Those of you who hold assets in a country other than Australia will be interested to know that Australia is now a signatory to the Convention Providing a Uniform Law on the Form of an International Will 1973 and the Convention will enter into force on 10 March 2015 in Australia. The Convention aims to simplify the preparation and witnessing requirements of international wills across countries that are party to the Convention.
An
international will must meet certain requirements set out by the
Convention. Firstly, it must be signed by the testator in the presence of
3 independent witnesses. One of those witnesses must be an 'authorised
witness' such as an Australian lawyer or notary public. The authorised
person must then provide a certificate stating that the process for preparing
the international will has been complied with.
If you think you might need an international will or assistance with any aspect of your estate planning, please contact our Succession Planning team
