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The short answer
Letters of administration are a court grant that lets named family members collect a person's estate, including bank balances, when they died without a will. In Lagos, the application goes to the High Court probate registry with a death certificate, an asset list, two proposed administrators and two sureties, followed by an interview and 21 days of newspaper publication. Fees include statutory charges plus estate fees assessed as a percentage of the estate's value.
Banks will not release a deceased customer's money to family without a grant from the court. If there was a will, the executors apply for probate; if there was not, the family applies for letters of administration. This guide walks through the Lagos process as published by the law firm Tope Adebayo LP on Mondaq (May 2024). Other states run similar probate registries, but forms and fees differ, so confirm with the High Court registry in the state concerned.
Letters of administration or probate?
- No will
- Apply for letters of administration. The court appoints administrators from the family in the order of priority below.
- Valid will with an executor
- The executor applies for probate. The will, not the priority list, decides who receives what.
- Will but no executor able to act
- Administration with the will annexed may be granted, for example to a beneficiary under the will, as the Mondaq article notes.
Check carefully for a will before you start. The deceased's lawyer, family papers and the probate registry are the places to ask. An intestate application that later meets a will has to be undone.
Who can apply
Under the Lagos Administration of Estates Law, as summarised in the same article, the right to apply follows an order of priority:
- The surviving spouse (under the Matrimonial Causes Act or customary law)
- Children
- Parents
- Brothers and sisters of the full blood
- Brothers and sisters of the half blood
- Grandparents
- Uncles and aunts
- The Administrator-General
- Creditors
The application names at least two proposed administrators. If someone with a higher priority exists, others usually need their consent or renunciation. Where there are no relatives at all, the article notes the estate vests in the state government.
Documents you will need
About the deceased
- Death certificate
- One passport photograph
- Bank accounts: bank name, account number and branch for each
- Shareholdings, with share numbers
- Evidence of property in Lagos, with estimated values
About each proposed administrator
- Full name and address
- Valid ID: driver's licence, international passport data page, NIN slip or voter's card
- Two passport photographs
- Occupation
The registry may also ask for details of the deceased's relatives, such as parents, siblings, uncles and aunts, and whether each is living.
The process, stage by stage
- Application form. Completed online, printed and signed in ink by the proposed administrators, with a formal application letter.
- Statutory and administrative fees. Paid at submission.
- Bank certificate. After evaluating the forms, the registry issues a bank certificate. Administrators take it to each bank and company where the deceased had an interest, and each endorses the value it holds.
- Estate fees. The registry assesses these on the total estate value shown by the endorsed certificate. They must be paid before the application advances.
- Sureties. Two sureties guarantee the administrators. Each provides name and address, valid ID, two passport photographs, bank statements, evidence of Lagos property and an affidavit of means.
- Interview. Administrators and sureties attend in person.
- Publication. The application is published in newspapers for 21 days. Anyone objecting files a caveat.
- Issue. If there is no objection, the registry prepares the letters for the probate registrar and judge, and the grant is issued.
What it costs, as published
The Mondaq article confirms two layers of cost: statutory and administrative fees at the start, and estate fees calculated as a percentage of the estate's value. It does not publish the percentage, and we could not open an official Lagos fee schedule when researching this in October 2026. Ask the probate registry for the current fee schedule before you start, and budget separately for newspaper publication, sworn affidavits and, if you use one, a lawyer.
Worked example of how estate fees scale
Example only, with an assumed rate to show the arithmetic. If the endorsed bank certificate shows ₦6,000,000 across two banks and the registry's rate were 1%, estate fees would be ₦60,000. At an assumed 2%, they would be ₦120,000. The real rate is set by the registry; use its schedule, not these figures.
Common reasons applications stall
- Errors on forms. The article notes the registry may reject forms for minor mistakes, as a safeguard against fraud.
- Signatures that do not match across documents.
- Invalid or expired ID.
- An administrator who becomes unavailable for the interview or later stages, forcing steps to be repeated.
- Banks slow to endorse the bank certificate. Write to each bank early and keep copies; if one does not respond, use the bank complaint route.
For how long each stage can take, see how long a deceased account claim takes. If the bank applies charges to the estate account while you wait, read bank charges on a deceased estate.
After the grant: collecting from the bank
Take the grant and your ID to each bank. The bank pays according to the grant, often into an estate account. Administrators then pay debts and distribute the balance under the intestacy rules. Being named next of kin on the account does not change this; see why next of kin does not inherit, and the full claim steps.
Questions people ask
How much does letters of administration cost in Lagos?
There are statutory and administrative fees plus estate fees charged as a percentage of the estate's value. Ask the Lagos probate registry for the current schedule; the figures are not in the sources we could open.
How long does it take to get letters of administration in Nigeria?
There is a fixed 21-day newspaper publication period in Lagos, but the total depends on form checks, bank endorsements and objections. No overall timeline is published.
Who can apply for letters of administration?
In Lagos, the priority runs from the spouse, then children, parents and siblings, down to the Administrator-General and creditors. At least two administrators are named.
Do I need sureties for letters of administration?
Yes, in Lagos two sureties guarantee the administrators, each with ID, bank statements, property evidence and an affidavit of means.
Sources
- Mondaq (Tope Adebayo LP): Issuance of letters of administration in Nigeria, a practical approach (29 May 2024) · accessed Oct 2026
- Daily Trust: Explainer: why next of kin cannot access deceased's inheritance (10 Dec 2023) · accessed Oct 2026
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