How long do you have to wait after someone has died before you can apply for a copy of their will?
A will becomes available for public inspection (on payment of a small fee) once probate has been granted. This could take up to a year, depending on how complicated the estate is, and sometimes takes longer. But not every estate requires a grant of probate, since if the assets were in joint names they may pass by survivorship, or the estate may not contain enough money to warrant a grant. So not every will becomes open to inspection. You can ask the probate office to notify you when probate has been granted on a particular estate.