Holographic wills: Validity requirements – What changes under the new legislation

The holographic volition continues, adjacent successful today’s epoch of reforms successful inheritance law, to beryllium 1 of the astir popular, simple, and inexpensive ways for a idiosyncratic to put the transportation of their property aft death. Its simplicity, however, does not mean it lacks ineligible requirements and procedures. On the contrary, the instrumentality — particularly pursuing the 2025 reforms introduced by the Ministry of Justice — sets retired wide rules for its validity.

The caller instrumentality introduces important changes successful the work process for each types of wills — whether holographic, public, oregon secret. For the archetypal time, a unified Digital Wills Registry is established, paving the mode for afloat digitalization of the procedures, according to TA NEA.

From present on, each testator’s past volition shall beryllium registered successful a peculiar physics platform. The will’s work volition instrumentality spot electronically and immediately, signaling cardinal details specified arsenic the testator’s taxation ID number, day of birth, benignant of will, and the applicable deed number.

Notaries volition beryllium legally obliged to people the volition without hold erstwhile they person it. Anyone successful possession of a holographic volition is besides legally required to promptly present it to a notary upon learning of the testator’s death, successful bid to forestall delays that mightiness effect successful forgery oregon challenges to authenticity.

The caller model seeks to trim specified cases, which often pb to lengthy and aggravated ineligible battles. Once the volition reaches a notary, it indispensable beryllium instantly entered into the Registry.

Advantages of a holographic will

A holographic volition indispensable beryllium written wholly by the testator’s hand, signed and dated by them, and stored successful a spot of their prime — astatine home, successful a slope harmless deposit box, oregon with a notary.

It is the slightest costly and simplest signifier of will. It does not necessitate a notary during drafting, nor the beingness of witnesses oregon 3rd parties.

However, due to the fact that it is made without a ineligible nonrecreational present, determination are superior risks of invalidity, forgery, disputes, oregon adjacent loss.

What the instrumentality provides from 2025 – Key validity requirements

Following the legislative changes that came into unit successful summertime 2025, the ineligible model has been strengthened to safeguard the testator’s wishes and forestall lengthy and costly litigation among heirs.

For a holographic volition to beryllium considered valid today, it indispensable conscionable the pursuing conditions:

1. Entirely handwritten by the testator
   The volition cannot beryllium typed, written by different person, oregon drafted digitally. It indispensable beryllium afloat handwritten by the testator — thing that tin beryllium verified by handwriting experts if necessary.
2. Dated and signed by the testator
   The day is indispensable to found which volition prevails (in lawsuit of aggregate wills) and to measure the testator’s intelligence capableness astatine the clip of writing. The signature is required to corroborate authenticity.
3. Stored safely and discovered aft death
   The volition whitethorn beryllium kept astatine home, successful a slope deposit box, oregon with a notary. However, depositing it with a notary is recommended to guarantee authoritative signaling of its existence. As of 2025, the Wills Registry strengthens this safeguard.
4. Published aft the testator’s decease by a notary
   Publication is important for the volition to get ineligible unit and for the inheritance process to begin. The notary opens and records the will’s contents successful the beingness of witnesses.
5. Handwriting adept reappraisal successful lawsuit of disputes
   When the main heir is not a comparative up to the 4th grade oregon determination is nary civilian partnership, the volition whitethorn beryllium challenged. In specified cases, experts verify whether the handwriting and signature genuinely beryllium to the testator.

Despite their evident simplicity, holographic wills are often progressive successful agelong tribunal battles. To debar unpleasant surprises for heirs, it is present indispensable to grounds them successful the caller Digital Wills Registry. It is besides advisable to question ineligible counsel earlier drafting one, to guarantee its afloat validity.