Will Writing Orkney | Online Scottish Wills from £99

Orkney has a population of just over 22,000 people across roughly 70 islands, with most of life centred on Kirkwall and Stromness. The number of high-street solicitor firms offering private-client work locally is small, and a basic will from one of them can still cost £300 to £600+, the mainland price tag, with the added inconvenience of fitting an appointment around the local diary.

For most Orkney residents with a normal estate, that price and that wait are unnecessary. ScottishWill is a fixed £99 online will writing service, built specifically for Scots law, with every will reviewed by a real person before delivery.

If you simply want to start, you can make your Scottish will online here. The process usually takes around ten minutes.

Contents

• 1. Why Orkney residents are choosing online Scottish wills
• 2. How ScottishWill works for Orkney customers
• 3. Orkney solicitor wills vs ScottishWill: the honest comparison
• 4. Is an online will legally valid in Orkney?
• 5. When you should still see an Orkney solicitor
• 6. Quick FAQs: wills in Orkney

1. Why Orkney residents are choosing online Scottish wills

Three things drive most of the choice:

• Cost: a basic single will from an Orkney solicitor sits in the same broad range as the rest of Scotland: £300 to £600+. ScottishWill is £99 (or £149 for a couple). Same legal job, very different price.
• Practicality: solicitor appointments on Orkney often book out, and complex matters can mean a trip to the mainland. With ScottishWill, the whole process happens online from anywhere with internet. Kirkwall, Stromness, the West Mainland, Hoy, Sanday, Westray. Print and sign at home with one witness.
• Scots-law-specific: Orkney is part of Scotland for everything that matters in succession law. Your will is governed by Scots law, the same as if you lived in Edinburgh. ScottishWill is built for Scots law only.

For most Orkney families with a home, savings, perhaps some pensions, and a clear idea of who they want to inherit, that combination is enough.

2. How ScottishWill works for Orkney customers

The process is the same wherever you live in Scotland: Orkney, Shetland, the Highlands, or further south.

Step 1: Answer the questions online. A guided form covers your family, your executors, your wishes, and any specific gifts. Most people finish in around ten minutes.

Step 2: We draft and review. Our team builds your Scots-law-specific Will Pack and a real person reviews it before delivery. No auto-generated PDFs going straight to your inbox.

Step 3: Sign at home with one witness. Your reviewed Will Pack arrives within two business days. You print it, sign every page in front of one witness (over 16 and of sound mind), and the witness signs the final page. That is enough for a self-proving will under the Requirements of Writing (Scotland) Act 1995.

You then store the signed original somewhere safe and tell your executors where it is. After your death, your executors will use it to apply for Confirmation through Kirkwall Sheriff Court.

For the detailed signing rules, see our signing a will properly in Scotland guide.

3. Orkney solicitor wills vs ScottishWill: the honest comparison

Here is the comparison most Orkney residents are quietly working out for themselves.

The headline cost difference is real. An Orkney solicitor’s £400 will is doing the same legal job as a ScottishWill £99. Your money is paying for office overhead, partner billable rates, and longer drafting time on a document that for most people is not legally complex.

For the wider price picture, see our Scottish will cost guide.

4. Is an online will legally valid in Orkney?

Yes. The law that governs Scottish will validity is the Requirements of Writing (Scotland) Act 1995, which applies across the whole of Scotland, Orkney included.

The 1995 Act says a Scottish will is valid if it is:

• In writing
• Subscribed (signed) by you on every sheet
• Signed by one witness who is over 16 and of sound mind

The witness signature creates the legal presumption that you did sign the will, which makes it self-proving.

Nothing in the Act requires the will to be drafted by a solicitor or signed in any particular building. An Orkney resident can sign a fully valid Scottish will at the kitchen table in Kirkwall, with one neighbour as witness, and it has the same legal force as a will signed in an Edinburgh solicitor’s boardroom. Your executors will later apply for Confirmation through Kirkwall Sheriff Court, which covers the whole of the Orkney Islands area.

For more on this, see our online wills validity guide.

5. When you should still see an Orkney solicitor

We are honest about the limits.

If your situation includes any of the following, an online service is not the right answer. Speak to a Scottish solicitor who specialises in succession planning instead.

• Crofting tenancies: a croft tenancy is not bequeathed in the same way as ordinary property. Under the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993, the tenancy can be left by will to one natural person, but the legatee has only 12 months to give formal notice to the landlord, and the rules around intestate succession of a croft are statutory.
• Udal land complexities: Orkney and Shetland still hold pockets of land tenure derived from udal law, including in some cases foreshore rights that extend further than on the Scottish mainland. If you believe any of your property is held udally, a local Orkney solicitor is the right call.
• Significant overseas assets: property abroad. Foreign pensions. Cross-border investments.
• Complex trust arrangements: trusts for disabled beneficiaries, second-marriage protections, business succession structures.
• Substantial inheritance tax planning: if the main reason you are writing a will is to mitigate IHT on a sizeable estate.
• Disputed family situations: estranged children, contested marriages, blended families with potential challenges.

Our do I need a solicitor for a Scottish will guide covers the full trade-off.

Quick FAQs: wills in Orkney

Do I need a local Orkney solicitor to make a Scottish will?

No. Scots law applies the same way across Scotland. A will signed in Kirkwall, Edinburgh, or Stornoway is governed by the same Requirements of Writing (Scotland) Act 1995.

How much does a will cost in Orkney?

Solicitor fees in Orkney sit in the same general range as the rest of Scotland: typically £300 to £600+ for a basic single will. ScottishWill is £99 (or £149 for mirror wills).

Where will my Orkney will be processed after I die?

Your executors will apply for Confirmation at Kirkwall Sheriff Court, which covers the whole of the Orkney Islands area. Confirmation is the Scottish equivalent of probate.

Can I sign my Scottish will at home in Orkney?

Yes. The 1995 Act does not require any particular location. You can sign at your kitchen table in Kirkwall, in a sitting room in Stromness, or anywhere else convenient. What matters is that you sign every page in the presence of one witness who meets the requirements.

What if I have a croft: can I still use ScottishWill for the rest of my estate?

Crofting tenancy succession is statutory and sits outside the scope of an online will service. If your estate includes a croft tenancy, the safer route is to use a Scottish solicitor familiar with crofting law for your full will.

What if I move from England to Orkney: is my old English will still valid?

It may be, but it was probably drafted under English law (Wills Act 1837), which differs from Scots law in several places. Most people who move to Scotland are best served by a fresh Scottish will.

Ready to write your Orkney Scottish will online?

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.