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witness (def.)

A person who watches you sign your Will and then signs it themselves to confirm they saw you do so. In England and Wales your Will must be signed in the presence of two witnesses, who must both be present at the same time, and who must each then sign in your presence.

Your witnesses must be aged 18 or over and have the mental capacity to understand what they are doing.

Important: a witness, or the husband, wife or civil partner of a witness, cannot inherit anything under your Will. If they do witness it, the Will remains valid but any gift to them fails. For this reason you should never ask a beneficiary, or a beneficiary's spouse or civil partner, to act as a witness.

Your Executor can be a witness, provided they are not also a beneficiary.

When your will is approved we will include full signing and witnessing instructions in the approval email. Please review these and contact us at hello@adeus.life if you have any questions as signing and witnessing errors are a primary cause of contested wills.

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