News for Your Estate Searches: Simpler and Faster
A single window for will and protection mandate searches in Quebec: what is changing and the dates to remember.
The Barreau du Québec and the Chambre des notaires du Québec are launching a single window and a unified form starting in September to make it easier to search for wills and protection mandates. This initiative will allow a single request to be submitted instead of two, simplifying the process for citizens and professionals.
Key points:
- From August 15 to September 2, 2025, paper requests will not be accepted.
- Will search requests must be made online only during this period.
- Paper-format protection mandate requests must be temporarily suspended.
- From August 28 to September 1, no requests can be submitted, either through the notary platform or with the Barreau.
This change is intended to improve the efficiency of the process and could lead to the automation of certain tasks in the future. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.
Do you have questions about your own situation or that of your loved ones?
Do not hesitate to contact us to discuss them.
Why are these searches so important?
When a loved one passes away, the will search is an essential step in settling the estate. It confirms the existence — or absence — of a will and ensures that the document found is indeed the most recent one. Without this verification with the registers of the Barreau du Québec and the Chambre des notaires, the liquidator cannot settle the estate with full confidence.
The same principle applies to protection mandates: if a loved one becomes incapacitated, the first step is to check whether a mandate was signed before beginning the homologation process. A single window therefore simplifies steps that often arise at moments that are already difficult for families.
What the single window changes in practice
Until now, two separate requests had to be submitted, one to each professional order, with the delays and fees that entailed. The unified form reduces paperwork, limits the risk of oversights and should make it easier to obtain the search certificates needed to settle an estate.
For liquidators, notaries and the advisors who support families, this is a welcome efficiency gain — and one more step toward increasingly digital estate procedures.
A good opportunity to review your own documents
This news is also a useful reminder: are your own documents up to date? A few questions are worth asking:
- Does your will reflect your current family and financial situation?
- Have you signed a protection mandate, and do your loved ones know where it is kept?
- Do your designated beneficiaries (insurance, registered plans) match your wishes?
Since every situation is unique, a notary remains the right professional to draft or update these documents. Our team can nonetheless help you structure your thinking and tie it all into your overall financial plan.
Let’s talk it over
If you would like to review your estate planning, or that of a loved one, don’t hesitate to contact us. Together, we can look at how these changes fit into your goals.
