Your personal and family paperwork, sorted

When you decide who inherits. A will lets you direct how your assets pass and appoint an executor. Under the Wills Act it must be in writing, signed by the testator and witnessed by two people who are not beneficiaries, or the gift to a witness fails.

When you must declare a fact. A statutory declaration or affidavit is a formal statement of truth used for change of particulars, proof of identity, a lost document and many official purposes, made under the Oaths and Declarations Act before a Commissioner for Oaths or notary.

When you plan for loss of capacity. A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) under the Mental Capacity Act lets you appoint a donee to make decisions about your welfare and property if you can no longer decide for yourself, with the safeguards the Act requires.

When you give something away or change your name. A gift deed records a transfer made without consideration, and a deed of change of name (with a statutory declaration) records a new name for use across your official records.

• Wills: with executor, gifts and the two-witness execution that the Wills Act requires.
• Statutory declarations and affidavits: for change of particulars, identity, lost documents and official use.
• Lasting Powers of Attorney and ordinary powers of attorney: for welfare, property and specific transactions.
• Gift deeds: for movable property and supporting documents for gifts within the family.
• Name-change documents: deed poll and statutory declaration formats for updating official records.

Wills in Singapore are governed by the Wills Act, derived from the English Wills Act 1838. A valid will must be in writing, signed by the testator at the foot and attested by two witnesses present at the same time; crucially, a witness (or that witness's spouse) cannot take a benefit under the will, or the gift to them is void. Where a person dies without a valid will, the Intestate Succession Act sets the order of distribution, and the estate is administered under the Probate and Administration Act. For Muslims, succession is dealt with under the Administration of Muslim Law Act, which applies faraid principles, so a different regime can apply.

Capacity planning has its own statute. The Mental Capacity Act provides for a Lasting Power of Attorney, which must be made on the prescribed form, certified by an authorised person and registered with the Office of the Public Guardian to be effective; it is the document that avoids a costly deputyship application later.

Declarations turn on execution. Under the Oaths and Declarations Act, a statutory declaration or affidavit must be made before a Commissioner for Oaths or a notary public to carry weight. A name change is commonly effected by a deed poll supported by a statutory declaration, after which identity and official records are updated. Note that Singapore has no estate duty, which was abolished in 2008, so passing on assets is about valid documents rather than death tax.

• Drafted for the Wills Act, the Probate and Administration Act and the Intestate Succession Act.
• Built with the Mental Capacity Act (LPA) and the Oaths and Declarations Act in mind.
• Reviewed by legal professionals, with the witnessing and form requirements built in.
• Ready to use as PDF and Word, so you can sign, witness or register without delay.
• Practical structure: guided fields for parties, assets, executors, donees and witnesses.