Property & Inheritance Services
Will Drafting & RegistrationPromotional
Professional drafting and registration support for Wills covering asset distribution, beneficiaries, executors, and testamentary wishes.
- Estimate Cost
- ₹5,000 – ₹50,000 Concessional Price
- Typical duration
- 7 days
Service overview
- Legal assistance for preparing, reviewing, executing, and registering a Will to record a person's testamentary wishes regarding the distribution and management of their estate after death
- The service covers structuring the Will, identifying beneficiaries, dealing with movable and immovable assets, appointing an executor where appropriate, incorporating specific bequests and residuary provisions, and guiding the testator through proper execution and optional registration
- Under Section 59 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925, every person of sound mind who is not a minor may dispose of property by Will, subject to the applicable succession framework
Who needs it? / When is it needed?
- Individuals who wish to determine how their assets should devolve after death, particularly persons with substantial property, investments, business interests, multiple beneficiaries, dependants, or complex family arrangements
- It is also useful where a person wishes to clearly record specific bequests, appoint an executor, provide for particular beneficiaries, or reduce uncertainty and potential disputes concerning the administration of their estate
What to expect from the WCP Professionals
WCP professionals support you with:
- Review of the testator's assets, family circumstances and intended beneficiaries
- Identification of testamentary objectives
- Preparation or review of the Will
- Drafting of specific, residuary and conditional bequests where appropriate
- Appointment and consideration of the role of an executor
- Review of testamentary capacity and execution requirements
- Guidance regarding witnesses, registration, safekeeping, and subsequent amendments or codicils.
- The Will should accurately reflect the testator's instructions rather than merely reproduce a generic template.
Key deliverables
- Draft Will
- Asset and beneficiary schedule
- Identification of specific and residuary bequests
- Executor appointment provisions where required
- Guardianship provisions where legally appropriate
- Succession and distribution clauses
- Revocation of earlier Wills where intended
- Execution and witness instructions
- Registration guidance
- Document checklist
- Assistance with presentation for registration where included in the engagement
Standard turnaround time
- Initial drafting may generally be completed within an agreed professional timeline after receiving complete asset, family, beneficiary, and testamentary instructions.
- The overall timeline depends on the complexity of the estate, number of beneficiaries, nature of assets, revisions requested, availability of witnesses, and whether the testator chooses to register the Will.
Government fees, timelines & key outcomes
- Registration of a Will is generally optional under the Registration Act, 1908, and a Will may be presented or deposited for registration under the applicable statutory procedure.
- Registration fees, if applicable, depend on the relevant State rules and registration authority.
- Key outcomes include a properly drafted testamentary instrument reflecting the testator's wishes, valid execution in accordance with applicable law, and registration where the testator elects to register the Will.
Forms & filings involved
- The principal document is the Will itself.
- Where registration is chosen, presentation before the appropriate Registrar or Sub-Registrar and applicable registration documentation may be required.
- The Registration Act, 1908 permits a Will to be presented for registration by the testator during their lifetime and, after death, by a person claiming as executor or otherwise under the Will, subject to the statutory requirements.
- Codicils may also be prepared where the testator subsequently wishes to explain, alter, or add to the dispositions in the Will.
Documents required
- Identity and address proof of the testator
- Details of beneficiaries and the executor
- List of movable and immovable assets
- Title and ownership documents for property
- Bank, investment, insurance and shareholding details
- Details of liabilities, where relevant
- Any previous wills or codicils
- Identity documents of witnesses, where needed for execution or registration
What we need from you
- Full details of the testator
- Family structure
- Intended beneficiaries
- Relationship with each beneficiary
- Complete details of assets and liabilities
- Preferred distribution of assets
- Details of any specific bequests
- Proposed executor or executors
- Guardianship instructions where applicable
- Details of previous Wills
- Any particular conditions or wishes
- Whether registration of the Will is intended
Important conditions
- The testator must have the legal capacity to make the Will.
- Section 59 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925 provides that a person making a Will must be of sound mind and not a minor, and a Will made through fraud, coercion, or such importunity as destroys the testator's free agency is void under Section 61.
- For an unprivileged Will, Section 63 requires the testator's signature or mark and attestation by two or more witnesses in the manner prescribed by the section.
- Registration is not a substitute for proper execution and does not by itself eliminate all grounds on which a Will may be challenged.
Additional information
- A Will takes effect upon the death of the testator and may generally be altered or revoked during the testator's lifetime subject to applicable law.
- A codicil may be used to explain, alter, or add to provisions of an existing Will.
- Registration of a Will is optional under the Registration Act framework, and the Act permits Wills to be presented or deposited for registration.
- The applicable succession law may vary depending on the testator's personal law and circumstances, so the Will should be drafted after considering the nature of the assets, family structure, applicable succession rules, and any existing testamentary documents.
- The uploaded catalogue identifies both creation and registration of the Will as the intended scope of this service.
The estimated cost covers indicative professional fees only. Government fees, stamp duty and taxes are payable at actuals.
How it works
- 1. Raise a service enquiry describing your requirement.
- 2. A Relationship Manager reviews it and opens it for bidding.
- 3. Pay into escrow and assign the professional you select.
- 4. Track progress to completion, then accept and release payment.
Frequently asked questions
How many witnesses does a will need?
At least two witnesses who see the testator sign, and who should not be beneficiaries.
Is stamp duty payable on a will?
No. A will does not attract stamp duty; registration, if chosen, carries a nominal fee.
Can a will be changed?
Yes, at any time while the testator is alive, by a new will or a codicil.
Who should be the executor?
A trusted person able to administer the estate; it can be a beneficiary or a professional.