How to Copy a Will? Should I?

t8769

Not identical wills, photocopies of the will.

Thanks

BooJewels

If it were me doing this for myself - I think I would be inclined to do an obvious scan/photocopy, including the turned over corner with the staple or fastenings in place then self certify it as a true copy and perhaps even number the copies - so it would be obvious which is which and what the nature was of each version.

theoretica

I would avoid anything which looked like it was trying to make the photocopy into a valid will - so not signed and witnessed in the same way as the will was.

BooJewels

That was the point I was making @theoretica - make it a visibly obvious duplicate, to avoid confusion.

On-the-coast

And write on the copy that it is a copy made on x date of the original that is held by / stored at….  to help anyone who reads it in the future. 

I found the old original of my (previous) will while tidying up a few weeks ago and made sure to shred it to avoid confusion

Emmia

I have a scanned copy for reference purposes, stored electronically.

user1977

Losing the original Will and having to prove what it said is a fairly obscure risk in the first place. It's immensely unlikely that that would happen, and there is then some sort of dispute about which copy of the Will is an accurate one, so I don't see the need to get a copy signed by anyone (or that doing so would provide incontrovertible evidence of it being accurate).

You can't find "legal requirements" because there are none.

BooJewels

But there are some uses/needs for certified copies - so if the OP has their own original will and wants to self-certify a couple of copies in advance, it might save someone a job later on, after the fact.  I've used a certified copy (not of my own will) twice.  Especially if that need might arise after sending the original off for Probate, but before it's been granted - which these days can take months.

user1977

BooJewels said:

But there are some uses/needs for certified copies - so if the OP has their own original will and wants to self-certify a couple of copies in advance, it might save someone a job later on, after the fact.

The job is a minute or so of photocopying and scribbling a signature. I don't think there's much point in getting certified Wills before the date of death (and that you know that you're dealing with the last Will). And in particular, I think something certified by the deceased might pose problems! How would they have known at the time that what they were certifying would turn out to be their final Will?

t8769

Thanks for the help 

OP