Interior launches online probate system for Alaska Native trust estates

The U.S. Department of the Interior has launched an Electronic Probate System for American Indian and Alaska Native families who need to handle trust or restricted estates.

The system gives families a public online portal to report a death, upload supporting documents, provide family history information and track the status of a probate case, the Bureau of Indian Affairs said in a July 13 announcement. A companion portal is meant to guide BIA probate staff through case review, document validation and submission to the Office of Hearings and Appeals.

The change applies to estates involving trust or restricted lands and trust personal property, including Native allotments, inherited interests and Individual Indian Money accounts. BIA's Alaska probate page says those estates are handled differently from other lands or funds and are governed by federal probate rules.

Alaska is part of the first rollout wave. BIA's Alaska Region says service providers in the state will be the first in the nation to receive hands-on training after the launch, with sessions scheduled this week in Fairbanks, Nome, Kotzebue and Anchorage.

Interior said the new system replaces paper-based processing with a secure electronic workflow meant to improve efficiency, transparency and customer service while reducing delays.

"Every family deserves a probate process that is efficient, transparent, and worthy of the trust placed in the federal government," Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Billy Kirkland said in the announcement.

The Alaska training notice says tribal and village personnel who help families prepare case information or manage estate matters are invited to participate.

The public portal is at enativetrust.indianaffairs.gov. BIA's Alaska Region lists probate and estate-service information at bia.gov/regional-offices/alaska/probate.