Signing and witnessing your will, step by step

You can draft a flawless will and void it in the last five minutes. Execution — the signing ceremony — is the single most common failure point, which is why we generate signing instructions specific to your province with every will. Here is the whole procedure.

The ceremony, done right

You need about ten minutes and two witnesses.

1. Gather everyone in one room. You and both witnesses, all physically present at the same time. (Exceptions for BC electronic wills and Ontario remote witnessing below.)
2. Say what the document is. Your witnesses do not need to read the will, and should not — they only need to know it is your will and watch you sign it.
3. Sign at the end of the document, in pen, in front of both witnesses. Use your normal signature.
4. Each witness signs, in your presence and ideally in each other’s, on the signature page where indicated.
5. Initial each page — all three of you. Not a legal requirement, but it guards against page substitution and courts like it.
6. Date it. The date determines which of your wills is the latest.

Do not use two different pens ceremonially, do not sign counterparts — there is one original, and everyone signs the same physical document.

Who can witness

Two people who are:

• 18 or older in Ontario and Alberta; 19 or older in British Columbia
• Not beneficiaries, and not the spouse of a beneficiary — a gift to a witness (or generally to their spouse) is void
• Mentally capable, and able to actually watch you sign

Your executor may witness, provided the will leaves them nothing. Neighbours and coworkers are the classic choice. The full witness rules.

Province variations

British Columbia permits fully electronic wills: signed and witnessed electronically, with witnesses present by video (“electronic presence”), since December 1, 2021. If you go this route, follow the WESA requirements exactly — and know that the paper route still works fine.

Ontario permits remote witnessing via audio-visual technology, but only if at least one witness is a Law Society of Ontario licensee (a lawyer or paralegal), and the will is still signed in wet ink on paper in counterpart. For most people signing at home with neighbours, this exception is irrelevant — get everyone in the kitchen.

Alberta has no electronic option. Paper, wet ink, two witnesses physically present. Full stop.

After the ceremony

Store the original safely and tell your executor where it is — where to store your will covers the options. If you ever make a new will, destroy the old original once the new one is signed; a signed will that cannot be found is presumed revoked, but two signed originals floating around is worse.