Temporary Will for Expats In Thailand
Put Basic Arrangements in Place While You Prepare a Proper Will
It is designed to be completed on screen, then printed, signed and witnessed.
What Is the Temporary Will?
The Expat Tax Thailand Temporary Will is a simple document designed for people who currently have no adequate will in place.
It gives you a structured way to record some of the most important decisions you would want your family and those dealing with your estate to understand, including:
- Who you would like to deal with your estate
- Who should receive your assets
- Your wishes regarding the care of your children
- Any specific gifts or funeral wishes
It also includes guidance on how to complete, sign, witness and store the document.
The aim is simple: to help you put something basic in place now rather than continue with nothing in writing at all.
A Temporary Measure While You Arrange a Proper Will
We do not recommend a template will as a long-term solution.
A properly drafted will should reflect your actual family circumstances, assets and wishes. For expats, it may also need to work alongside assets, beneficiaries and legal arrangements in more than one country.
This Temporary Will is deliberately different.
It is an emergency stop-gap for someone who currently has nothing adequate in place, while they arrange a properly drafted will.
Completing the Temporary Will should therefore be a first step towards putting your succession arrangements in place, not the final step.
Who Is It For?
The Temporary Will may be useful if you:
- Do not currently have a will
- Have been meaning to make a will but have not yet done so
- Live in Thailand and hold assets here
- Want to record who should deal with your estate
- Want to record who should receive your assets
- Have children and want to record your wishes regarding their care
- Want to put basic temporary protection in place for the people you care about while you arrange a properly drafted will
It is intended to provide a basic level of temporary protection and clarity while you put proper succession arrangements in place.
Already Have a Will? Read This First
If you already have a will in Thailand or another country, do not sign another will without understanding how the documents may interact.
A new will can affect an existing will, sometimes unintentionally.
The Temporary Will includes a specific warning and an option for people who already have a will. If you are unsure how an existing Thai or overseas will may be affected, you should obtain advice before signing another one.
Simple to Complete
The Temporary Will is designed to be straightforward.
You can complete the main information on screen before printing the document.
You should then:
- Print the complete document
- Sign it by hand
- Have two appropriate witnesses present when it is signed
- Have the witnesses sign it correctly
- Store the signed original somewhere safe and accessible
Do not sign the Temporary Will electronically.
Full signing and witnessing instructions are included with the document.
Why Put Something in Place Now?
Making a will is something many people intend to do but repeatedly postpone.
If nothing is in place, the people you care about may be left without a clear record of:
- Who you wanted to deal with your estate
- Who you wanted to receive your assets
- Any specific gifts you wanted to make
- Your wishes regarding the care of your children
The Temporary Will gives you a practical way to record those wishes now, rather than leave them undocumented.
It should not be treated as the final solution. The recommendation is to put a properly drafted will in place as soon as reasonably possible.
Speak to Our Team
If you already have a will, have assets or family connections in more than one country or are unsure what arrangements you need, speak to our team.
We can help you understand the next step and whether you need a Thai will, coordinated overseas wills or wider succession planning.
Put Something in Place Now
If you currently have no adequate will in place, the Temporary Will gives you a simple way to put your basic wishes in writing now.
Complete it, sign it correctly and keep it somewhere safe.
Then arrange a properly drafted will as soon as possible.
This Temporary Will is an interim measure only and should be replaced by a properly drafted will as soon as possible.