Start My Scottish Will

Make a Will in Scotland – Online, Fixed Fee, From £99

Making a will in Scotland online takes about ten minutes. You answer a guided form, we draft your Scots-law-specific Will Pack, a real person reviews it, and you sign at home with one witness. Fixed price: £99 for a single will, £149 for mirror wills (a couple). No solicitor appointment, no hourly bills.

If you are ready to start, begin your Scottish will here. Most people finish the questions in around ten minutes, and the reviewed Will Pack arrives by email within two business days.

If you want the full picture before you start, the rest of this page covers who can make a Scottish will under Scots law, what the will must legally contain, and the common mistakes that catch people out.

Contents

1. Who can make a will in Scotland?

In Scotland, you can make a will if:

  • You are aged 12 or over (Scotland’s minimum age is much lower than England’s 18, under section 2 of the Age of Legal Capacity (Scotland) Act 1991)
  • You have mental capacity to understand what a will is and what it does
  • You are making the will freely, without pressure from anyone else

That third point, free will, no pressure, is what Scots lawyers call freedom from undue influence. It matters because a will signed under duress can be challenged later.

Most Scottish adults satisfy all three conditions without thinking about them. If there is doubt about mental capacity (for example, in cases of dementia), a solicitor or doctor’s involvement may be sensible.

2. What a Scottish will must contain to be legally valid

Under the Requirements of Writing (Scotland) Act 1995, a will is legally valid in Scotland if:

  • It is in writing (handwritten, typed, or printed, all fine)
  • It is subscribed (signed) by you on every sheet
  • It is signed by one witness who is over 16 and of sound mind

That single witness signature creates the legal presumption that you did sign, making the will self-proving. Self-proving wills do not need additional evidence at the point of Confirmation.

The will itself should also include:

  • A statement that this is your last will and testament
  • The appointment of one or more executors (the people who will administer your estate)
  • Your wishes for who inherits, your beneficiaries
  • Any specific gifts or legacies you want to leave
  • The appointment of guardians for any children under 16, if relevant
  • Your signature and the witness signature on the final page

Our Scottish will roles and clauses page covers each of these in more detail.

3. Three routes – and why this page focuses on online

Scottish families have three practical options for making a will: DIY templates (cheapest, but template wording is often not Scots-law-correct and small errors invalidate sections); online guided services like ScottishWill (fixed £99/£149, Scots-law-specific, human-reviewed); and high-street solicitors (£300 to £600+, the right route for complex estates with overseas assets, trust arrangements, or significant inheritance tax planning).

You are reading this page because you have already decided online is the route that fits. The rest of this page focuses on that path. For the full three-way comparison, see our Scottish will cost guide and our best online Scottish will services comparison.

4. Step-by-step: making your Scottish will with ScottishWill

Here is how the online process actually runs.

  1. Start the online form. You answer questions about your family, your estate, your executors, and your wishes. The form takes about ten minutes for most people.
  2. We draft the will. Our team builds your Scots-law-specific Will Pack from your answers.
  3. A real person reviews it. We do not send out unreviewed drafts.
  4. Your Will Pack arrives by email. Usually within two business days.
  5. You print it. All pages, on standard A4 paper.
  6. You sign every page in front of your witness. The witness must be 16+ and of sound mind.
  7. Your witness signs the final page. That is enough for a self-proving will under the 1995 Act.
  8. You store the original somewhere safe and tell your executors where it is.

Detailed signing instructions are on our signing a will properly in Scotland guide.

5. Common mistakes when making a will in Scotland

These are the recurring errors that make Scottish wills fail or trigger disputes.

  • Using an English template: English wills require two witnesses; Scottish wills require one. Other phrasing (legal rights, executors, intestacy fallbacks) differs too.
  • Forgetting to sign every page: the 1995 Act requires the granter to subscribe on every sheet of a multi-page will for the self-proving presumption to apply.
  • Not appointing a substitute executor: if your only named executor dies before you do, the appointment fails. Its better to always name a backup.
  • Not updating the will after a major life event: marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, or the death of a beneficiary all change what you would want, but they do not automatically change what your will says.

For more on keeping the will current, see our updating your will in Scotland guide.

Quick FAQs about making a will in Scotland

Do I need a solicitor to make a will in Scotland?

No. The Requirements of Writing (Scotland) Act 1995 does not require a solicitor’s involvement. A guided online service or even a carefully prepared DIY will is legally valid if it meets the formal rules.

How long does it take to make a Scottish will online?

Most people finish the questions in around ten minutes. The reviewed Will Pack is emailed to you within two business days.

What happens if I die without a will in Scotland?

Your estate is distributed under the Succession (Scotland) Act 1964, which sets out who inherits and in what order. The result is often not what people would have chosen themselves, particularly for cohabitants, second-marriage families, or anyone with stepchildren. Our intestacy in Scotland guide covers this in detail.

Can my partner be a witness if we are not married?

Yes. Under Scots law, a witness only needs to be over 16 and of sound mind. There is no rule that prevents a beneficiary from acting as a witness, and no rule that voids a gift simply because the witness is also a beneficiary. That restriction is English law, not Scots law.

Do I need to register my Scottish will somewhere?

No. Scottish wills are not registered during your lifetime. After your death, your executors will use the will to apply for Confirmation through the Sheriff Court, that is the Scottish equivalent of probate.

Ready to make your will in Scotland?

If your situation is reasonably straightforward and you want a fixed cost and a clear process, you can start your Scottish will online here. The process usually takes around ten minutes, and your completed Will Pack is emailed to you within two business days.

If you have any questions at all, you can contact us, we’re here to help.