Maine Statutory Will Form

No, in Maine, you do not need to notarize your will to make it legal. However, Maine allows you to make your will "self-proving" and you'll need to go to a notary if you want to do that. A self-proving will speeds up probate because the court can accept the will without contacting the witnesses who signed it.

To start the probate process, you need to file an Application for Probate in the probate court in the county where the decedent lived. In Maine, each county has its own probate court. If there is a Will, it needs to be submitted to the probate court. The probate judge will decide whether or not the Will is valid.

Only a few states provide statutory will forms. They are: California, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, and Wisconsin.

As long as it was properly signed and witnessed by two adult independent witnesses who are present at the time you sign your will, it should be legally binding.Using the wrong wording could mean that your instructions aren't followed, or even that your will isn't valid.

In Maine, anyone aged 18 or older who is of sound mind can make a Will. When you write your Will, you list all your property and who you want to give it to after you die (these people are called your beneficiaries).

In addition, Maine allows a will to be made without witnesses if it is written by hand by the testator and signed at the end. 18-A M.R.S.A. § 2-503. This is called a holographic will.