First, the update most websites haven't caught up with:
The Pretoria Master's office has moved. From 1 June 2026, the office operates from 351 Francis Baard Street, Pretoria, no longer the old SALU Building address on Thabo Sehume Street that most directories (and plenty of law firm websites) still list.
If the person who died lived in Pretoria, Centurion, Midrand or the surrounding areas, their deceased estate is reported here. Here's what you need before you go.
Local Master's Office guide
Before you visit the Pretoria office, get the address, documents, and follow-up plan clear
A complete lodgement pack and written follow-up trail matter more than repeated trips to the counter.
- Confirm jurisdiction: the office depends on where the deceased ordinarily lived.
- Bring the estate pack: death notice, death certificate, will, inventory, and ID documents.
- Use the estate number: quote it on every follow-up.
- Keep proof: written queries and responses move files faster than verbal promises.
Contact details
Pretoria Master's Office contact details
- Physical address (from 1 June 2026): 351 Francis Baard Street, Pretoria, 0002
- Previous address: SALU Building, 316 Thabo Sehume Street, if a form or letter still shows this, use the Francis Baard Street address
- Postal address: Private Bag X60, Pretoria, 0001
- Telephone: 012 339 3333 / 012 339 7700
- Guardian's Fund customer care: 012 339 7794 / 012 339 7729
- Public hours: 07h45, 13h00
Details as published by the Department of Justice; always confirm before travelling.
Jurisdiction and services
What this office handles
- Deceased estates of people who ordinarily lived in Pretoria and surrounds
- Letters of Executorship (estates over R250,000) and Letters of Authority (R250,000 and under), full guide to the difference
- Trust registrations (how it works)
- Guardian's Fund, Pretoria houses one of the largest Guardian's Fund operations in the country, which matters if a minor's inheritance is held here (why money ends up in the Guardian's Fund)
Note: Pretoria is also home to the Chief Master's national office, but complaints and estate matters must still go through the local office handling your file first.
Document pack
Documents to bring when reporting an estate
- Death notice (J294)
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- The original will (if there is one)
- Inventory of assets (J243)
- Acceptance of trust as executor (J190), two signed copies
- Certified copy of the executor's ID
- Marriage certificate / antenuptial contract details
- Next-of-kin affidavit (J192) if there's no will
Each document explained: the complete Master of the High Court guide
What to expect
What to expect at the Pretoria office
- Public hours end at 13h00. Arrive early morning or lose the day.
- A brand-new building means teething problems. Files moved between buildings have a way of taking scenic routes, follow up on anything lodged around the move, in writing.
- Guardian's Fund queries are a separate queue with its own helpdesk numbers above.
The universal rule applies double in Pretoria right now: complete pack, first time, then follow up relentlessly. A query sheet costs you more weeks here than almost anywhere.
Handled for you
Or let us handle the Pretoria estate process
We deal with the Master's offices daily, including tracking exactly how the Pretoria relocation affects live files. One dedicated case manager, complete lodgements, persistent follow-up, plain-language updates for your family.
Quick answers
Questions about the Pretoria Master's Office
Where is the Master of the High Court in Pretoria now?
351 Francis Baard Street, Pretoria, the office relocated from the SALU Building (316 Thabo Sehume Street) effective 1 June 2026.
What are the Pretoria Master's office hours?
07h45 to 13h00 for the public. Mornings only, plan accordingly.
Which areas fall under the Pretoria Master?
Broadly Pretoria and surrounds, including Centurion and Midrand-area estates depending on district. Johannesburg-area estates go to the Johannesburg office.
How do I contact the Guardian's Fund in Pretoria?
012 339 7794 or 012 339 7729, and have the estate number and the minor's details ready.
Ready to put this in place?
Let us handle the Pretoria estate pack
We prepare complete lodgements and help families follow up with the Master’s Office in plain language.
Get Pretoria estate help
