Sign and witness your will
To make a will valid in Scotland, you must:
- be 12 years old or over
- be able to understand and make decisions about your will
- make it voluntarily, without pressure from anyone else
- make it in writing
- sign the will at the bottom of the last page
You do not need a witness for a will to be legally valid.
Having your will properly signed and witnessed makes it ‘self-proving’. This means it will usually be accepted by a court without needing extra evidence that it’s valid.
If your will is not witnessed, the executor may need to prove to a court that the signature is yours. This can cause delays and make it more difficult to manage your estate.
Make your will self-proving
You must:
- sign it on every page
- have a witness watch you sign at the bottom of the last page
- ask your witness to sign at the bottom of the last page
When they sign the will, your witness must include:
- their full name
- their address
- the place of signing – such as a town or city
- the date they witnessed your signature
Who can be a witness
Your witness must be:
- at least 16 years old
- able to understand and make decisions about your will
- someone who knows you
To reduce the risk of your will being challenged, your witness should not be:
- someone who will benefit from the will
- related to someone who will benefit from the will