This article is a collection of Frequently Asked Questions about the Canada Will Registry

Q - How does the Canada Will Registry work?

A - The Canada Will Registry is a web platform for registering and searching for estate planning documents.

Here's how it works:

• Law firms register their wills on the Canada Will Registry.
• Someone searching for a will fills out a form on our website, and our system automatically checks the database of registered wills to see if there's any matches (Note: The person searching the Canada Will Registry does not see the direct results of the search).
• If a matching will is found, we alert the law firm who registered it, and they'll have 30 days to contact the searcher, provided the searcher is someone they can share this information with.
• We issue a Search Certificate to the searcher, which serves as proof that the searcher took effective action to check for missing wills.

Q - What's the value of searching the Canada Will Registry?

A - Submitting a search query to the Canada Will Registry is one of the most important steps you can take to find a will. Without searching, it's impossible to tell if someone was truly intestate, or if you have the most recent version of their will.

Our system automatically checks your search against all of the wills that are registered on the Canada Will Registry. We issue a Canada Will Registry Search Certificate for your records.

Q - Which provinces can use the Canada Will Registry?

A - The Canada Will Registry is Canada-wide.

Q - Who uses the Canada Will Registry?

A - The majority of registered wills come from law firms across the country and individuals can register their own wills as well.

Q - Do you store physical copies of the wills?

A - No, we do not store physical copies of wills. 

Q - How far back do the wills go?

A - While most wills are from the past fifty years, some go back as far as the early 1900s.

Q - Who can search the Canada Will Registry?

A - Anyone can submit a search query to the Canada Will Registry. The searcher will not see the immediate results of the search, but will receive a Search Certificate proving they did their due diligence. If a law firm has a matching will, they will contact the searcher directly if the searcher is someone they can share this information with.

Q - How do you keep my data private?

A - Privacy is a fundamental part of the Canada Will Registry. You can read our privacy policy here.

Your data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and stored exclusively in Canada.

• We use the same secure data centres that are trusted by Canadian financial institutions and government.
• Only you can see the wills that you've registered. If someone is searching for a will that you've registered, we will pass their information along to you and you can determine if this is someone you can share more information with.