British Columbia has a government Wills Registry costing about $17 to file.
The Canadian position
Where no government registry exists, wills are located through the deceased's lawyer, their banks, the provincial law society and private registries.
An executor with no will found must swear an affidavit of diligent search before the estate is treated as intestate.
The Islamic position
Registration does not make a will valid — it makes it locatable, which is the practical requirement behind keeping a wasiyyah ready.
A will that cannot be found produces a statutory distribution instead of the intended shares.
The four Sunni schools are not recorded as differing materially on this point in the sources reviewed. Where your own case turns on it, put it to a scholar of your school.
General information, not legal or religious advice. Inheritance depends entirely on the exact family circumstances. Confirm the Canadian position with a lawyer in your province and any religious ruling with a qualified scholar.
Citations & sources
Every factual claim on this page traces to one of the references below. Legislation and dollar thresholds change — verify against the primary source before relying on any figure.
- Research Papers — Cambridge Muslim College
- Research — Cambridge Muslim College
- Academics — Islamic law and theology curriculum — Zaytuna College
- Encyclopaedia of Islam — Brill
- Wills, Estates and Succession Act, SBC 2009, c 13 — BC Laws
- Locating wills and documents — Law Society of Ontario
- Wills Registry — Province of British Columbia
- Search the registers of wills and mandates — Chambre des notaires du Québec
- Probate avoidance strategies for modest estates ontario — Treadstone Law
- Estate trustee refuses to sell beneficiary remedy ontario — Treadstone Law
- What is certificate of appointment estate trustee ontario — Treadstone Law
- Executor vs administrator vs estate trustee ontario — Treadstone Law
- Caveats probate ontario estate dispute — Treadstone Law
- What is estate trustee without a will ontario — Treadstone Law
- Wills & estates practice — Treadstone Law