Is a video will legally valid? Video messages, compared with a will

A video message isn’t a will or legal advice. This page is general information; for your own situation, talk to an attorney where you live.

Is a video will legally valid?

In most US states and most countries, no. A will usually has to be a written document, signed by you and witnessed in a specific way. Some places recognise handwritten wills; very few recognise a recording on its own. A video of you saying who gets the house is, in nearly every case, not a will.

Attorneys sometimes record the signing of a written will as evidence that you were of sound mind and not under pressure. That recording supports the document; it doesn’t replace it.

What a video message is for

The things a will can’t hold:

• Why. “Your grandmother would have wanted you to have her ring. Here’s the story.”
• Stories. Where the family came from. How you met. The goat on the ferry.
• Thank-yous. Specific, to specific people.
• Hopes. For each person, in your own voice.
• Messages for the big days. An 18th birthday, years from now.

Estate planners sometimes call this an ethical will. It isn’t binding, and it’s often the part the family treasures most.

How iyawt fits alongside a will

	A legal will	iyawt
Decides who gets what	Yes	No
Legally binding	Yes	No
Delivered privately to each person	No; it’s a document	Yes, a private page per person
Arrives on a chosen date	No	Yes, on Milestones and Generations
Kept safe with a check-in process	No	Yes; see how

Keep your will with your attorney. Keep your messages with iyawt. Tell your trusted contact about both.

Where to start

The planning ahead page walks through the personal part of a plan, and the checklist beyond your will covers the practical things people forget.