England and Wales
In September 2020, the government made remote witnessing of wills legal amidst the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This provision currently applies to people who are isolating due to COVID-19 or another vulnerability.
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the change has been backdated to 31 January 2020. This means that any will witnessed remotely from that date onwards will be legal
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the change has been extended and will remain in place until January 2024
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the use of video technology should remain a last resort - you must continue to arrange physical witnessing of wills where it is safe to do so
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when witnessing via video-link, the sound and quality of the video should be sufficient for a viewer to see clearly what is happening
Witnesses must meet all the criteria below in England and Wales:
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they must be over 18
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they cannot be an executor or beneficiary of your will
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they cannot be related to you or anyone mentioned in your will either by blood, marriage or civil partnership
Preferably your witnesses should be your age or younger to make it more likely that they will be alive at your death, in case they are required to give evidence about the signing of your will. Your witnesses may be related to each other. Before signing your will, you should read it through carefully again. It is not necessary for your witnesses to read your will, although they should be made aware that it is your will they are witnessing.
Scotland
Witnesses must meet all the criteria below in Scotland:
England, Wales and Scotland
Preferably your witnesses (or witness in Scotland) should be your age or younger to make it more likely that they will be alive at your death, in case they are required to give evidence about the signing of your will. Your witnesses may be related to each other (this is not applicable in Scotland as you only need one witness). Before signing your will, you should read it through carefully again. It is not necessary for your witnesses (or witness in Scotland) to read your will, although they should be made aware that it is your will they are witnessing.