In Glen Allen and surrounding communities throughout central and southwest Virginia, call on Farmer Legal for help, our number is (804) 325-1441. Legal advice and assistance is also strongly recommended anytime you wish to change your will or create a new will to replace the old one. Having an attorney draft your will and guide you through the execution process will help ensure that all legal requirements are met and that the will does what you intend it to do.
Not all states recognize holographic wills, but they are accepted in Virginia.įollowing these few simple requirements will help ensure that your will is accepted by the probate court and given its full effect after you have passed on. A holographic will is one which is entirely handwritten in the testator’s handwriting and is signed and dated by the testator. Many states will follow an Advance Directive from another state. One type of will that does not need to be witnessed is a holographic will. Your Advance Directive does not have to be. This practice removes the need to call the witnesses into probate court to testify that they witnessed the will. If possible, it is best to have the will notarized by a notary who witnesses the signatures. The will should also be signed in the presence of the testator by two competent witnesses who witnessed the testator’s signature. The will must be in writing (a typed document constitutes a writing) and signed by the person who is making the will (the testator). This level of competency basically means that the person understands he or she is making a will and has a knowledge of the property he or she owns.
Under this law, a will may be created by any adult person who is mentally competent to draft a will.
The requirements for a valid will can be found in Virginia’s statute of wills, Chapter 4 of Title 64.2 of the Code of Virginia. The last thing you want is for some technical error to cause the whole will to be thrown out, substituting the generic laws of intestacy in place of your deeply personal and well-thought out desires. Your will sets out your wishes regarding who will care for your children, who will administer your estate, and how all the property you worked so hard to attain will be distributed after you are gone. It is also called a self-proving affidavit or declaration.
The attestation clause is necessary for the will to be admitted in court. Sometimes the attestation clause is notarized or it can be a declaration. You need two witnesses to attest to the testators execution. A will which is not drafted properly can be challenged and may not be given effect in probate court. A will does not need to be notarized to be valid. Although the rules in Virginia are not unique or especially complicated, it is important to know what the law is and to follow it carefully. What are the requirements for a valid will in Virginia?Įvery state makes its own rules for what is required in order to execute a valid will. in which they have a personal interest Notarize documents in a language they do not understand.