Bona Vacantia estate means an estate where the Deceased has no surviving family members who can legally inherit.

If the estate value turns out to be more than $50,000:

The Public Trustee’s Office will require you to follow a different process with additional documents.

What you need to do:

1. Submit additional documents as specified in: Ministry of Law | How to make an equitable or moral claim on an estate that is > $50,000 without immovable property?

2. Expect processing delays while your case is reassessed under the new requirements

How to avoid delays

Provide accurate estimates from the start

Why accuracy matters: Providing an accurate estimate of the estate value helps ensure your claim is processed under the correct requirements from the beginning.

How to estimate accurately:

• Check the current market values for investments and shares

• Include all assets even if you are unsure of the exact values

• Round up rather than down if you are uncertain

Better to overestimate than underestimate to avoid reclassification delays.

What to do if your estate value increases

If you discover additional assets after submitting your claim:

1.      Notify the Public Trustee’s Office immediately at https://go.gov.sg/contactminlaw

2.      Provide and submit details of the newly discovered assets with supporting documentation

3.      Be prepared for your case to be reclassified if the total exceeds $50,000

Remember: It's better to report additional assets promptly than to have them discovered later, which could cause more significant delays.