Your will must be witnessed for it to be valid. So one of the most important steps in completing your will is to have it witnessed correctly.
For a full description of the witnessing procedure see how to make sure your will is legal.
Your witnesses
There are no particular rules around who can (and can’t) witness your will, other than they must be must be capable of understanding what they are doing.
However, if a beneficiary of the will (or their spouse or civil partner) witnesses the will, thne that person will not be entitled to inherit.
So, the following is good practice:
- Both witnesses should be over 18 (or at least old enough to understand what they are doing.
- Ideally the should to be traceable after you die, in case they have to explain to a court how the will was signed.
Your witnesses do not have to read the will. You could cover the contents with a piece of paper if needed, leaving the area for them to sign uncovered. Their job is simply to confirm they have either seen you sign the will or if you’ve already signed it, that you acknowledge that the signature is yours.
Once you’ve written your will online we’ll explain the simple steps you’ll need to follow to sign and have your will witnessed.