The National Will Register
The National Will Register is a UK-based will registration and search service, founded in 2006 and endorsed by The Law Society, that operates a database of over 10.5 million wills for individual consumers and 5,500+ private client solicitors, supplemented by insurance, storage, and partner-integrated estate planning products.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersBirmingham, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What The National Will Register does
The National Will Register Limited is a UK-based, privately held provider of will registration and will search services, founded in 2006 and headquartered in Birmingham under parent company OneAdvanced Business Software and Solutions Ltd. Its core product is a hosted Will Register database holding over 10.5 million registered wills, paired with a Reach Will Search service that contacts firms in specified UK postcode areas to locate unregistered wills; the company markets the combined service as finding one in five wills that were presumed missing or superseded. Offerings span consumer-facing self-service products (Will Search Protect at £300, Section 27 Notice placement in The Gazette, local newspaper placement), subscription-based storage (National Will Safe, insured up to £2M), a professional-facing platform (IQ for Legal, Touch login portal), integration APIs embedding into legal software, and added-on insurance products (Missing Will, Probate Insurance). Partnerships with The Law Society (since 2006), The Gazette, IDR Law, Zenplans (April 2026), and Insuristic reinforce both distribution and product breadth. Revenue is generated through a mix of transaction fees (will searches, gazette and newspaper notices) and recurring subscriptions (professional memberships for 5,500+ solicitors, document storage), addressed to both individual consumers navigating bereavement and probate and to solicitors, will writers, charities, and financial institutions conducting estate administration.
The National Will Register firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The National Will Register
- Legal name
- The National Will Register Limited
- Website
- https://nationalwillregister.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The National Will Register is a UK-based will registration and search service, founded in 2006 and endorsed by The Law Society, that operates a database of over 10.5 million wills for individual consumers and 5,500+ private client solicitors, supplemented by insurance, storage, and partner-integrated estate planning products.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The National Will Register industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Will Registration and Probate Search Services
- NAICS
- Other Legal Services (54119), All Other Legal Services (541199), Legal Services (5411)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111), Surety Insurance (6351)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Business Registration & Corporate Affairs (Registries) (BPAIAOAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Vital Records & Civil Registration (Birth/Death/Fetal Death Certificates) (HLAJAJAA), Property Tax & Municipal Lien Search Services (BPAJAOAJ)
Keywords
Where The National Will Register is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Birmingham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The National Will Register business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Will Search Services: Transaction-based will search services purchased by individuals and professionals, including Will Search Protect at £300 and individual search components.
- Professional Memberships: Subscription-based membership program for solicitors and will writers providing free will bank registration, instant register search, digitisation discounts, and dedicated account management.
- Document Storage: National Will Safe document storage facility for wills and legal documents with insurance coverage up to £2 million.
- Section 27 Notice Services: Placement of Section 27 Notices in The Gazette for estate administration, with optional local newspaper placement.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Will Search Protect - Comprehensive will search with Section 27 Notice |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Section 27 Notice in The Gazette |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Local Newspaper Placement |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Postal forwarding/PO Box service |
| Subscription | Monthly | Will Storage with National Will Safe |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
The National Will Register product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The National Will Register (legally Certainty The National Will Register Limited) is a UK-based will registration and search service operating as a subsidiary of OneAdvanced Business Software and Solutions Ltd. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Birmingham, the company maintains a centralised register holding over 10.5 million wills and offers corresponding search services to legal professionals and executors. It serves both individual consumers wishing to register their wills and B2B legal professionals (solicitors, probate practitioners) needing to search for wills during estate administration, and is supported by partnerships with organisations such as The Law Society and The Gazette.
Product overview
The National Will Register operates as a UK-wide will registration and search service with over 10.5 million wills registered. The core offering consists of two main services: the Will Registration Service (allowing users to register will locations) and the Will Search Service (searching for registered and unregistered wills nationally). These core services are supplemented by Will Search Protect (a comprehensive package combining will searches with Section 27 Notices and insurance quotations), professional tools (IQ for Legal platform and Touch portal for legal professionals), and partner services (Zenplans digital vault, National Will Safe document storage, IDR Law dispute services). The company also offers membership programs for law firms and serves both consumers and legal professionals seeking probate and estate planning services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Will Search Combined: A comprehensive will search service combining Will Register Search, Will REACH Search, and Missing Will Notice Board posting.
- Will Search Protect
- IQ for Legal
- Digital Vault
- National Will Safe
- IDR Law Claim Checker
Products and services
- Will Registration Service
- Will Search Service
- Will Search Protect
- Section 27 Notice
- IQ for Legal (Touch Portal)
- Zenplans Digital Vault
- Missing Will Insurance
- Probate Insurance
- Will REACH Search
- National Will Safe
- IDR Law Claim Checker
- Court of Protection Search
- Professional Membership Program
- Insuristic Probate Tools
Quantifiable outcome
- One in five wills found that were presumed missing, intestate, or superseded by a later will
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The National Will Register
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The National Will Register technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
The National Will Register partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- ZenplanscorePartnership with Zenplans digital estate vault platform enables The National Will Register to promote secure digital vault access to individuals who have registered or searched for a will. Supports comprehensive estate planning journey.
- The Law SocietyflagshipThe National Will Register has worked with The Law Society since 2006, with the service recommended by The Law Society for its members. This is the company's flagship partnership providing institutional credibility and endorsement for its will registration and search services.
- The Gazette (Official Public Record)coreStrategic working alliance between The Gazette and The National Will Register providing a comprehensive belt-and-braces approach to risk management when distributing an estate during probate. Will searches and Section 27 Notices complement each other.
- InsuristicminorStrategic partnership announced for insurance solutions related to missing wills and estate administration.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The National Will Register competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- FreeWill: US-based online will creation platform offering free wills, comparable to NWR's consumer-facing will services but focused on will creation rather than search and registration.
- Cake: End-of-life planning platform offering wills, advance directives, and estate planning, comparable to NWR's broader estate planning services and content resources targeting bereaved families and executors.
- Everplans: US-based digital estate planning platform for organizing and storing important documents, comparable to NWR's National Will Safe storage and Zenplans digital vault partnership in providing secure document storage for estate planning.
- GoodTrust: US-based digital estate planning platform offering wills, trusts, and digital asset management, comparable to NWR's digital vault offerings and Zenplans partnership in the secure document storage and estate planning space.
- Trust & Will: US-based digital estate planning platform offering online wills, trusts, and estate planning services, comparable to NWR's broader estate planning ecosystem including the Zenplans digital vault partnership.
Direct peers
- Co-operative Legal Services: UK legal services provider offering wills and probate services to consumers, directly comparable to NWR as a UK-focused provider of will and estate administration services to individuals and families.
- Which? Wills: UK-based wills comparison and search service from Which?, directly comparable to NWR as a consumer-facing will search platform that helps individuals locate wills and find will-related services.
- HMCTS Probate Registry: The UK government's official probate registry handles probate applications and searches of court-held wills. Directly comparable to NWR as the public-sector parallel that NWR's Will Search service supplements in the will search ecosystem.
Broad incumbents
- Rocket Lawyer: Global online legal services platform offering wills and estate planning documents as part of a broader legal subscription product. Comparable to NWR in providing will-related services to consumers and small businesses.
- LegalZoom: Major US-based online legal services platform offering wills, trusts, and probate services as part of a broad legal services portfolio. Comparable to NWR in serving consumers needing wills, but operating at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The National Will Register social profiles
Digital presenceThe National Will Register financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The National Will Register leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The National Will Register subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
The National Will Register funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The National Will Register M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The National Will Register
What does The National Will Register do?
The National Will Register (legally Certainty The National Will Register Limited) is a UK-based will registration and search service operating as a subsidiary of OneAdvanced Business Software and Solutions Ltd. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Birmingham, the company maintains a centralised register holding over 10.5 million wills and offers corresponding search services to legal professionals and executors. It serves both individual consumers wishing to register their wills and B2B legal professionals (solicitors, probate practitioners) needing to search for wills during estate administration, and is supported by partnerships with organisations such as The Law Society and The Gazette.
Is The National Will Register a public or private company?
The National Will Register is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was The National Will Register founded?
The National Will Register was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The National Will Register based?
The National Will Register is headquartered in Birmingham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The National Will Register make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Will Search Services are the primary driver. The others are professional Memberships, document Storage and section 27 Notice Services.
Who are The National Will Register's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are FreeWill, Cake, Everplans, GoodTrust and Trust & Will. Direct peers are Co-operative Legal Services, Which? Wills and HMCTS Probate Registry. Broad incumbents are Rocket Lawyer and LegalZoom.
Does The National Will Register have an API?
Yes. The National Will Register offers integration APIs under the 'NWR integration APIs' service, with a dedicated login page for integration accounts. Users can log in with username/password and receive a 6-digit PIN for authentication. The integration system supports email and mobile authentication methods. Specific API types include 'Reach Will Search' service for locating will documents and 'Register Will Search' for searching the Will Register database. Developer documentation is at www.nationalwillregister.co.uk/integrations-log-in.
What industry is The National Will Register in?
The National Will Register's product category is Will Registration and Probate Search Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIAOAA, Business Registration & Corporate Affairs (Registries), with a secondary code of HLAJAJAA, Vital Records & Civil Registration (Birth/Death/Fetal Death Certificates). Its NAICS code is 54119 and its SIC code is 8111.