{"id":2354,"date":"2026-11-12T02:13:44","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T02:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lawgicalcorp.com\/blog\/bc-wills-registry-find-a-will\/"},"modified":"2026-11-12T02:13:44","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T02:13:44","slug":"bc-wills-registry-find-a-will","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lawgicalcorp.com\/blog\/bc-wills-registry-find-a-will\/","title":{"rendered":"The BC wills registry: how to find out if someone left a will"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Sundeep S. Grewal<\/a>, lawyer at Lawgical Law Corporation \u00b7 Reviewed November 11, 2026<\/p>\n

Sundeep S. Grewal is a lawyer at Lawgical Law Corporation, called to the BC bar in 2018, and a member of the Law Society of British Columbia<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Updated November 11, 2026: the BC government’s Wills Registry page (modified January 16, 2025) and the Supreme Court Civil Rules, Part 25, checked that day.<\/em><\/p>\n

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What the registry holds:<\/strong> where a will is kept, if someone filed a wills notice. “Vital Statistics does not keep a copy of your will.”<\/p>\n

How to search after a death:<\/strong> Form VSA 532 with a copy of the death certificate, by mail or at a Service BC counter. $20 per search, plus $5 for each other name.<\/p>\n

Time:<\/strong> results print within 20 business days by mail, plus mailing time.<\/p>\n

Probate:<\/strong> the search is required, and the application needs the certificate.<\/p>\n

How to search<\/a> \u00b7 Book a consultation<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The lawyers who handle these estate files<\/p>\n

\"SundeepSundeep S. Grewal<\/span>Barrister and Solicitor<\/span><\/a>\"PardeepPardeep S. Grewal<\/span>Barrister and Solicitor<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
\nAbout our lawyers<\/summary>\n
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Sundeep S. Grewal<\/a><\/strong> founded Lawgical Law Corporation and practises probate, estate litigation and immigration. He has represented clients in the Provincial and Supreme Courts of British Columbia, from chambers applications to contested trials.<\/p>\n

Pardeep S. Grewal<\/a><\/strong> is a probate, estates and immigration lawyer known for clear communication and practical strategy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n

British Columbia’s wills registry, run by the Vital Statistics Agency, records where a person’s will is kept, not the will itself. When someone makes a will, they or their lawyer or notary can file a wills notice saying where the original is stored. After a death, anyone with a copy of the death certificate can apply for a wills notice search; it costs $20 and the results come back within about 20 business days by mail. A search that finds a notice tells you where to look for the original. A search that finds nothing doesn’t prove there is no will, because filing a notice is voluntary. Either way, the search certificate is a required part of a BC probate application.<\/p>\n

Lawgical Law Corporation<\/a>, a probate and estate law firm with offices in Surrey<\/a>, Abbotsford<\/a> and Vancouver, BC, prepares probate applications, including the wills notice search; this guide is by Sundeep S. Grewal.<\/p>\n

What the BC wills registry is, and isn’t<\/h2>\n