a Will?
Tax Residence – more information about tax residence and domiciles

About Irwin Mitchell

Founded in Sheffield in 1912, Irwin Mitchell has always been a bit different. Our advisers really get to know the people and business that we help.

We have offices around the UK so wherever you are, our experts can help.

Contact Us

Give us a ring to speak to a member of our team in the strictest confidence. Or you can fill out our contact form and we'll ring you back.

0370 1500 100

Our phone lines are open 24/7, 365 days a year

Get a call back

Fill in your details below and we'll be in touch as soon as possible

1000 characters remaining

This data will only be used by Irwin Mitchell for processing your query and for no other purpose.

  • Contact
  • 0370 1500 100
  • Contact Irwin Mitchell
  • Social Media
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • About Irwin Mitchell
  • About Us
  • Responsible Business
  • Careers
  • Business Management
  • Alumni Programme
  • Pay A Bill
  • Complaints Procedure
  • SRA Regulated
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy & Security
  • Hoaxes
  • Modern Slavery Act Statement
  • Manage Cookie Settings

© 2025  Irwin Mitchell LLP

Irwin Mitchell LLP is authorised & regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Our Regulatory Information

Dialog that contains a form to request a callback.

Request A Callback

Enter your details below and a member of our team will contact you within 24 hours

1000 characters remaining

This data will only be used by Irwin Mitchell for processing your query and for no other purpose.