Estate Sales

Ellis Bros can process the sale of shares held in the name of an Estate, but it should be noted that the Estate itself and its Executor/s must be domiciled in NZ.

Shares of the deceased must be re-registered into the name of the Estate (preferably not the name/s of the Executors) before they can be sold. In NZ, both its share registries (Computershare and MUFG/Link Market Services) charge a $95-odd ‘noting fee’ before they make Estate shares available for sale on the NZX. Failure to pay these fees will delay settlement of funds upon any sale. Australian registries do not charge these ‘noting fees’.

A. Instructions to sell Estate shares can only be given by (a) a lawyer acting on behalf of the Estate, or (b) all the Executor/s of the Estate.

The Executor/s must all provide valid certified photo identification AND a certified ‘proof of NZ residential address’ document.
Photo ID should preferably be a signed passport. If that is not possible, both sides of a valid NZ drivers licence is acceptable.
The proof of address document can be a utilities bill, a rates bill, bank statement, tax notice or vehicle registration notification. It cannot be older than 90 days.
Note that certification of photo ID and the ‘address’ documents must be within 30 days. Certification can be by a lawyer, Justice of the Peace, a police officer, or an Ellis Bros employee.

B. Information/documents to be provided re an Estate and its share investments:

Full name of the Estate.
Address and contact phone numbers.
Contact email address.
Estate’s IRD number (if available). If the estate does not have one, please provide the personal IRD number of the deceased person.
Certified copy of Probate (if there is no probate, a copy of the Will AND the Death Certificate would suffice).
Copy of a ‘proof of bank account’ document for the Estate (e.g. bank statement, deposit slip, or teller-verified bank chit). If the Estate does not have its own bank account, the funds can only be transferred to a lawyer’s client funds trust account (for which a ‘proof of bank account’ document is required).
Shareholder, or CSN, number. Or, if they are Australian shares, the Securityholder Reference Number (SRN).
For NZ shares, the four-digit FIN number (sometimes referred to as the Authorisation Code).

Name of Estate(Required)

Address(Required)

Street Address Address Line 2 City Region Postal Code

Contact Email Address

Contact Phone Number(Required)

IRD Number(Required)

If the estate does not have an IRD number, provide the personal IRD number of the deceased).

Attach Certified Copy of Probate(Required)

Max. file size: 2 GB.

If probate was not issued over the estate, provide a copies of the will AND the death certification)

Attach Proof of bank account document(Required)

Max. file size: 2 GB.

e.g. bank statement, deposit slip, or teller-verified bank chit). If the Estate does not have its own bank account, the funds must be transferred into a law firm’s client funds trust account (for which a ‘proof of bank account’ document is required

Common Shareholder No., or Holder Number (for NZ shares only)

SRN number (for Australian shares only)

Must start with a capital ‘I’

Executor Information

Full Legal Name/s of the Executors

Add as many executors as required. Maximum of 8.

Attach Certified Photo IDs of the Executors

Drop files here or

Max. file size: 2 GB, Max. files: 16.

Either valid passport or both sides of valid drivers licence.

Attach Copy of Proof of Residential Address document

Drop files here or

Max. file size: 2 GB, Max. files: 16.

e.g. utilities bill, rates bill, bank notice, etc., no older than 90 days

IMPORTANT: FIN

If you are selling NZ shares, please provide us your four-digit FIN (or Authorisation Code). For security reasons, we request you make direct contact with Ellis Bros, via Contact Us or by phone, with that number.