In the UK, under the Wills Act 1837, a will must be signed physically in person whilst being in the presence of two witnesses. Wills can be witnessed remotely; however, this is only under very special circumstances.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were some temporary changes made to allow for witnesses to attend remotely via video conferencing. This was to ensure the witnessing process could still be carried out whilst social distancing. This temporary measure was initially agreed to remain in place until 31 January 2022, however, it was later extended and stayed in place until 31 January 2024.
Although wills were allowed to be witnessed remotely during the pandemic, strict guidelines were put in place to make this a possibility. The person signing the will, as well as the witnesses had to be in clear view of the signing process. In order to provide evidence of compliance, the entire process from signing to witnessing had to be recorded. Once the will was signed, this then had to be sent to both witnesses, who then also had to signed it while the testator viewed remotely.
Despite these temporary measures during the Covid-19 pandemic, in the UK, for a will to be legally valid, it requires the need for physical signatures. Since remote witnessing is no longer permitted as of 31 January 2024, at Fairmont Legal, we will ensure your legal documents are in compliance with the current UK laws. If you require any legal advice for creating or updating a will, please get in touch.
