Losing a loved one is never easy

If your loved one did not leave a will, the spouse or a next-of-kin who inherits a share of the estate will have to apply for a Grant of Letters of Administration to become an administrator of the estate.

Letters of Administration give the administrator(s) legal authority to manage and distribute the deceased's assets according to the Intestate Succession Act 1967.

Find out more about the application process.

You may wish to engage a qualified lawyer to assist you with the application. If you choose to apply on your own, you may refer to the Probate and Administration toolkit on the Family Justice Courts website.

Which court to file the application in

• The Family Courts (for estates worth up to S$5 million)
• The Family Division of the High Court (for estates worth above S$5 million)

If the deceased did not make a will and the value of the estate does not exceed S$50,000, consider applying to the Public Trustee for the Public Trustee to administer the estate. A grant is not needed if the Public Trustee agrees to administer an estate.

All appointed Executors/Administrators of the deceased customer must be present in person with the following documents for the account closure:

• Original / Digital Death Certificate
• Grant of Probate or Letter of Administration
• Identity Document(s) of all Executors/Administrators (NRIC – Singaporean/ PR, Passport – Foreigner)

The Executor(s)/Administrator(s) will need to sign the necessary instructions and forms; and we may request for additional documents, or exercise special handling (dependent on the account type), where required.

The processing time for account(s) closure will vary according to the type and number of accounts held by your loved one.

Note: Once the Bank is notified of the passing of your loved one, all operations of his/her account(s) will be restricted (including withdrawals and GIRO arrangements).

For closure of existing account(s), please visit any UOB branches.

The surviving joint account holder(s) must be present in person with the following documents for the account closure:

• Original / Digital Death Certificate
• Identity Document(s) of the surviving joint account holder(s) (NRIC – Singaporean/ PR, Passport – Foreigner)

The surviving joint account holder(s) will need to sign the necessary instructions and forms; and we may request for additional documents, or exercise special handling (dependent on the account type), where required.

The processing time for account(s) closure will vary according to the type and number of accounts held by your loved one.

Note: Once the Bank is notified of the passing of your loved one, all operations of his/her account(s) will be restricted (including withdrawals and GIRO arrangements).

For closure of existing account(s), please visit any UOB branches.

UOB customers may open an estate account to manage your loved one’s finances. You can select any of our non-interest bearing current accounts.

We will need all appointed Executors/Administrators of the deceased customer to be present in person with the following documents:

Documents Required:

• Original / Digital Death Certificate
• Grant of Probate or Letter of Administration
• Physical Identity Document(s) of all Executors/Administrators (NRIC – Singaporean/ PR, Passport – Foreigner)
• Proof of Residential Address (applicable to foreigners only)

For Estate account opening, please book an appointment.

As part of continual efforts to serve customers better, we are centralising the opening of accounts that require special handling at specific branch locations. By making prior appointments, this helps to provide customers with a more seamless and efficient service experience. Please book an appointment at one of the above selected branches.