Singapore Wills FAQ

Will Registry is part of the Insolvency and Public Trustee’s Office of Singapore, and is a confidential registry depository for Willl information. If you have made a Will, you may wish to submit your Will information at the confidential Wills Registry by paying the relevant fee (wef 1 March 2014, S$50), which merely contains brief particulars of your Will such as date of Will, but not the contents. Your original Will or copy thereof cannot be deposited at the Wills Registry. To deposit your Will information at the Wills Registry, please login to www.iptoonline.gov.sg.

Your Will only takes effect upon your death, and not before. Upon your death, your Executor(s) will have to apply to Court for a Grant of Probate.or death occuring prior to 15 February 2008, the Court will only issue the Grant after the Estate Duty Officer has certified the following:

1. the value of your estate;
2. 1. rhe amount of estate duty payable and the fact that it has been paid; or
   2. that no estate duty is payable.

However, the Executor(s) have the power by virtue of your Will to act even before the Grant is issued. For example, your executors may pay or release debts and transfer property or assets, such as your car. But it is necessary to obtain the approval of the Commissioner for Estate Duty (deaths occurring prior to 15 February 2008) when dealing with landed property or major assets. In this case, it is also necessary to get a copy of the Grant of Probate.

Once the Grant of Probate is issued, the Will becomes a public document. The original Will is retained by the Court. The Executor(s) will be given a copy of the Will together with the Grant. All your property and assets will then pass to your Executor(s), who will have the responsibility of administering and distributing the estate according to the instructions in your Will.

You should never attempt to change your Will by crossing parts out or adding words in or by attaching anything to it. If you do so your Will may become ineffective or invalid. If you wish to change your Will, either make a fresh Will to revoke and supersede the earlier Will or prepare a Supplemental Will (“a Codicil”).

If you marry or re-marry, your Willi is nullified or cancelled unless the Will was made in contemplation of your marriage.

You should review your Will if any of the following event happens:

1. if you change your name or anyone mentioned in the Will changes his
2. if an executor or trustee dies or becomes unsuitable to act due to age or ill-health
3. if a beneficiary dies
4. if you subsequently sell or part with any property mentioned in the Will
5. if there is any significant change in circumstances, for example, when you acquire property or assets which have not been mentioned in your Will

It is advisable to review your Will regularly or where there is changes to your personal circumstances.

Having made a Will, if your family members or your named Executor(s) do not know that you have made a Will or how to locate it, this will defeat the whole purpose of making a Will. It is therefore important to inform your Executor(s) and/or your close ones of the whereabouts of your original Will.

If you have engaged a lawyer to prepare your Will, you may also request your lawyer to lodge at the Wills Registry of the Public Trustee Department a requisite form. The form states brief particulars of your Will (without its contents), so that upon your death, your personal representatives can make a search at the Wills Registry on whether you have made a Will. This will facilitate your family members in locating your Will or finding out whether you have made one.