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Wills and inheritance

What happens to a person's property when they die — and why customary land does not travel the same route as everything else.

This topic also covers the Public Trustee - the office, formerly the Public Curator, that administers deceased estates, trusts for children and the property of missing people. Most people in PNG die without a will. That is not merely an administrative inconvenience: it regularly leaves a widow and children dependent on the goodwill of relatives at the worst moment of their lives. This topic covers both the statutory and the customary picture.

Who Is the Public Trustee?

The office formerly called the Public Curator — what it is, what it does, and who audits it.

Public Trustee, part 1 · 4 min read
What Is a Deceased Estate?

Real and personal estate, the 21-year lease line, and what is paid before anyone inherits.

Public Trustee, part 2 · 4 min read
What Is an Order to Administer?

The seven triggers in section 10, including the three-month rule, and how a family can take an estate back.

Public Trustee, part 3 · 4 min read
When Does the Public Trustee Hold a Trust?

Trusts for children and others, the power to decline, and how trust money must be invested.

Public Trustee, part 4 · 4 min read
Executor, Administrator or Trustee?

Which role applies, where the authority comes from, and the gap before a grant is made.

Public Trustee, part 5 · 4 min read
The Public Trustee Is Handling an Estate — What Are My Rights?

Inspecting the file, making the Office show cause in the National Court, and asking the Court for directions.

Public Trustee FAQ, part 1 · 5 min read
Why Is It Taking So Long — and What Happens to Unclaimed Money?

The statutory waiting periods, the six-year rule, and recovering money from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

Public Trustee FAQ, part 2 · 5 min read
Someone Who Died Owes Me Money — How Do I Claim?

Proving a debt, dividends, and the six-month bar that extinguishes a rejected claim.

Public Trustee FAQ, part 3 · 5 min read
My Bank Says It Must Notify the Public Trustee — Why?

The section 40 disclosure duty, the penalties, and the Office's own search powers.

Public Trustee FAQ, part 4 · 5 min read
What Happens to a Missing Person’s Property?

Section 12 orders, the powers they carry, the charge on the property, and rescission if the owner returns.

Public Trustee FAQ, part 5 · 5 min read