In Georgia, do you need to submit a Death Certificate in order to start the probate process? Atlanta estate planning and probate attorney Sarah Siedentopf has the answer, in Siedentopf Law’s latest video.

Hi, I’m Sarah Siedentopf. I’m an estate planning and probate attorney here in Atlanta, Georgia. Do you need a death certificate to file for probate? The answer in Georgia is different county by county because each judge can make their own rules about whether that is required or not. However, most of the time the answer is no, you do not. But, the judge does actually want some proof that the person is deceased. So, you may not need to have a death certificate, but the court will probably want an obituary or something else showing that the person has passed away because it has happened to at least one judge here in Georgia that probate was started for someone who was still alive. So, judges don’t want this, and they do want some proof that the person is deceased. A death certificate would be the best and easiest, but most counties don’t actually require it. If you have any other questions about probate, feel free to give me a call. © Sarah Siedentopf and Siedentopf Law, 2018. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Siedentopf Law and EstateLawAtlanta.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.