Will You Make a Will Before You Move Abroad?

Did you know that of the 2,700 people who will die in the UK today, 2,000 won’t have made a will and that they will die intestate, that the state will decide how their assets are distributed, and they will of course have no ongoing say over how any children under the age of 18 are cared for.

We don’t have the figures for the numbers of expatriates who die intestate every day but here’s a question for you – will you make a will before you move abroad?  The answer is probably ‘no’ for the vast majority of people.  You see, making a will means facing up to our own mortality – therefore none of us relish the thought of having to do it.

Yet if you want to have any say over how your affairs are handled when you die, if you want to make sure your loved ones are cared for and you want everything handled correctly so that the authorities at home and abroad know how your estate should be handled, then you – as an expatriate – have a very real and pressing requirement to write a will.  And with 2 brand new and fantastic services available, one of which can even offer some people a free will, (a service tried and tested by us and proven to work), what’s stopping you getting your affairs in order today?

Writing a Will Before You Move Abroad

If you’re about to move abroad and you want to get all loose ends tied up in the UK before you go, one of the most important things to get written down and witnessed is your will so that if anything happens to you, your family and loved ones know how to handle your estate according to your wishes.  A service called Totally Free Wills offers you the chance to set up your straightforward will online in a simple four-step process that requires very little time and almost no effort.  If yours is a straightforward will then yes, it really and truly is 100% free.  As stated, we at Shelter Offshore have tested the service and it works!

You enter your details online, there is an online identity verification service that is based around where you’re registered to vote – i.e., it compares the details you entered with what is on the electoral register for you.  If you can’t be identified you get a friendly phone call asking for passport or driving license details so that the people running the scheme can make sure you’re not trying to write a will for someone else and steal all their money, and away you go!  You fill in a form that guides you through how you want your estate divided up, you’re allowed to make special bequests to families or charities, and finally a solicitor in the UK contacts you with your typed up will, you sign it, get it witnessed and send it back.  The solicitors store your will and send you a copy – all for free.

So, how could it be any simpler for you to set up your will before you go?  What excuse have you got for not getting it sorted.  A) it’s free and B) it’s quick and easy!

Writing a Will After You’ve Moved Abroad

If you’ve moved abroad already and have yet to set up your will you can still make use of the service from Totally Free Wills, but there will be further personal ID verification required, and if you have any assets overseas that need to be included in the will, then this all gets slightly more complex and you may have to engage the services of a solicitor.  At this point you start having to pay – although you do get a £25 rebate from the service.  But if this doesn’t sound like the best route for you, you can make use of the service offered by Wills for Expatriates.  As the name of the company suggests, they specialise in wills for expats!

They understand more about the complex nature of inheritance taxation once you move abroad and potentially have assets in more than one country to take care of.  The service is not free, however it is highly cost effective, straightforward and you’re given best advice by professionals who understand how complex taxation and inheritance affairs can be for expats.  The services is as professional and well thought out as the one offered by Totally Free Wills – therefore whichever method of approach you choose, whichever path you decide to follow, you really have no excuse after reading this article not to get your affairs in order.

Get a will written, that way you avoid the potential disastrous situations that your loved ones could face if you, as an expat,  fail to have a will in place that is correctly written, structured and witnessed so that it is 100% legal and valid back home and in the new nation you’re residing in.