When is a transmission application enough to transfer title, and when is full probate still required in Ontario?

In most cases where Ontario real estate was held solely in the deceased's name, a transmission application to the land registry still relies on a Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee, commonly called probate, as the supporting proof of authority - so probate and the transmission application typically go together rather than being alternatives to each other. The transmission application is the land registry filing that actually updates the title record; probate is usually what makes that filing possible in the first place.

Where a transmission application alone may be enough, without a full probate grant, is in more limited situations, most notably certain jointly held properties passing by right of survivorship to a surviving joint owner, which can sometimes be handled through the land registry with different supporting documents rather than a probate certificate. Whether that applies depends on exactly how title was held and which land registration system governs the property.

Because the answer turns on the specific property and how it's registered, an estate trustee shouldn't assume either that probate is always required or that a transmission application alone will always suffice - checking with the specific land registry office, or with a real estate or estates lawyer, before assuming either way saves time.