How Do I Get Appointed as Executor in Alaska?

In Alaska, the Superior Court for the State of Alaska appoints the personal representative and the Registrar issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration; an informal (registrar) track is available.

State

Document Type

Getting appointed in Alaska

Personal Representative (UPC term; executor if testate, administrator if intestate)

The form that opens the estate

P-320

Request to Start Formal Probate and Appoint a Personal Representative When There Is a Will · Fillable PDF · View source

Start this petition for Alaska — the builder fills it with your answers. You review, sign, and file it with the court.

Where you file

Superior Court for the State of Alaska (probate)

What the court issues (with a will)

Letters Testamentary

issued by Registrar

Letters are an output — the court issues them after granting the petition.

At a glance

UPC adoptedInformal trackE-filing (self-represented)Self-represented filingLocal/county forms

Probate is excluded from TrueFiling. Self-represented and represented filers submit probate filings by mail, in person, or by court-specific email/fax (e.g. Fairbanks 4FAprobate@akcourts.gov); see each court's Email/Fax Filing Directory entry.

Bond

Required before Letters: Yes
Waivable by will: Yes
Waivable by beneficiaries: Yes

Other official forms

Informal application: P-315 (with will) / P-325 (no will)View source
Letters form: P-335 (Letters Testamentary) / P-336 (Letters of Administration)View source

What to file with the petition

Certified copy of the death certificate — or, if it is not yet available, a letter from the funeral home, which some judges accept in its place
Original will and any codicils (when there is a will)
Acceptance of Duties and Letters form (P-335 testate / P-336 intestate), Statement of Acceptance signed before a notary or clerk
Proof of bond, OR a Waiver of Bond Requirement (P-334) from each devisee/heir, unless the will expressly waives surety bond — AS 13.16.255 requires bond by default
Nomination for Appointment of Personal Representative (P-306) when an equal/lower-priority person is nominated
Notice of Hearing on Petition (P-339) for the FORMAL track (AS 13.06.110, AS 13.16.105, AS 13.16.150)
Filing Fee or Fee Waiver (TF-920)

Small-estate alternative

Bypasses full Letters: Yes
Form: P-110View source
Form name: Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of Decedent

State-specific notes

Alaska has no counties; the Superior Court (four judicial districts) is the statewide appointing court. UPC informal appointment is by the registrar without hearing or notice (AS 13.16.115); formal appointment is by a judge after hearing and notice (AS 13.16.145). The PR's authority document is the Letters section of the Acceptance-of-Duties form (P-335 testate / P-336 intestate), signed by the court after the PR signs the Acceptance before a notary or clerk. Alaska's "small estate" (closing statement P-350) is a simplified CLOSING inside informal probate and still requires a PR and Letters; the true Letters-bypass is the AS 13.16.680 collection-by-affidavit (P-110) for personal property only ($50,000 / $100,000-vehicle thresholds, no real property through the estate).

General information about how a personal representative is appointed, not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney for legal questions. Data verified Aug 24, 2026

Alaska uses Request to Start Formal Probate and Appoint a Personal Representative When There Is a Will (P-320), filed with the Superior Court for the State of Alaska. Registrar issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration after the court grants the petition.

Along with the petition, Alaska generally requires: Certified copy of the death certificate — or, if it is not yet available, a letter from the funeral home, which some judges accept in its place; Original will and any codicils (when there is a will); Acceptance of Duties and Letters form (P-335 testate / P-336 intestate), Statement of Acceptance signed before a notary or clerk; Proof of bond, OR a Waiver of Bond Requirement (P-334) from each devisee/heir, unless the will expressly waives surety bond — AS 13.16.255 requires bond by default. The court's own checklist runs longer for particular cases.

Yes. Alaska requires a bond by default before Letters issue. A will can waive it. The beneficiaries can also waive it in writing.

Alaska permits a self-represented person to open an estate, using Request to Start Formal Probate and Appoint a Personal Representative When There Is a Will (P-320). The Alaska self-file probate assessment sets self-filing against attorney costs.

Yes. A revocable living trust passes its assets to the beneficiaries without a court appointment in Alaska: no petition, no Letters, no bond. A revocable trust built with SimplyTrust takes about fifteen minutes.

Getting Appointed in Alaska

Authority to act for the estate comes from Letters issued in Alaska by Registrar, on appointment by the Superior Court for the State of Alaska. The document is Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (no will). Alaska has adopted the Uniform Probate Code.

The estate is opened by filing Request to Start Formal Probate and Appoint a Personal Representative When There Is a Will (P-320) with the court. The filing fee is $250. Alaska offers an informal (registrar) appointment track for qualifying estates.

Alaska requires a bond by default before Letters issue, though a will can waive it and the beneficiaries can waive it in writing.

For smaller estates, Alaska offers a small-estate procedure for estates under $150,000 that can transfer assets without a full appointment or Letters (P-110). The Alaska self-file probate assessment compares self-filing and attorney costs.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated September 8, 2026

Legal Sources

Data sourced from Alaska statutes and official state code. How we research.

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