How To Sign Your Will In Victoria During COVID-19

By Nicholas Marouchak

23 August 2020 - 3 min read

How to Sign Your Will



In order to maintain social distancing and in some cases, remain in our homes, the Victorian Government has introduced the COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) (Electronic Signing and Witnessing) Regulations 2020.

Electronic Signature Statement


In Victoria, you can electronically sign your will in a number of ways including signing a PDF on a tablet, smartphone or laptop using a stylus or finger.

When using an e-signature, the person signing must write or stamp under their e-signature a statement indicating that the document was electronically signed in accordance with the Regulations.

An example of a valid e-signature statement if signing electronically is this:

This document was electronically signed in accordance with the COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) (Electronic Signing and Witnessing) Regulations 2020.


Each witness is still required to fulfill all existing obligations under the Wills Act 1997, which means you still need 2 witnesses and they need to see you sign.

The following steps 1 to 7 must all occur on the same day for your will to be validly signed:

  1. Have yourself and 2 witnesses appear on a video call together.
  2. Each of the 2 witnesses must see you sign your will either electronically or the printed hard copy. Remember, if you sign it electronically, you must include the e-signature statement underneath your signature (see above)
  3. You then email a copy of your will to the first remote witness. This document has your signature on it.

  4. The first remote witness then does this:

    • They sign your will (in the appropriate part) either electrically or they sign a printed hard copy. Remember, if they sign electronically, they must include the e-signature statement underneath their signature (see above)
    • Underneath their signature, the witness must also write this statement:
    • This document was witnessed via audio-visual link in accordance with the COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) (Electronic Signing and Witnessing) Regulations 2020
    • The witness then emails a copy of the will to the second remote witness. This document has your signature on it and the first witness’s signature.

  5. The second remote witness then does this:

    • Signs your will (in the appropriate part) either electrically or signs a printed hard copy. If they sign electronically, they must include the e-signature statement.
    • Underneath their signature, the witness must also write this statement:
    • This document was electronically signed in accordance with the COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) (Electronic Signing and Witnessing) Regulations 2020.
    • The witness then emails you a copy of the will with all the signatures on it.
  6. When you receive a copy of your will signed by all witnesses, on that copy you write the following: This copy is a true copy of the will signed by me [your name]. The conditions in the COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) (Electronic Signing and Witnessing) Regulations 2020 have been met
  7. You sign and date the document again. If signing electronically write the e-signature statement. The result is that there is one copy of the will on which all the signatures and statements appear. This copy is your legally signed will.


Re-sign After Pandemic Ends (optional)


After the pandemic ends, you can re-sign your will with wet ink in the traditional way (e.g have your will witnessed in the presence of two witnesses). If you do that, destroy/delete the one that was signed electronically. This is optional.

More Information


For more information, visit https://www.justice.vic.gov.au/electronicwitnessing

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