How to Republish (Affirm the Contents) of a Will
by: Atlanta Legal Aid Society Seniors Hotline
HOW TO REPUBLISH (AFFIRM THE CONTENTS) OF A WILL
Ellie Crosby Georgia Senior Legal Hotline Atlanta Legal Aid Society Last Revised: November 2003
Georgia Law provides that a testator (the person making the will) may reaffirm the contents of a will at any time by re-signing the will in front of new witnesses.
This is often a good option where a will was executed without a self-proving affidavit. A self-proving affidavit will make it easier during the probate of a will because there will be no need to find the witnesses later and have them sign an affidavit. This should speed the process of verifying your will.
If you have a previous will and do not want to make any changes to the body of the will you can republish your will by signing it again in front of new witnesses. You may do this by making a new signature line for yourself and your two new witnesses.Then you should fill out the enclosed self-proving affidavit and you and your witnesses must sign in front of a notary public. It is best that this be done at the same time that you all sign the will. You, your witnesses and the notary must all sign in the presence of each other.
It is very important that you do not make any changes to the body of the will itself. Even a stray mark could cause problems later.
If you have any questions about republishing a will or about how a self-proving affidavit works, please feel free to call the Georgia Senior Legal Hotline and speak with a lawyer about your situation. The purpose of this instruction sheet is to provide general information about how a self-proving affidavit works and should not be construed as providing specific legal advice in any one situation.
Please call the hotline at (404) 657-9915 if you have questions.
Ellie Crosby Georgia Senior Legal Hotline Atlanta Legal Aid Society Last Revised: November 2003
Last Reviewed On: 05/30/02
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