After Your Will: Safekeeping, the Wills Registry and Wills Repository, Reviews and Amendments

Making a will is only the first step. Keep the original safe, tell your executor or family where it is, review it when your circumstances change, and never amend it by hand. This guide explains each of these. It also covers the Wills Registry and the new Wills Repository of the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL), which keeps a secure digital copy of your will.

Where should I keep my will and who should know about it? #

Your family members or executor(s) may not know that you have made a will, or may not be able to find it. This defeats the whole purpose of making a will. So tell your executor(s) and/or your close ones where you keep your original will.

If a lawyer prepared your will, you may ask your lawyer to lodge the requisite form at the Wills Registry, now managed by SAL. The form states brief particulars of your will, without its contents. After your death, your personal representatives can search the Wills Registry to find out whether you made a will. This helps your family locate your will or confirm that one exists.

You may also ask us to deposit a digital copy of your will with the SAL Wills Repository (see below).

What is the Wills Registry in Singapore? #

The Wills Registry is a confidential registry set up under the Ministry of Law. The Public Trustee’s Office used to maintain it. Since 4 May 2020, the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) has managed it at wills.sal.sg. It is a national database of information about wills, such as who drew up a will and the location of the original. It does not keep your will or its contents.

The Wills Registry gives individuals a convenient way to record skeletal information about their wills. Next of kin can then search it to find out whether a person made a will during his lifetime. The service is optional, so the registry does not record every will.

You do not need to register a Singapore will with any authority for it to be valid. To deposit your will information with the Wills Registry, you pay the relevant fee. The registry records only brief particulars, such as the date of your will and the location of the original, not its contents. It does not hold your will or a copy of it. If you would like SAL to keep a digital copy securely, see the Wills Repository below. For the requirements of a valid will, see our guide on wills in Singapore.

What is the SAL Wills Repository and how does it differ from the Wills Registry? #

The Wills Repository is a new service that SAL launched on 9 September 2026. It builds on the Wills Registry. The registry records only that a will exists, who prepared it and where the original is. The Wills Repository goes further. It lets you deposit a secure digital copy of your signed will with SAL.

After your death, the persons you have nominated can retrieve the digital copy. This helps if your family cannot find the original, or if there is doubt over which will is your latest. For details, see SAL’s announcement of the Wills Repository.

Can I deposit my will with SAL myself? #

No. The service is only available through law firms that take part in it with SAL. You instruct the law firm and nominate the persons who may access the digital copy. The law firm then deposits the digital copy with SAL on your behalf.

Loh Eben Ong LLP is a participating law firm. If you would like us to do this, let us know when you submit your instructions through our online wills form, or at your signing appointment. If you signed your will with us earlier, email us at info@law.com.sg.

Who can see the digital copy of my will? #

Only the persons you nominate and authorise, and only after your death. SAL protects the digital copies with encryption and strict access controls. It keeps them for up to 120 years from your date of birth.

Most people nominate their executors or close family. Choose people you trust, and tell them that you have nominated them.

Does the digital copy replace my original will? #

No. A digital copy does not replace your original signed will. It also does not decide whether your will is valid. Keep the original safe.

This matters in practice. Suppose you kept your original will yourself, and nobody can find it after your death. The court may then presume that you destroyed it intending to revoke it. A copy helps your family show that the will existed and what it said. However, your executors may still need to apply to court to prove the will from the copy. The original remains the best evidence.

How much does it cost to use the Wills Repository? #

Our fee for arranging the deposit is $100. You pay SAL’s fee, if any, in addition to our fee.

Can I use the Wills Repository for a will I have already made? #

Yes. If we prepared your will, we can arrange the deposit. If someone else prepared your will, we will need to review it first. SAL requires the participating law firm to prepare or review the will before depositing it.

Our review may show that the will no longer reflects your wishes. In that case, it may be better to make a fresh will before we deposit a copy.

What if I make a new will later? #

Tell us when you sign a new will or codicil. We can then deposit a digital copy of it, so that SAL always holds a copy of your latest will. You should also update your Wills Registry record.

When should I review my will? #

Marriage or re-marriage cancels your will, unless you made the will in contemplation of that marriage.

You should review your will if any of the following happens:

1. You change your name, or anyone mentioned in the will changes his.
2. An executor or trustee dies or becomes unsuitable to act due to age or ill-health.
3. A beneficiary dies.
4. You subsequently sell or part with any property mentioned in the will.
5. There is any significant change in circumstances, eg. you acquire property or assets that your will does not mention.
6. You divorce. Unlike marriage, divorce does not cancel your will in Singapore, so a gift to your former spouse may still take effect.

Review your will regularly, and whenever your personal circumstances change. Remember also that your CPF nomination, not your will, deals with your CPF monies, and marriage affects a CPF nomination too. See our guide on CPF money, CPF nominations and your will.

Can I amend my will myself? #

No. Never try to change your will by crossing parts out, adding words in, or attaching anything to it. Doing so may make your will ineffective or invalid.

If you wish to change your will, either:

• make a fresh will to revoke and supersede the earlier will, or
• prepare a supplemental will, ie. a codicil.

If you would like us to prepare a fresh will or codicil, see our guide on our will fees and how to engage us.