What You Need to Know About Creating Your Will in New Hampshire

All states have specific laws about what counts as a legally valid will and it is important to be aware of the specifications before crafting your own will. A consultation with an experienced and dedicated New Hampshire estate planning lawyer can help you avoid many of the most common missteps that could lead to will contests and will challenges in the future.

In order to finalize a will in New Hampshire, you must sign the will in front of two witnesses and the witnesses must sign your will in front of you, per New Hampshire RSA 511:2. It’s a good idea to have a lawyer in your corner from the time you decide to draft a will so that you feel confident all your concerns are covered.

You do not have to have your will notarized in New Hampshire in order for it to be legal. New Hampshire does enable you to use a self-proving will but if you intend to go this route you will need to go to a notary to do that.

A self-proving will is often recommended to speed up the process of probate because the court is able to accept the will as legally valid without contacting the witnesses who were present at the time you signed it.

You will need to visit your notary and sign an affidavit stating who each of you are and that each of you knew you were signing a will. If you have questions about creating or revoking a will in New Hampshire, it’s advisable to speak first with an experienced estate planning lawyer.