Are you a Trustee of an Inter Vivos Trust, but cannot find the original Trust Deed or Letter of Authority when the Trust’s Bankers ask for these details for FICA purposes? Do you have a query about an old estate, or need copies of documents from the Master’s office for some other purpose?
Trusts:
The procedure to obtain information on a Trust is as follows:
It would seem, therefore, that as long as the applicant can provide reasons and show “a sufficient interest” in respect of the trust, the Master should supply him/her with the information.
Estates:
A similar application procedure can be followed to obtain copies from the Master’s records for Deceased Estates.
Costs:
Keep in mind that the Master’s office charges a fee for copies. These fees will go up significantly from 1 January 2018. Where the Master’s documents have been archived to the Western Cape Archives (Matters before 1996), they have a similar procedure, and also charge a fee for the copies.
Please contact our Estate and Trust Department, should you require assistance with copies of documents from the Master’s office.