Register of Wills & Clerk of Orphans' Court Division

HOW TO ORDER ADDITIONAL SHORT CERTIFICATES OR UPDATED SHORT CERTIFICATES FOR AN ESTATE THAT HAS BEEN PROBATED?

A Short Certificate is the legal document issued by the Register of Wills proving that you have been legally appointed as the Personal Representative to the estate in connection with a probate proceeding. If you have not yet probated an estate but require short certificates, please proceed to https://delcopa.gov/row/wills.html and go through the process of setting up a probate appointment. If you have already probated the estate, you may order additional or updated short certificates online. Short Certificate requests are filled via U.S. mail. Please allow us 10-14 days for processing all requests, after which time your request will be mailed to you.

Additional Short Certificates for Already-Probated Estates ($-varies) (filled by U.S. mail)

A Short Certificate is the legal document issued by the Register of Wills which proves that you have been legally appointed as the Personal Representative to the estate. If you have not yet probated an estate, we cannot yet release Short Certificates for you. You have to first probate the estate to obtain Short Certificates. Information about how to schedule an appointment to probate an estate can be found on the Register of Wills page. Short Certificates are $10.00 each and generally accepted for sixty to ninety days following the issuance. If you provide the Register of Wills with a previously issued, expired, original, Short Certificate with the raised seal, it can be updated for $8.00 per certificate. Please note: Short Certificates are only issued to the Personal Representatives appointed to the estate or to the Attorney representing the estate. Please specify in the “Comments” section how many short certificates you would like and input the appropriate price that corresponds to your request.
BUY ADDITIONAL SHORT CERTIFICATES $10.00/ea (VIA U.S. MAIL)