Signing guide
How to sign your will in Alberta
- Witnesses
- 2, present together
- Minimum age
- 18
- Handwritten will
- Can be valid without witnesses
- Law
- Wills and Succession Act (WSA)
Step by step
- 1
Print the will and review it in full.
- 2
Gather two adult witnesses who are NOT beneficiaries or spouses of beneficiaries.
- 3
Sign every page. Sign the signature block on the final page in the simultaneous presence of both witnesses.
- 4
Both witnesses sign in your presence and each other's presence.
- 5
Have one witness swear an Affidavit of Execution before a commissioner of oaths to simplify probate.
- 6
Store the original will safely; file a caveat or note in the Alberta Wills Registry if desired.
Before your witnesses sign
- Each witness is an adult of sound mind.
- No witness receives anything in the will, and no witness is married to someone who does.
- You and all witnesses are in the same room for the whole signing.
- Nobody changes, adds or removes pages after signing.
Good to know in Alberta
- Alberta WSA s.72: a surviving spouse or adult interdependent partner may be entitled to a preferential share of the estate regardless of the will.
- Beneficiary designations on registered plans and insurance pass outside the estate.
- LIRA (Locked-In Retirement Account) rules in Alberta may restrict how these assets are distributed — consult a financial advisor.
Related documents in Alberta
- Power of attorney for property
- Enduring Power of Attorney
- Health care and personal decisions
- Personal Directive
- Organ donation registry
- Alberta Organ and Tissue Donation Registry
- Government pension survivor benefit
- Canada Pension Plan, claimed from Service Canada
Beneficiaries named directly on RRSPs, TFSAs and life insurance receive those assets outside the will, so Faraid shares do not apply to them. Review those designations too.
Islamic note
This guide has not yet been reviewed by a lawyer in Alberta. It explains the usual formalities and is not legal advice. Printed from mWill, muslim-will.ca.