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Will Requirements in the District of Columbia

A District of Columbia will must be signed by the testator and attested by at least two credible witnesses, there is no statutory notarized self-proving affidavit, and handwritten unwitnessed wills are not valid.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

District of Columbia at a glance

Witnesses
2 witnesses
Self-proving affidavit
No statutory procedure
Handwritten (holographic) wills
Not recognized

Sources

Last checked

The rules in District of Columbia

How many witnesses does a will need in the District of Columbia?

A will in the District of Columbia must be signed in front of two witnesses, who sign it too.

Can a will be self-proved in the District of Columbia?

District of Columbia law has no self-proving affidavit procedure for wills.

Is a handwritten will valid in the District of Columbia?

No. District of Columbia does not recognize unwitnessed handwritten wills made under its own law.

Where do the District of Columbia rules for wills come from?

They come from D.C. Code 18-103 and D.C. Code 20-312. We last checked them in October 2026. Laws change, so check the current statute before you rely on it.

How District of Columbia compares

27 jurisdictions recognize handwritten wills; District of Columbia is not one of them, so a will made there should be witnessed.

What this means in practice

Sign the will in front of all the witnesses at the same time and have them sign right after you. Many people choose adult witnesses who receive nothing under the will, which avoids questions later.

Keep the signed original somewhere safe and tell your executor where it is. A copy is usually not enough to probate a will.

Changing a will later takes the same formalities: sign a codicil or a new will with witnesses, rather than writing changes on the original.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.