For Tribal Nations and BIA programs
Every family ready
before probate.
FamiliaLista helps tribal members gather the papers a trust probate case waits on, while they are living. When the day comes, the family already has the whole file, in the order the agency asks for it.
What is in place today
Interior has put real work into the probate backlog. In July 2026 it launched the eNativeTrust Electronic Probate System, where a family reports a death, uploads documents and tracks the case online (BIA, July 13, 2026). Its Probate Strike Team runs surges on reservations to move cases faster.
The backlog is still large. BIA probate staff told us in October 2026 that more than 61,000 cases are now waiting, and a single case can take about eight years (FedScoop, July 2026).
eNativeTrust starts when the family reports a death. The time a case spends waiting is mostly time spent looking for papers. That search can start years earlier, while the member is here to say where everything is.
What probate files are waiting on
We asked BIA probate staff and tribal probate coordinators what a case is most often missing when it reaches them. The same papers come up every time: birth certificates (some from Mexico), marriage licenses, divorce and adoption decrees, death certificates, CDIB and enrollment records, allotment information and the will.
And one more thing: even when a family won't hand a paper over, simply knowing that it exists, who holds it and where it is already helps the probate team.
How FamiliaLista gets a family ready
- 1The member opens a Tribal & Trust Land checklist on their phone, in English or Spanish.
- 2For each paper they take a photo, or write where the original is and who has a copy. Missing papers show where to get them.
- 3When the time comes, the file goes automatically to the family members they chose, organized in the order the agency asks for it, ready to upload to eNativeTrust.
The 13 papers on the checklist
Tribal enrollment card
Enrollment number and Nation
CDIB
Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood
Birth certificate
US or Mexico
Family tree
Children (adopted too), spouses past and present, parents: enrollment and current address
Marriage licenses
Every marriage
Divorce decrees
Every divorce
Adoption papers
Children adopted into or out of the family
Death certificates
Spouse, parents or children who already passed
Court orders and debts
Child support orders, judgments, debts
Allotment and tract numbers
Land interests
IIM account statement
Individual Indian Money account
BIA agency and trust officer
Who to call
Will
Where the signed original is kept
FamiliaLista is the step before the will and before probate. It works alongside tribal wills clinics, legal aid and the agency, and points each member to the proper will process.
For the Nation: see readiness grow
- A member program. The Nation provides a seat for each member through a private sign-up link.
- A readiness dashboard. How many members joined, how many are probate-ready, how many wills are located, and which papers members still need most. Totals only; each family's file stays with the family.
- English and Spanish. For every generation in the family.
How to start
Two simple ways in
Tribal governments
A member program sized to your enrollment, set up in days. We bring a short presentation and a live demo for council, legal and enrollment staff.
BIA and federal programs
Start with a paid pilot for one agency or region, sized to be bought on a government purchase card. Commercial software subscription, NAICS 513210. Possibilitas LLC · UEI UE4MGXRPXNM3 · CAGE 23ZR0 · active in SAM.gov.
frank@familialista.com · Eagle Pass, Texas