【本文摘要】 如果家人去世时没有留下有效遗嘱，遗产并不会自动转移给家属——在能够合法动用银行账户、处理房产之前，必须先向维多利亚州最高法院申请Letters of Administration（遗产管理令）。本文详解谁有资格申请、具体流程、费用构成，以及申请过程中最容易踩的几个坑。
作者：Chunqiu Hu | 维多利亚州执业律师 | HWC Legal Melbourne 最后更新：2026年7月
没有遗嘱不代表没有法律程序，只是这个程序换了一个名字、多了几道门槛 Subtitle: No will doesn’t mean no legal process — it just means a different process, with a few extra hurdles
📌核心提醒：无遗嘱身故，家人不会自动获得处理遗产的权利，必须先取得法院签发的Letters of Administration，才能合法动用银行账户、处理房产。 Core point: when someone dies without a will, family members don’t automatically gain authority over the estate — a Letters of Administration grant from the Court is required before bank accounts or property can be legally accessed.
一、什么是Letters of AdministrationWhat Letters of Administration actually is
📖 基本定义 📖 Basic definition
Letters of Administration（遗产管理令）是维多利亚州最高法院签发的法律文件，用于在死者没有留下有效遗嘱（即”无遗嘱身故”，intestate）的情况下，指定一名”遗产管理人”（Administrator）来处理遗产事务。 Letters of Administration is a legal document issued by the Supreme Court of Victoria, appointing an “Administrator” to manage a deceased person’s estate when they died without a valid will — known as dying “intestate”.
⚖️ 法律依据 ⚖️ The governing law
这项申请依据《1958年遗产管理法》（Administration and Probate Act 1958）向最高法院提出，法院会依法审查申请材料，确认相关证据（如亲属关系证明、受益人同意书等）齐全后，才会正式签发管理令。 The application is made under the Administration and Probate Act 1958 to the Supreme Court, which reviews the application and confirms that supporting evidence — such as proof of relationship and beneficiary consents — is complete before formally issuing the grant.
🆚 和Probate的区别 🆚 How this differs from Probate
如果死者留有有效遗嘱、且遗嘱中指定的执行人愿意并有能力履行职责，通常走的是”Probate（遗嘱认证）”程序；Letters of Administration则专门适用于没有有效遗嘱、或虽有遗嘱但没有合适执行人可以履职的情况。 If the deceased left a valid will with a willing and able executor, the usual path is “Probate”; Letters of Administration specifically applies where there’s no valid will, or where a will exists but no suitable executor is available to act.
二、是不是所有情况都必须申请Is it always required
不是自动强制的 It’s not automatically mandatory
法院本身并不会主动判定某个遗产是否”需要”申请管理令，是否需要申请，实际上取决于死者名下具体有哪些资产、以及持有这些资产的机构（银行、土地局等）各自的要求。 The Court itself does not determine whether administration is “required” for a given estate — whether it’s needed in practice depends on what assets are held solely in the deceased’s name, and the specific requirements of the institutions holding those assets (banks, land titles offices, etc.).
💰 小额遗产可能不需要 💰 Smaller estates may not require it
如果死者名下资产金额较小，部分银行或机构可能允许家属凭死亡证明和身份证明直接处理，不强制要求管理令；但涉及房产、较大金额存款等资产时，几乎必然需要正式的管理令。 For smaller estates, some banks or institutions may allow family members to proceed with just a death certificate and proof of identity, without requiring formal administration. But where property or significant account balances are involved, a formal grant is almost always required.
三、谁有资格申请Who is eligible to apply
👨👩👧 申请顺位 👨👩👧 Order of priority
根据维州无遗嘱继承规则，申请人的资格顺位通常与继承顺位相对应——配偶或伴侣优先，其次是子女，再往后是父母、兄弟姐妹等其他近亲，具体顺位需要结合死者的实际家庭情况判断。 Under Victoria’s intestacy rules, applicant eligibility generally mirrors the order of entitlement — a spouse or partner has priority, followed by children, then parents, siblings, and other close relatives, with the exact order depending on the deceased’s actual family circumstances.
📋 多名合资格申请人时 📋 When multiple people are equally eligible
如果有多名同等资格的潜在申请人（比如死者有几个成年子女），通常需要其他人出具书面同意，同意由某一位作为申请人代表大家申请，避免出现多人同时申请或事后异议的情况。 Where several people share equal priority (for example, multiple adult children of the deceased), the others generally need to provide written consent for one person to apply as the representative applicant — avoiding competing applications or later disputes.
四、申请流程和费用The application process and costs
📢 第一步：发布申请意向通知 📢 Step one: publish a Notice of Intention to Apply
正式递交申请前，需要先在最高法院网站（通过RedCrest-Probate系统）发布”申请意向通知”，且必须在通知发布后至少14天才能正式递交申请，2025-26财年该通知的发布费用约为$37。 Before formally lodging the application, a “Notice of Intention to Apply” must be published via the Supreme Court’s RedCrest-Probate system, and the formal application can only be lodged at least 14 days after publication. The publication fee was approximately $37 for the 2025-26 financial year.
📝 第二步：准备并递交申请材料 📝 Step two: prepare and lodge the application
需要准备的材料通常包括：死亡证明、遗产资产和负债清单、亲属关系证明、以及（如适用）其他合资格申请人的书面同意书。 Required documents typically include the death certificate, an inventory of estate assets and liabilities, proof of relationship, and (where applicable) written consents from other eligible applicants.
💵 第三步：缴纳法院申请费 💵 Step three: pay the court filing fee
法院申请费按遗产总值分级收取，具体金额每年7月1日会更新调整，2024年11月还进行过一次一次性大幅调整，建议在递交前以法院官网当年公布的费用为准。 Court filing fees are tiered according to the gross value of the estate, with amounts updated on 1 July each year — including a significant one-off adjustment in November 2024. We’d recommend confirming the current fee on the Court’s website before lodging.
🔒 第四步：可能需要的Administration Bond 🔒 Step four: a possible Administration Bond
法院有时会要求遗产管理人提供一笔”管理保证金”（Administration Bond），金额通常与遗产总值相当，但如果所有依据无遗嘱规则享有继承权的人都书面同意本次申请，法院可以酌情减免或豁免这笔保证金。 The Court may sometimes require the administrator to provide an “Administration Bond”, typically set at the gross value of the estate — but if all persons entitled under the intestacy rules provide written consent to the application, the Court may reduce or waive the bond at its discretion.
⏳ 第五步：法院审核并签发 ⏳ Step five: Court review and grant
法院会审核所有材料是否齐全、准确，如果存在遗漏或疑问，可能会发出补充材料要求（requisition），这个环节的响应速度直接影响整体审理时间。 The Court reviews all materials for completeness and accuracy, and may issue a requisition for additional information if anything is missing or unclear — how quickly this is responded to directly affects overall processing time.
五、管理人获批后的职责The administrator’s responsibilities once appointed
📋 资产清点 📋 Asset inventory
管理人需要全面清点死者名下的现金、房产、证券、保险、养老金、未结工资，以及个人和家庭物品等资产。 The administrator must compile a full inventory of the deceased’s assets — cash, property, securities, insurance, superannuation, outstanding entitlements, and personal or household effects.
💳 处理债务和税务 💳 Handling debts and tax
在分配遗产给受益人之前，管理人有责任先偿还遗产名下的债务、税款以及丧葬相关费用。 Before distributing the estate to beneficiaries, the administrator is responsible for settling the estate’s debts, taxes, and funeral-related expenses.
🎁 按无遗嘱规则分配遗产 🎁 Distributing the estate under intestacy rules
剩余遗产必须严格按照维州无遗嘱继承规则分配给相应的受益人，管理人没有自由裁量权按个人意愿调整分配方式——这一点我们在之前”无遗嘱继承”那篇文章里也详细讲过，感兴趣可以延伸阅读。 The remaining estate must be distributed strictly according to Victoria’s intestacy rules — the administrator has no discretion to adjust the distribution based on personal preference. We covered this in detail in our previous article on intestacy, which is worth a read for more context.
📊 准备账目和税务信息 📊 Preparing accounts and tax information
管理人还需要为受益人准备清晰的遗产账目和相关税务信息，确保整个处理过程可追溯、可核查。 The administrator also needs to prepare clear estate accounts and relevant tax information for beneficiaries, ensuring the process remains transparent and auditable.
❓常见问题 FAQ
Q1：所有遗产都需要申请Letters of Administration吗？ Does every estate require Letters of Administration? A：不一定。法院不会主动要求，是否需要取决于死者名下资产情况以及相关机构的具体要求，小额资产有时可以凭死亡证明直接处理。 Not necessarily. The Court doesn’t automatically require it — whether it’s needed depends on the deceased’s assets and the requirements of the institutions holding them; smaller assets can sometimes be handled with just a death certificate.
Q2：申请Letters of Administration大概需要多久？ How long does a Letters of Administration application typically take? A：具体时长取决于材料是否齐全、法院是否发出补充材料要求，材料准备充分、响应及时的情况下，整体流程相对更顺畅。 It depends on whether the documentation is complete and whether the Court issues any requisitions — well-prepared, promptly responded applications generally move more smoothly.
Q3：有多个子女，只能一个人申请吗？ If there are multiple children, can only one apply? A：通常由一位代表申请，其他同等资格的人需要出具书面同意，避免出现多人同时申请或事后异议。 Typically one person applies as the representative, with the others providing written consent — avoiding competing applications or later disputes.
Q4：Administration Bond一定要交吗？ Is the Administration Bond always required? A：不一定。如果所有依据无遗嘱规则享有继承权的人都书面同意本次申请，法院可以酌情减免或豁免这笔保证金。 Not always. If all persons entitled under the intestacy rules provide written consent, the Court may reduce or waive the bond at its discretion.
Q5：管理人可以按自己的想法分配遗产吗？ Can the administrator distribute the estate however they see fit? A：不可以。剩余遗产必须严格按照维州无遗嘱继承规则分配，管理人没有自由裁量权调整分配方式。 No. The remaining estate must be distributed strictly according to Victoria’s intestacy rules — the administrator has no discretion to change how it’s allocated.
如果你的家人无遗嘱身故，正在考虑申请Letters of Administration，欢迎联系HWC Legal做详细评估，我们可以协助材料准备、法院申请及后续遗产管理全流程。 If a family member has died without a will and you’re considering applying for Letters of Administration, contact HWC Legal for a detailed assessment — we can assist with documentation, the court application, and the full administration process.
参考资料：Administration and Probate Act 1958 (Vic)；Supreme Court of Victoria公开政策指引与费用公告 Reference: Administration and Probate Act 1958 (Vic); Supreme Court of Victoria published policy guidance and fee schedules
