How to Write a Will: The Step-by-Step Service at ExpatLegalWills.com

Why Do Expats Need a Specialized Will Service?

With 65% of adults in Canada, the UK, and the US without a Will, there is clearly a significant barrier to estate planning — even without geographic challenges. For expats, the barrier is even higher because:

• Assets in different countries require separate, jurisdiction-specific Wills
• Finding qualified legal professionals in each country is both expensive and logistically difficult
• Off-the-shelf Will kits cannot handle the complexity of multi-jurisdiction estates
• Travelling to each country for updates is simply not practical

How Does the ExpatLegalWills.com Service Work?

Step 1: Identify the location of your assets

Select whether you need a Will under the laws of Canada, the United States, or the UK (England and Wales). The service adapts to the specific laws of your chosen jurisdiction.

Step 2: Enter your details

Provide your name, location, and email address. These are required to personalize your Will and create your account for future updates.

Step 3: Describe your family status

Your marital status and whether you have children (including minor children) determines the structure of your Will. If you have minor children, the service prompts you to set up trusts.

Step 4: Name an executor

Your executor is responsible for distributing your estate according to your Will. The executor must find and review your Will, secure your property, notify beneficiaries, probate the Will (obtain a Grant of Probate in the UK), inventory and value assets, pay debts and taxes, distribute property to beneficiaries, and provide detailed accounts.

Step 5: Distribute your possessions

The service prompts you to consider charitable bequests first, then guides you through distribution options including: leaving everything to next of kin, specific items to specific beneficiaries, dividing the residual estate by percentage, and life interest trusts for blended families.

Step 6: Create alternate plans

Every well-drafted Will must address “what if” scenarios: what happens if your executor predeceases you, if you and your main beneficiary are in a common accident, or if a beneficiary cannot inherit. ExpatLegalWills.com guides you through these contingencies.

Step 7: Set up trusts for minor beneficiaries

If any beneficiary is a minor, you should set up a testamentary trust specifying the age(s) of distribution and how funds should be managed (e.g., healthcare, education costs). Without a trust, minors receive their entire inheritance at the age of majority (usually 18 or 19).

How Do You Make the Document Legally Binding?

Once you have completed the service, download and print your Will. Then sign it in the presence of two adult witnesses who are not beneficiaries. That is all that is required — no lawyer, solicitor, or notary is necessary. The signing requirements are the same across all US states, Canadian provinces, and England and Wales.