An Alabama last will and testament is a written legal document a testator uses to direct how their property passes after death, prepared in the manner Alabama Code Title 43 requires. Alabama law requires the will to be signed by the testator and witnessed by at least two people who saw the signing or the testator's acknowledgment of it.
On this page you can get a free Alabama last will and testament template to fill in and print. Below you will also find the state's signing and witness rules, a step-by-step guide to completing the document, and answers to common questions about last wills in Alabama.
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Last Updated: September 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current Alabama law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.
Under Alabama law, a valid last will must be in writing and signed by the testator, or by another person in the testator's presence and at the testator's direction. It must also be signed by at least two witnesses who watched the signing or the testator's acknowledgment of the will.[2] The testator must also be 18 years of age or older and of sound mind to make a will.[1]
| Requirements | State laws | |
| Signing requirement | Two witnesses | §43-8-131. Execution and signature of will, witnesses |
| Age and capacity of testator | 18 or older and of sound mind | §43-8-130. Who may make a will |
| Handwritten wills | Must still be in writing and witnessed like any other will | §43-8-131. Execution and signature of will, witnesses |
| Revocation | By a subsequent will that revokes the prior will or part of it, expressly or by inconsistency | §43-8-136. Revocation |
"Except as provided within section 43-8-135, every will shall be in writing signed by the testator or in the testator's name by some other person in the testator's presence and by his or her direction, and shall be signed by at least two persons each of whom witnessed either the signing or the testator's acknowledgment of the signature or of the will."
A last will and testament is sometimes called simply a "will" or a "testament." A living will is a different document that covers end-of-life medical care, not property distribution.
Follow these seven steps to complete an Alabama last will and testament using this free template. The steps run from choosing how you want to prepare the document to signing it in front of two qualified witnesses so it holds up under Alabama law.
Use the button below to build your Alabama last will online, then download it as a PDF or Word file to print, sign, and store with your other estate planning documents.
A handwritten Alabama will is not automatically invalid. Alabama's formalities statute treats it the same as a typed document, so the writing itself does not need to come from a computer or a lawyer's office.[2] What matters is whether the will meets the same rules as any other Alabama will, starting with the testator's own signature and at least two qualified witnesses. A page of handwriting with no witnesses is unlikely to be accepted as a valid will in Alabama.
A will needs two witnesses to watch it get signed before Alabama will recognize it, whether the testator drafted the document alone at the kitchen table or worked with an estate planning attorney to prepare it properly.[2] Each witness has to watch the testator sign the will, or watch the testator confirm an existing signature or the document itself. The testator also has to sign, either in person or through someone acting in the testator's presence and at the testator's direction.
An Alabama will needs at least two credible witnesses watching the signing before a probate court will treat the document as valid once the testator has died and the will is offered for probate.[2] Two more conditions sit alongside that witness rule in the Code of Alabama. The will has to be in writing,[2] and the person making it has to be 18 or older and of sound mind.[1]
Alabama statute says that a last will can be valid without getting a notary public to certify it. But, you can make your last will self-proving by attaching an affidavit to the document, and you’ll need to hire a notary if you’d like to make it happen. In the event that you make your last will self-proving, the court won’t have to make contact with the witnesses to establish the credibility of the document, which is going to expedite the probate.
You can leave your spouse out of a last will and testament, but Alabama law still protects them with a minimum share of the estate. Alabama is not a community property state, so property is not automatically split evenly between spouses the way it is in a community property state.
Yes, it is possible to alter it.
In Alabama, if you haven’t engaged in a contract saying the opposite, you are allowed to annul or alter your last will at any moment.
In case the will has been lost or destroyed, as per the Alabama law, the court can recognize it. But, the probate court is not likely to admit anything other than the initial version of the last will and testament to probate.
Alabama law offers a presumption that the will’s absence means it has been annulled. This puts the obligation on the advocate of the last will and testament to present proof of the said last will.
The process will get far more difficult when considering a holographic will. In order to provide proof of its validity, the court requires testimony and sword witnesses. The cause for not producing the last will and its contents has to be proven too.
| Related documents | When to create it |
| Codicil | You would like to make a single or a few small modifications to your will. |
| Self-proving affidavit | You would like to expedite the probate later on. |
| Living will | You want to express your wishes regarding the end-of-life medical care and life-prolonging measures. |
| Living trust | You want to take care of your end-of-life matters without probate. |
Every state sets its own signing and witness rules for a last will and testament. Use the links below to find a free last will and testament template and the specific state law requirements for another state.
This page is general information about Alabama last wills, not legal advice. For advice on your situation, talk to an Alabama attorney.
Unless noted otherwise, the sources below are from the Ala. Code.
