Does my Last Will and Testament have to be notarized?
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Does my Last Will and Testament have to be notarized?
I reside in California and I have two witnesses.
Asked on March 25, 2017 under Estate Planning, California
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
A Will need not be notarized. However, there is an affidavit that can make the Will "self-proving". Basically, this is an affidavit that is notarized and signed by one of the witnesses at the time that the Will is executed and which is then attached to the Will. This is done so that when the maker of the Will dies and the Will is entered for probate, the witnesses need not be tracked down at that time, which may be problematic years later since they may be difficult to locate or could have predeceased the Will maker.
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