New Digital Wills Repository Service Free Until End-March 2027

This article was first published on 9 September 2026 in the Singapore Mandarin broadsheet, Lianhe Zaobao.

SLW obtained permission to reproduce the article to give the legal community a broader view of legal reports for various news syndicates.

The Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) has launched a new service that allows members of the public to deposit digital copies of their wills with its Wills Registry through participating law firms. Testators can also nominate authorised persons to access the copies after their death.

The Wills Repository Service was officially launched on 9 September at this year’s TechLaw.Fest. It aims to provide an additional secure location for storing wills and an alternative reference point when the original paper copy cannot be found. Speaking at the event, High Court Judge Aidan Xu said the service could reduce the time, uncertainty and unnecessary stress families may face when trying to locate a will.

Free Deposits Until End-March 2027

An individual who wishes to use the service should engage a participating law firm to draft or review their will and nominate the persons authorised to access the digital copy. The law firm will then deposit a digital copy of the will with SAL on the client’s behalf.

The new service is available free of charge from now until 31 March 2027.

SAL has administered the Wills Registry since 2020. The Registry records whether a will exists and where the original paper copy is kept, but does not itself store the will. The newly launched Wills Repository Service goes a step further by storing a digital copy, providing an additional reference source if the original cannot be located.

In his remarks, Justice Xu also highlighted the practical and human significance of the initiative. “We all hope to put our affairs in order, not just for ourselves but to make things a little easier for our loved ones. Knowing that important documents can be located when needed may seem like a small step, but it will make a meaningful difference to those we leave behind,” he said.

He encouraged those who have made a will but have not taken steps to ensure that it can be found when needed to consider using the service. He also invited legal practitioners to offer the option to clients who want the additional assurance of having a digital copy of their will securely deposited.

Yeong Zee Kin, Chief Executive of SAL, said: “When we make a will, we make decisions to provide for the people we care about. On occasion, such good intentions can be frustrated; such as by missing wills or uncertainties over the latest version. When this happens during a time of bereavement, families face added uncertainty and stress at an already difficult time.”

Yeong said that this practical service would provide a trusted framework for the secure deposit and retrieval of digital copies of wills and give individuals greater peace of mind, adding that SAL looks forward to partnering with more law firms to make the service available to their clients.

To safeguard privacy, digital copies deposited with the Wills Repository Service are protected by encryption and strict access controls and can only be accessed by persons nominated and authorised by the testator. Digital copies are retained for up to 120 years from the testator’s date of birth.

SAL emphasises that depositing a digital copy of the will with SAL does not replace the original signed paper will or determine whether the will is legally valid.

Lawyers’ Professional Judgment More Valuable in the Age of AI

At TechLaw.Fest, SAL also announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) and the Singapore Mediation Centre (SMC) to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping legal work and to support law firms to redesign jobs and workflows while strengthening their human resource capabilities.

Under the initiative, the partners will develop a job redesign playbook, targeted for release in the first half of next year, to help law firms respond to AI-driven changes in the workplace. This will include rethinking job responsibilities, workflows and the skills required.

Senior Minister of State for Law and Transport Murali Pillai spoke at the event about the value lawyers bring in the age of AI. “The critical distinction is between assistance and responsibility. AI can assist us in our work. But it is the lawyer, not the tool, who remains answerable for what is filed, argued or advised,” he said.

He said that as information becomes abundant and nearly free, judgment becomes scarcer and more valued. Clients will not pay a premium for what a machine can generate. They will pay, however, for the lawyer with sound professional judgment to navigate not just legal, but also commercial twists and turns.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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