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Law

The Legal Status of Digital Wills and Testamentary Formalities

Quick fact

Only a handful of U.S. states explicitly recognize electronic wills as valid, with Nevada being the first to do so in 2001. In most jurisdictions, a will must still be a physical paper document with a 'wet-ink' signature and two witnesses—regardless of how securely a digital version is stored.

Why this is interesting

You just wrote your will on your phone, signed it with a finger swipe, and saved it to the cloud. Would a court accept it? Surprisingly, in most places, the answer is no—but a few states have opened the door to digital wills.