How Do I Get Appointed as Executor in Hawaii?

In Hawaii, the Circuit Court 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 Hawaii

Personal Representative (executor if testate, administrator if intestate)

The form that opens the estate

No statewide fill-in form

Attorney-drafted pleading

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

Where you file

Circuit Court (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

JEFS is mandatory for attorneys (HEFSR Rule 4.1(a)) and voluntary for self-represented litigants (HEFSR Rule 4.1(c)), who may keep filing on paper. Critically, an SRL may register only for an ALREADY-ACTIVE case, and the Judiciary states the initial pleading must be filed in person over the counter — so the petition or application that OPENS the probate case cannot be e-filed by a self-represented filer; the clerk creates the case and adds the filer to it in JEFS, after which subsequent filings may be electronic. The former Judiciary-linked "Hawaii Self-Help Interactive Forms" route (lawhelp.org/hi) no longer assembles documents: it redirects to Legal Navigator Hawaii, an information navigator with no probate interview.

Hawaii has four judicial circuits (First/Oahu, Second/Maui, Third/Hawaii Island, Fifth/Kauai). Probate forms such as the small-estate affidavit are published per circuit — only the Third Circuit publishes any (3C-E-210 personal property, 3C-E-312 automobile, both fillable AcroForms) — and no circuit publishes a petition or application for appointment, so the initiating document is drafted, not filled. HPR Rule 81 / Appendix A flag sheets (1-A, 1-B, 1-C-C, 1-C-CG, 1-D, 1-E, 1-F) accompany petitions statewide, and HPR Rule 50(c) requires an informal probate information sheet "in form acceptable to the registrar" with every informal application — a per-registrar intake sheet that is not published online.

Bond

Required before Letters: No
Waivable by will: Yes
Waivable by beneficiaries: No

What to file with the petition

Death certificate — no statute or probate rule conditions an application or petition on filing one, but the mandatory statewide flag sheet requires the petitioner to state what it shows (HPR Rule 81 / Appendix A Flag Sheets 1-A, 1-B), and the Judiciary describes embossed CERTIFIED copies being submitted, sealed on filing (HPR Rule 3(d); HRS 560:1-311)
Original will and any codicils (for testate estates)
Application for informal probate / appointment OR petition for formal probate / appointment, verified by the applicant (notarized for informal applications) (HRS 560:3-301; HPR Rule 5(a))
Completed informal probate information sheet, in form acceptable to the registrar, with any informal application (HPR Rule 50(c))
Statement of acceptance of the duties of the office (HRS 560:3-601)
Bond only if required (HRS 560:3-603) — not required of an informal appointee absent a will requirement or a demand
HPR flag sheet accompanying any petition (HPR Rule 81 / Appendix A flag sheets 1-A, 1-B, 1-C-C, 1-C-CG, 1-D, 1-E, 1-F)

Small-estate alternative

Bypasses full Letters: Yes
Form name: Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of the Decedent

State-specific notes

Both an informal (registrar) and a formal (court, after notice and hearing) track exist (HRS 560:3-301 to 3-311 informal; 3-401 to 3-414 formal). On the informal track the registrar appoints once at least 120 hours have elapsed since death and the HRS 560:3-308 findings are met; for a non-resident decedent the registrar delays appointment until 30 days after death (HRS 560:3-307). Letters are effective for three years unless renewed for good cause, with that limitation stated on the face of the letters (HRS 560:1-201, definition of "letters"). The small-estate affidavit caps the gross Hawaii estate at $100,000 excluding motor vehicles, which may be transferred regardless of value (HRS 560:3-1201); a separate clerk-administered track lets the clerk of court administer estates of $100,000 or less as personal representative (HRS 560:3-1205).

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

Hawaii has no single statewide fill-in petition; the opening document is prepared to statute and filed with the Circuit Court. Registrar issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration after the court grants the petition.

Along with the petition, Hawaii generally requires: Death certificate — no statute or probate rule conditions an application or petition on filing one, but the mandatory statewide flag sheet requires the petitioner to state what it shows (HPR Rule 81 / Appendix A Flag Sheets 1-A, 1-B), and the Judiciary describes embossed CERTIFIED copies being submitted, sealed on filing (HPR Rule 3(d); HRS 560:1-311); Original will and any codicils (for testate estates); Application for informal probate / appointment OR petition for formal probate / appointment, verified by the applicant (notarized for informal applications) (HRS 560:3-301; HPR Rule 5(a)). The court's own checklist runs longer for particular cases.

Hawaii does not require a bond by default before Letters issue, though the court can order one.

Hawaii permits a self-represented person to open an estate. E-filing is attorneys only. The Hawaii 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 Hawaii: no petition, no Letters, no bond. A revocable trust built with SimplyTrust takes about fifteen minutes.

Getting Appointed in Hawaii

In Hawaii, a personal representative is appointed by the Circuit Court. Registrar issues the Letters that prove authority over the estate — Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (no will). Hawaii has adopted the Uniform Probate Code.

Hawaii publishes no single statewide fill-in petition; the opening document is prepared to statute and filed with the court. The court filing fee runs $215, and Hawaii offers an informal (registrar) appointment track for qualifying estates.

Hawaii does not require a bond by default before Letters issue, though the court can order one where it is needed to protect creditors or heirs.

Estates under $100,000 in Hawaii may qualify for a simplified procedure that avoids a full appointment entirely. The self-file probate assessment carries a Hawaii cost comparison.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated September 8, 2026

Legal Sources

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

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