The President of the Family Division has extended the use of statements of truth in non-contentious probate processes normally requiring supporting affidavit evidence. The previous deadline was 30 July 2020 (see Legal update, COVID-19: Probate affidavits replaced with statements of truth). This has now been extended to 30 October 2020.

This extension is a practical step to avoid the ongoing difficulties involved in accessing a commissioner for oaths while solicitors' offices are closed during the coronavirus outbreak. This altered process has enabled probate registries to deal with probate procedures more quickly. As previously indicated, consideration will be given to making it permanent by statutory instrument at a future date.

For more information on probate procedures see Probate toolkit. For answers to frequently asked questions about the implications of the COVID-19 outbreak on probate applications, see Practice note: overview, COVID-19: private client FAQs: After death. For Practical Law's global resources on COVID-19, pandemics and business interruption, see Global Coronavirus Toolkit.