A bank calls after a death and asks for a short certificate. Families usually have a death certificate in hand and think that should be enough. It is not. The death certificate proves someone died. The short certificate proves who is allowed to act.
What the paper actually is
The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue describes a short certificate as a legal document that shows the decedent's name, date of death, and the name of the executor or executrix appointed to handle the estate. You obtain it from the Register of Wills in the county courthouse, not from a bank form.
County Registers describe the word short as the size of the document. It is certified proof that a personal representative has been appointed. It is not a shortcut around probate.
Why the bank asked for it
Until the Register of Wills issues Letters Testamentary (if there is a will) or Letters of Administration (if there is not), there is no personal representative for the Register to certify. County offices commonly sell as many short certificates as the estate needs after the estate is opened: one for each bank, brokerage, insurer, or transfer agent that asks.
Fees and the intake packet vary by county. Do not treat another county's checklist as Montgomery County's or Bucks County's. Confirm with the Register in the county where the decedent lived.
What it is not
How this fits an administration
Opening the estate comes first. Then the short certificates. Then the calls to institutions. Families stall here because they have the death certificate and think the rest is paperwork.
Ravenell Law handles Pennsylvania and New Jersey estate administration from Elkins Park. We do not handle Virginia estates. William Ravenell reviews administration matters before they go out the door.
When to call before you drive to the courthouse
If there is no original will, a dispute over who should serve, real estate in two states, or an institution that will not say which paper it wants, get counsel first. This page is not legal advice and it is not a substitute for that Register's current instructions.
County practice changes. Confirm the requirement with the Register of Wills for that county, or ask us to do that with you.
