A probate registry is basically the UK and Australian equivalent of a U.S. probate office. The registry is the location that receives and examines probate petitions and wills. This office grants authority to the executor or personal representative of an estate. Such a "grant of authority" or "grant of representation" may be limited to certain aspects of the estate or may allow the executor to handle any issues that arise during probate. A person seeking to be granted authority by the probate registry can do so by filing an affidavit or having a solicitor (attorney) contact the registry officials on his/her behalf.

The registry generally handles these assignments of authority when there is no dispute over the validity of a will or over who will be named as the executor. This office may also appoint an administrator to handle the estate of any person who dies intestate (without a will). As in the U.S., probate registries are often used as historical and genealogical resources. They keep records of wills and inheritances passed down from one generation to the next. However, not all of these records are available to the public.