Free BC will template: fill it in tonight, sign it properly
A plain-language will for simple estates in British Columbia. Type into the PDF or print it, then sign with two witnesses the way BC law requires.
The numbers BC law sets
- 16minimum age to make a willWESA s.36
- 2witnesses, present at the same timeWESA s.37
- 19minimum age of each witnessWESA s.40
- 30days a beneficiary must outlive you in this template (the law’s default is 5)WESA s.10
- $17optional wills notice, so your will can be foundBC Vital Statistics
Is a template right for you?
A template works for a simple estate. It can’t ask about your family or spot a problem, so check both lists before you start.
It fits if
- you live in BC and own property mainly here
- you want everything to go to one person first, then to named people in equal shares
- your children are your current spouse’s children too, or you have none
- any trust you need ends when a child turns 19
Get advice instead if
- you have a blended family
- you plan to leave out a spouse or child (they can ask a court to change the will, WESA s.60)
- someone relies on disability benefits
- you own a business or property outside BC
- there’s any doubt about your mental capacity
Not sure? Compare what a lawyer, a notary and an online service include, or start with the free preparation worksheet.
What each part of the will does
This is the exact wording in the PDF. The lines are blanks you fill in; the small grey words under each line say what goes there.
Who I am. I, full legal name, of city or town, British Columbia, make this will.
1 · Your name and home
Use your full legal name, the one on your ID. Add any other name you have used for property, such as a maiden name, after it (“also known as…”).
Earlier wills. I revoke all wills and codicils I have made before this will.
2 · Cancelling older wills
Say plainly that the new will cancels the old ones, so nobody has to work out which parts of which will still apply. This line does it in one sentence.
My executor. I appoint name of city or town as executor and trustee of this will. If that person dies before me, or is unable or unwilling to act or to continue to act, I appoint name of backup of city or town as executor and trustee instead. In this will, “my executor” means whoever is acting as executor and trustee at the time.
3 · Who carries out the will
Ask both people first. A backup matters: without one, a court may have to appoint someone. An executor can be a beneficiary, but should not also be one of your witnesses.
Guardian of my children. If I die while I am a guardian of a child under 19, I appoint name, or “not applicable” of city or town as that child’s guardian. If that person dies before me, or is unable or unwilling to act, I appoint name of backup of city or town instead.
4 · Children under 19
BC lets a guardian appoint the next guardian in a will (Family Law Act s.53). The person must accept, and a surviving parent who is a guardian usually stays one. No children under 19? Write “not applicable” on these lines.
Gifts of particular things. I give the following, each to the person named, if that person survives me:
(a) item or amount, or “none” to person
(b) item or amount, or “none” to person
(c) item or amount, or “none” to person
If a person named in this section does not survive me, that gift becomes part of the residue of my estate.
5 · Particular gifts
Describe each item so a stranger could find it (“my grandmother’s gold ring”, “$5,000”). Write “none” on any line you don’t use. Never leave a line blank for someone else to fill in later.
The rest of my estate. My executor is to pay my debts, my funeral expenses, the expenses of administering my estate and any taxes payable because of my death. My executor is to give everything that remains, including anything this will does not otherwise give away (the “residue”), as follows:
(a) to name, if that person survives me;
(b) if that person does not survive me, in equal shares to: names, separated by commas.
If a person named in (b) does not survive me, their share goes in equal shares to their children who survive me. If they leave no child who survives me, their share is added equally to the shares of the others named in (b) who survive me.
6 · The clause that matters most
The residue is everything not given away above, including things you buy after you sign. The backup line (b) and the sentence after it decide what happens if someone dies before you, so a gift doesn’t fall back on the default rules in WESA s.46.
Beneficiaries under 19. If a person becomes entitled to any part of my estate before reaching 19 years of age, my executor is to hold that part in trust for the person until they reach 19. Until then, my executor may use any of the income or capital of that part for the person’s care, education or benefit, and is to add any unused income to that part.
7 · Young beneficiaries
Without a clause like this, a child’s inheritance must be paid to the Public Guardian and Trustee to hold until they turn 19 (WESA s.153).
Surviving me. In this will, a person “survives me” only if they are alive 30 days after my death.
8 · Why 30 days
BC’s default is 5 days (WESA s.10). Thirty avoids an inheritance passing to someone’s estate when you both die in the same accident or close together.
My executor’s powers. My executor may sell or keep any property of my estate, and may give property to a beneficiary as it is rather than in cash, at a value my executor considers fair. These powers are in addition to the powers the law gives executors and trustees.
9 · Room to act
This lets your executor hand over the car or the furniture without selling it first, at a fair value.
Signing. I have signed this will, which has 3 pages, on the date and at the place written below.
date place, British Columbia
signature of the will-maker
Signed by the will-maker in the presence of both of us, who were present at the same time. Each of us then signed below in the will-maker’s presence.
witness 1: signature, name, address witness 2: signature, name, address
Signing
Sign at the end, with both witnesses watching at the same time. Then each witness signs while you watch (WESA s.37). Each witness must be 19 or older (s.40). A gift to a witness, or to a witness’s spouse, is void (s.43).
Download the BC will template
Fillable PDF: one page of instructions, then the 3-page will. Type in it on your own device or print it and write in ink.
How to sign your will
- Fill in every line first. Write “none” or “not applicable” on lines you don’t use. If you cross out or add anything by hand, you and both witnesses initial beside it when you sign (WESA s.54).
- Choose two witnesses. Each must be 19 or older. Pick people who get nothing under the will and whose spouses get nothing: a gift to a witness or a witness’s spouse is void (WESA ss.40, 43).
- Get all three of you together. In the same room, or on a video call with identical copies signed by everyone in the same session (WESA s.35.2).
- You sign at the end of the will while both witnesses watch, and write the date and place.
- Each witness signs while you watch, and prints their name and address.
- Everyone initials the footer of every page, so no page can be swapped later.
A will that wasn’t signed this way isn’t automatically lost: a court can still give effect to it if it shows what you intended (WESA s.58). That takes a court application after your death, so sign it properly instead. More in Can you write your own will in BC?
After you sign
- Keep the signed original safe and tell your executor where it is. Probate normally needs the original, not a copy. See how to store your will.
- Consider a wills notice. BC Vital Statistics will record where your will is kept for $17 (online or form VSA 531). It does not keep a copy of the will or its contents.
- Make a new will when life changes. Separation cancels gifts to the former spouse and their appointment as executor (WESA s.56). Marriage does not cancel a will in BC, but it usually means you want a new one. So do a new child, a move out of BC, or an executor or guardian who can no longer act.
- Remember what a will doesn’t control. RRSPs, RRIFs, TFSAs and life insurance with a named beneficiary go to that person directly (details), and jointly owned property usually passes to the other owner (joint accounts).
Questions
Is a will made from a template legal in BC?
Yes, if it is signed properly. BC does not require a lawyer. The will must be in writing and signed at its end by you in front of two witnesses who are there at the same time; then both witnesses sign in front of you (WESA s.37).
Can my spouse or my children witness my will?
They can sign, but a gift to a witness, or to a witness’s spouse, is void unless a court later decides otherwise (WESA s.43). Use two people aged 19 or older who receive nothing under the will.
Can a will be witnessed over video in BC?
Yes. BC allows signing and witnessing while people are in each other’s electronic presence, with identical copies signed in counterpart (WESA s.35.2). Signing in person is simpler.
Can I type into the PDF?
Yes. The lines are form fields that work in most PDF apps and browsers. Save a copy, print it, and sign in ink. Write the date and place by hand when you sign. Nothing you type is sent to WiseWill.
Do I have to register my will in BC?
No. You can file an optional wills notice with BC Vital Statistics for $17 so the will can be found. The registry records where the will is kept, not a copy of it or its contents.
Does getting married or separated cancel my will?
Marriage does not cancel a will in BC. Separation cancels gifts to the former spouse and any appointment of them as executor (WESA s.56). After either, make a new will.
Who can I ask about my own situation?
A BC lawyer or notary. WiseWill can’t give advice or help fill in the template. Compare what each option includes and bring these questions.
Sources and review
- Wills, Estates and Succession Act: ss.2 (spouses), 10 (survival), 35.2 (electronic presence), 36 (age), 37 (making a valid will), 40 (witnesses), 43 (gifts to witnesses), 46 (failed gifts), 54 (alterations), 56 (separation), 58 (court can cure defects), 60 (wills variation), 153 (minors’ shares).
- Family Law Act: ss.53 and 57 (appointing a guardian by will; the person must accept).
- BC Vital Statistics wills registry: $17 wills notice, form VSA 531.
Checked against the legislation on October 22, 2026. This is an editorial check by WiseWill. No lawyer has reviewed this template or this page.