Bereavement and planning ahead

• Certification must be given by an independent party. The individual cannot be an account holder of the account(s) in question nor can they be mentioned on the document being certified.
• Certifiers must provide: a signature (including the date they signed the certification), their name and phone number, their occupation, their company name and business address (if applicable) and their company or organisation stamp (if applicable).
• We cannot accept a certification of a previously certified copy.

Certifiers can be one of the following:

• Solicitor (must be registered with the Law Society in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland)
• Legal Executive (must be registered with the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX))
• Barrister (must be registered on Juriosity)
• Independent Financial Adviser (must be registered with the FCA).

• Death Certificates
• Death Certificate Verification Form
• Grant of Probate (England & Wales only)

We cannot usually disinvest or distribute any assets until the court sealed Grant of Probate is received. However, if you are concerned about stock market performance and wish to protect the account from potential falls in value, or where funds are required to pay Inheritance Tax or funeral expenses, we may be able to make an exception. We can release monies from the deceased’s account directly to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) or the funeral director on your behalf. To request this, please send us a completed Declaration & Indemnity form.

If the value of the estate does not exceed the Inheritance Tax nil rate band and the value of the investments is less than £35,000, we can accept a  Small Estate form but only if submitted with a Will. Please note that if probate has been applied for, we will need to see this.

The following application forms can be signed digitally or with a copy of a wet signature (digital image):

• Selling in the event of a death of a Fidelity investor
• Selling in the event of a death of a Fidelity investor & ISA application form
• Inherited ISA allowance form
• Moving assets to an Investment Account on the death of a Fidelity investor
• Sell your own Investment Account to use your inherited ISA allowance
• Declaration and Indemnity form (Switch to Cash or Paying HMRC or paying Funeral Directors)

We will stop paying the fee but we can reinstate it upon receipt of a new authority signed by the executors of the deceased’s estate. A copy of this form will be automatically sent to you.