BC Wills Registry Online: Filing a Wills Notice and Ordering a Wills Search

British Columbia does not register wills themselves, but it does keep a registry of wills notices: short records, filed with Vital Statistics, that say where a will is kept. Will-makers use it so their will can be found, and executors search it because the probate application needs the result.

This guide explains how to file a notice, who can order a search, what each costs as of 1 November 2026, and what can and cannot be done online.

What the wills registry is, and what it is not

Under Part 4, Division 7 of the Wills, Estates and Succession Act (WESA), a notice of a will may be filed with Vital Statistics, along with later notices if the will is revoked or moved to a new location (sections 73 to 75). The Province must keep a record of every notice filed (section 76).

The Province's Wills Registry page is clear that Vital Statistics does not keep a copy of your will or record any information about its contents. A notice records your full legal name, your date of birth, the date you signed the will, where the will is kept and the date the notice was filed.

Filing is optional. WESA says the validity of a will, and of a revocation, is not affected by filing or not filing a notice (section 78). Even so, a notice gives your executor a place to start.

Filing a wills notice

According to the Province's page, a wills notice can be filed by:

• you, if you are 16 or older and mentally capable, or at any age if you are in the Canadian Forces on active duty; or
• a lawyer, notary or trustee on your behalf.

The fee is $17 per notice (Wills, Estates and Succession Regulation, section 12). The Province says a new notice, also $17, is needed if the will's location changes or you add a codicil. WESA also provides for a notice of a change of location (section 75) and a notice that a will has been revoked (section 74). You can file online through the Vital Statistics online ordering service (a credit card is required), by mail using form VSA 531, or in person at a Service BC office other than those in Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey. Lawyers and notaries can also file through BC Registries. An operator fee of $1.50, plus GST on that fee, may be charged for transactions done electronically (Regulation, section 12(2)).

Ordering a wills search

When someone dies, the executor usually orders a search, because the probate application must include a certificate from Vital Statistics showing the results of a search for a wills notice filed by or on behalf of the deceased (Supreme Court Civil Rules, Rule 25-3(2)(d)). Our guide to applying for probate in BC shows where this fits.

Who can search depends on whether the will-maker is alive:

• After a death: anyone can apply with the required documents and payment. The Province's page asks for a photocopy of the death certificate; WESA also allows a signed statement proving the death to the satisfaction of Vital Statistics (section 77(2)).
• While the will-maker is alive: searches are restricted. WESA allows lawyers and members of the Society of Notaries Public of British Columbia to search (section 77(1)), and the Province's page says only the will-maker or a lawyer can request a search about a living person.

The fees, set by section 12 of the Regulation, are $20 per search and $5 for each additional name the will-maker used, such as a former name. An extra $33 applies when faster service is requested and provided: the Regulation calls it same-day service, while the Province's page describes a courier option with results printed the next business day. Standard results are produced within 20 business days, plus mailing time.

The certificate shows the contents of the last relevant notice (section 77(3)). The Province says results show the date the will was signed, where it was kept at that time and the date the notice was received. If the result points to a law firm you cannot find, the Province directs you to the Law Society of British Columbia.

What you can do online

As of 1 November 2026, the Province's online services and its information page do not line up perfectly:

• eWills. The Vital Statistics Electronic Wills System lets users register the location of a will or search for a registered will, and says the application process is fully electronic. It lists $17 for a notice, $20 for a search, $5 for each alias name and a $1.50 BC Registries fee. Its user guide says eWills access is currently restricted to lawyers and notaries public, and that results are mailed within 20 business days.
• Notices filed by individuals. The Province's Wills Registry page says you can file your own wills notice online through the Vital Statistics online ordering service.
• Searches by individuals. The same page still describes searches by mail or in person, with a photocopy of the death certificate.

If an executor is working with a lawyer, the lawyer can order the search through eWills. If you are handling it yourself, check the current Vital Statistics instructions before you apply.

If the search finds nothing

A search with no result does not mean there is no will. Filing a notice is voluntary, so a valid will may never have been registered. Keep looking in the deceased's papers, safety deposit box and lawyer's or notary's office and, in case the will is electronic, on their devices and online accounts. The probate rules require a diligent search that includes electronic devices and third-party electronic repositories the deceased used (Rule 25-3(14)).

If you find only a copy, see our guide on a lost original will. If you are trying to find out whether you are named in someone's will, see who gets to see a will in BC.

Wills notices and electronic wills

Electronic wills have been valid in BC since 1 December 2021. The Province's wills registry pages describe a notice as recording where a will is kept, but they do not address wills kept in electronic form. For more on electronic wills, see our guides to electronic wills and remote witnessing and changing, revoking or storing an electronic will.

Applying for probate? Start with the wills search

Our probate and estate lawyers can order the wills search, review what it shows, help locate the original will and prepare the probate application.

Call 604-259-2844 or send us a message to arrange a consultation at our Vancouver office.