Do I need a lawyer to draft my Will?
Under the Singapore Wills Act, you do not need a lawyer or a professional to draft, verify, or witness your Will for it to be considered valid.
A Will must meet certain conditions stipulated in the Act to be valid, including the following:
- The Will must be in writing. This does not mean it must be handwritten; it should be a hard copy that is hand-signed.
- The testator must be at least 21 years of age unless you are in military service.
- The testator must sign the Will personally or direct someone to sign it in his presence at the foot of the Will.
- To have 2 or more witnesses witness the Will and sign the Will in the presence of the testator.
- Witnesses MUST NOT be beneficiaries nor the spouses of beneficiaries. The term "beneficiaries" includes all beneficiaries, trust beneficiaries, remainder beneficiaries, and any substitutes for these beneficiaries in the Will.
- Additionally, if you are Muslim, the Will must conform to the principles of Faraid.
While it is technically possible to draft your own Will at your convenience, doing so without guidance can be challenging. Not all assets can be given through a Will, and there may be terms or considerations with which you are not be familiar with.
This is why getArrange.com offers a solution that combines the best of both worlds. Check with your Financial Advisor to see if they know any of our Certified Estate Planners who can assist with drafting your Will through our lawyer vetted system today!
Please note that the Will is only valid after it is signed by the testator and the 2 witnesses in the presence of each other. You can find a summary of the signing instructions on Page 2 of our Wills.
Based on the Singapore Wills Act, there is also no requirement for a lawyer to certify the Will or stamp it as a certified true copy after signing for it to be considered valid.
The need for a certified true copy of the Will arises only during the application for the Grant of Probate (i.e. after the testator has passed away) since the court accepts a copy of the Will rather than the actual original.
As part of the Grant of Probate process, the applicant will need to attend before a solicitor (i.e. a lawyer) to certify as true the following supporting documents: copy of death certificate, copy of Will, copy of death certificate of other executors (if applicable). These details can be found on page 6 of the Probate & Administration Toolkit from the Singapore Courts website.