How do I check if deceased has made a will?
You can refer to https://mylegacy.life.gov.sg/when-death-happens/wills-and-inheritance/ for more information.
A Singapore Government Agency Website
You can refer to https://mylegacy.life.gov.sg/when-death-happens/wills-and-inheritance/ for more information.
The Vault in My Legacy provides a secure storage space for members of the public to upload official documents to share with their loved ones. The My Legacy website also provides a simple guide on https://mylegacy.life.gov.sg/end-of-life-planning/write-a-will/how-to-write-a-will
However, the My Legacy website is unable to create a Will, as some members of public may require legal advice from a professional on the execution of the Will. We have shared your request with the team and they will take this into consideration for future reviews of My Legacy website.
You are encouraged to consult a lawyer regarding the fee to create a will.
While there is no legal requirement to make a will, if you pass away without a will in Singapore, your assets will be distributed in accordance with the Intestate Succession Act. This means that the assets will be divided among the surviving family members according to a predetermined legal formula, which may not necessarily align with your specific wishes. As such, it is highly advisable for you to create a will to ensure that your assets are distributed according to your wishes after your passing. You can refer to My Legacy website for a simple guide on https://mylegacy.life.gov.sg/end-of-life-planning/write-a-will/how-to-write-a-will/.
We regret to inform you that My Legacy website does not have a "Last Wishes format in Chinese". Please contact the Singapore Academy of Law at wills@sal.org.sg or call 63324388 for any queries.
It is not mandatory for wills to be stored in a government portal. If you’d like to deposit information about your Wills, we can offer two possible options:
Option 1: To Deposit at Singapore Academy of Law (SAL)’s Wills Registry
You can do so at Singapore Academy of Law (SAL)’s Wills Registry: https://wills.sal.sg/WillHome/Index. SAL keeps the following information in the Registry:
Details of the person making the Will i.e. testator.
Date of the Will
Details of the person who drew up the Will.
Details of where the Will is held.
Please note that SAL does not keep a copy of the actual will. You may also wish to note that there are fees chargeable for depositing or searching for a record of the Will. You may refer to their FAQ page for more details or contact them at 6332 4388 or wills@sal.org.sg for more information.
Option 2: To Deposit at My Legacy’s Vault
You can also choose to deposit information about your will in My Legacy’s Vault. This is free of charge and you’d be able to share the information with a trusted person. Please see attached for a step-by-step guide on how to do so. With My Legacy Vault, you can also choose to do the same for your Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) or other important pre-planning documents like your Advance Care Plan (ACP), CPF Nominations etc.
My Legacy Vault was created for Members of Public to plan, store and share financial, legal, healthcare, funeral wishes and estate matters. You can store a digital copy of your Will by uploading the file under “Important Documents”, but this would not render the will as legally valid. As of today, for your Will to be generally recognised as legally valid, you must make sure that your will is printed or handwritten on a paper document and sign it in-person at the foot of the will. (You can refer to the website https://mylegacy.life.gov.sg/end-of-life-planning/write-a-will/make-sure-your-will-is-legal/ under the “Write a Will” section for more information).
With the given condition, only original copies of the Will would generally be accepted as legally valid by the Courts. For instance, the Family Justice Courts would require “the original will of the deceased” to apply for a Grant of Probate (https://www.judiciary.gov.sg/family/how-to-file-grant-of-probate). In this regard, you can store information of where your original Will is located on My Legacy’s Vault and share it with your Trusted Person(s). Alternatively, you can also choose to do the same under Singapore Academy of Law’s (SAL) Wills Registry where they keep a record of where your Will is stored. However, you may wish to note that there are fees chargeable by SAL for depositing or searching for a record of the Will.
As this query is more complex, we would recommend for you to consult a lawyer for legal advice. You may wish to refer to the directory listing in the SAL Wills Registry website https://www.wills.sal.sg/Willdirectory/Directoryindex for a list of lawyers who can provide advice on Wills and Estate Planning, Probate and Estate Administration and other related matters.
You can find a simple guide on how to write a will in My Legacy website https://mylegacy.life.gov.sg/end-of-life-planning/write-a-will/how-to-write-a-will/.
To ensure the will is legally valid, you are encouraged to consult a lawyer for legal advice.
Please refer to My Legacy website https://mylegacy.life.gov.sg/end-of-life-planning/write-a-will/how-to-write-a-will/ for a simple guide on how to write a will regarding your assets.
You are encouraged to consult a lawyer for legal advice on drafting a comprehensive will for your residential property; and also to ensure the will is legally valid.