The remote execution of a Will in England and Wales is no longer allowed. The amendments made to the Wills Act 1837 during the pandemic expired on 31 January 2024 and we have returned to the previous position.
In order to be valid, a Will must be signed in the presence of two independent witnesses who should ideally be unrelated to the Testator. There are strict rules regarding who can be a witness. Our firm’s preference is to have all Wills witnessed by a solicitor at our office in order to make sure all the formalities are complied with.
Where there’s a Will, there’s now only one way. Our advice is to re-sign any Will signed during an online meeting, where any of the witnesses were not present in the same room as the Testator, in order to avoid problems.
Please get in touch if you’d like to discuss any issue raised.