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Notarizing and Updating Wills

Notarizing and Updating Wills

If you want to update a will, you can get in touch with our UK notary members. They can provide you with proper guidelines about updating a will and other notary procedures. They can also answer your concerns such as if you can just write a will and get it notarized or not. 

When do you need to update a will?

There will occasionally be changes in the law that could influence your estate as well as changes in your life that could affect or nullify your will. If you make a will, for instance, it will no longer be legitimate if you get married unless it was particularly created with the marriage in sight. The amount you can leave to your loved ones may change as a result of amendments to inheritance tax laws or other regulations. Reviewing your will and making any necessary changes is advised if any of the following situations arise:

  • A child or grandchild’s birth;
  • Acquiring a residence or other property;
  • Marriage;
  • Inheriting cash or other resources;
  • Divorce or separation;
  • Remarriage;
  • Home or other property being sold;
  • The death of a person who is mentioned in your will, including executors and guardians.

Any of these circumstances might affect your will. For instance, receiving a financial inheritance may result in a higher inheritance tax burden for your estate. By having a new will created more appropriately to address your position, there may be an opportunity to properly lower the tax burden. You are welcome to consult with our notary public in London regarding how wills can affect your circumstances and when you need to update a will. They can guide you in detail in this matter.

Cost to update a will

The cost to update a will is typically the same as the price to prepare the will itself, which ranges from £300 to £500, if you prepare it with the help of an attorney or professional will writer. No lawyer will ever alter a clause in a will that was not originally authored by him/her. A will is typically thoroughly reviewed after an update to ensure that it still accurately reflects your position.

Occasionally, lawyers will charge a minimum fee and charge per alteration. For instance, even if the modifications are minor, £100 per change (like changing the name of the executor). If you need to know the cost of updating a will, you can interact with the members located at our notary public in London.

Notarization of a will

If the necessary circumstances are satisfied, we may notarize a will, whether it was created by an attorney or not. To notarize a will, the following circumstances must be met:

  • To execute the will, the signer (testator) must be present and legally capable;
  • The signer must be someone you directly know or present valid state-issued identification;
  • The signer must fully understand what is in the will and what is being signed in addition to being competent and of sound mind.

Notarization of a will is not required by all states. Clients can, however, utilize a notarized self-proving affidavit to make it simpler for their will to pass probate, which is the process of officially proving a will after death. While notarizing a will, our UK notary uses caution. Because unlawfully written wills that have been notarized may be contested in court and found to be invalid. To avoid all this hassle in the future, our notary members notarize a will by taking necessary precautions.

If you want to notarize a will in Canary Wharf or you need any other notary services, you can get in touch with our members. The experts at our notary in Canary Wharf can provide you with assistance in notary-related matters. The Hague Convention outlines the procedures by which a document issued in one of the signatory states may be certified for use in all other signatory states for legal purposes.

In other words, the Hague Convention establishes the standards for such and grants international legal papers in other member nations legitimacy and efficacy separate from their domestic laws. If you want information regarding if your country is a signatory to the Hague Convention or not, get in touch with our notary public in Canary Wharf.

Legal services industry in the UK

The UK has one of the largest legal services industries. You can find this in the statistics below:

  • The UK ranks on the 2nd place in the world where most of the largest law firms have their headquarters;
  • In 2020, UK’s legal services industry generated a revenue of about 37 billion British pounds;
  • In 2019, the United Kingdom’s export of legal services was 7 times larger than the import.

The above statistics show that UK has significant legal industries. With such services available, citizens are required to fulfill legal requirements effectively towards any matter. Our local lawyers/notary members in UK can provide you with a detailed list of the legal services provided. Along with legal consultation, our notaries can also offer you practical assistance.

If you are looking for any legal services in the UK (like updating a will or notarizing a will), you can contact our notary members. They can guide you comprehensively about when notarization is needed for a will. You can ask about the cost to update a will from our notary members, so that you can have an idea about fees before starting the process.