text: hi once again, could someone please explain what probate actually  entails or  means?   when a person dies having made a will, that will has to be submitted to the probate office, a government department, which then holds it permanently as a public record available for anyone to see upon application.  copies of the will may be obtained for a fee from the probate office. a grant of probate is then made to the executors named in the will. until this vital step has been taken, the executors are powerless to act in dealing with the estate, as all banks, building societies, etc. etc. will want to see a copy of the will and possibly the grant of probate before responding to requests from the executors.  the fact that the estate is not very large does not mean it doesn't have to go to probate: the main difference between a large and small estate is when it comes to paying inheritance tax.