D.C. Code § 18-102 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 1 / § 18-102
§ 18-102. Capacity to make a will.
Status: in_force

A will, testament, or codicil is not valid for any purpose unless the person making it is at least 18 years of age and, at the time of executing or acknowledging it as provided by this chapter, of sound and disposing mind and capable of executing a valid deed or contract.
D.C. Code § 18-514 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 5 / § 18-514
§ 18-514. Wills filed prior to June 8, 1898, may be probated as of real estate.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 18-1001 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 10 / § 18-1001
§ 18-1001. General provisions.
Status: in_force

(a) The provisions of this section are solely for the purpose of providing a safe and convenient repository for a will. The filing of a will with the registry shall not create any presumption as to the authenticity of the document, its signatures, or its admissibility in probate. A deposited will shall not be treated differently by the Probate Court solely because it has been deposited.
(b) The Register of Wills shall not be liable for the loss of any document submitted to the registry.
(c) The Register of Wills shall keep an index of all wills deposited under this chapter .
D.C. Code § 18-509 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 5 / § 18-509
§ 18-509. Caveat; time for filing.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 18-502 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 5 / § 18-502
§ 18-502. Notice to nonresidents and unfound residents.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 18-710 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 7 / § 18-710
§ 18-710. International will information registration.
Status: in_force

The Mayor of the District of Columbia shall establish a registry system by which authorized persons may register in a central information center, information regarding the execution of international wills, keeping that information in strictest confidence until the death of the maker and then making it available to any person desiring information about any will who presents a death certificate or other satisfactory evidence of the testator’s death to the center. Information that may be received, preserved in confidence until death, and reported as indicated is limited to the name, social security or any other individual-identifying number established by law, address, and date and place of birth of the testator, and the intended place of deposit or safekeeping of the instrument pending the death of the maker. The Mayor, at the request of the authorized person, may cause the information the Mayor receives about execution of any international will to be transmitted to the registry system of another jurisdiction, as identified by the testator, if that other system adheres to rules protecting the confidentiality of the information similar to those established in the District of Columbia.
D.C. Code § 18-709 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 7 / § 18-709
§ 18-709. Persons authorized to act in relation to international will; eligibility; recognition by authorizing agency.
Status: in_force

Individuals who have been admitted to practice law before the courts of the District of Columbia and who are in good standing as active law practitioners in the District, are hereby declared to be authorized persons in relation to international wills.
D.C. Code § 18-701 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 7 / § 18-701
§ 18-701. Definitions.
Status: in_force

For the purposes of this chapter, the term:
(1) “Authorized person” or “person authorized to act in connection with international wills” means a person who by section 18-709, or by the laws of the United States, including members of the diplomatic and consular service of the United States designated by Foreign Service Regulations, is empowered to supervise the execution of international wills.
(2) “International will” means a will executed in conformity with sections 18-702 through 18-705.
D.C. Code § 18-106 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 1 / § 18-106
§ 18-106. Creditors as competent witnesses.
Status: in_force

A mere charge in a will or codicil on the estate of a testator for the payment of debts does not disqualify a creditor from being a competent witness to the will or codicil.
D.C. Code § 18-103 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 1 / § 18-103
§ 18-103. Execution of written will; attestation.
Status: in_force

A will or testament, other than a will executed in the manner provided by section 18-107 or Chapter 9 of this title , is void unless it is:
(1) in writing and signed by the testator, or by another person in his presence and by his express direction; and
(2) attested and subscribed in the presence of the testator, by at least two credible witnesses.
D.C. Code § 18-907 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 9 / § 18-907
§ 18-907. Revocation.
Status: in_force

(a) An electronic will may revoke all or part of a previous will.
(b) All or part of an electronic will is revoked by:
  (1) A subsequent will that revokes all or part of the electronic will expressly or by inconsistency; or
  (2) A physical act, if it is established by a preponderance of the evidence that the testator, with the intent of revoking all or part of the will, performed the act or directed another individual who performed the act in the testator's physical presence.
D.C. Code § 18-905 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 9 / § 18-905
§ 18-905. Execution of electronic will.
Status: in_force

(a) Subject to § 18-908(d) and except as provided in § 18-906 , an electronic will shall be:
  (1) A record that is readable as text at the time of signing under paragraph (2) of this subsection;
  (2) Signed by:
    (A) The testator; or
    (B) Another individual in the testator's name, in the testator's physical presence and by the testator's direction; and
  (3) Signed in the physical or electronic presence of the testator by at least 2 individuals, each of whom is a resident of a state and physically located in a state at the time of signing and within a reasonable time after witnessing:
    (A) The signing of the will under paragraph (2) of this subsection; or
    (B) The testator's acknowledgment of the signing of the will under paragraph (2) of this subsection or acknowledgment of the will.
(b) The intent of a testator that the record under subsection (a)(1) of this section be the testator's electronic will may be established by extrinsic evidence.
D.C. Code § 18-307 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 3 / § 18-307
§ 18-307. Advancement as satisfaction of devise or bequest.
Status: in_force

An advancement or a provision for an advancement to a person is a satisfaction, in whole or in part, of a devise or bequest to that person contained in a previous will if it would be so deemed in case the devisee or legatee were the child of the testator; and, whether he is a child or not, it shall be so deemed where it appears from parol or other evidence to be so intended.
D.C. Code § 18-513 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 5 / § 18-513
§ 18-513. Rules of procedure.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 18-112 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 1 / § 18-112
§ 18-112. Taking and carrying away, or destroying, mutilating, or secreting will.
Status: in_force

Whoever, during the life or after the death of the testator, for a fraudulent purpose, takes and carries away, or destroys, mutilates, or secretes, a testamentary instrument, shall be imprisoned not more than five years. In addition to any other penalty provided under this section, a person may be fined an amount not more than the amount set forth in [ § 22-3571.01 ].
D.C. Code § 18-512 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 5 / § 18-512
§ 18-512. Plenary proceedings.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 18-904 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 9 / § 18-904
§ 18-904. Choice of law regarding execution.
Status: in_force

(a) A will executed electronically but not in compliance with § 18-905(a) is an electronic will under this chapter if executed in compliance with the law of the jurisdiction where the testator is:
  (1) Physically located when the will is signed; or
  (2) Domiciled or resides when the will is signed or when the testator dies.
D.C. Code § 18-910 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 9 / § 18-910
§ 18-910. Uniformity of application and construction.
Status: in_force

In applying and construing this uniform act , consideration shall be given to the need to promote uniformity of the law with respect to its subject matter among states that enact it.
D.C. Code § 18-708 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 7 / § 18-708
§ 18-708. Source and construction.
Status: in_force

Sections 18-701   through 18-707   derive from Annex to Convention of October 26, 1973, Providing a Uniform Law on the Form of an International Will. In interpreting and applying this chapter, regard shall be had to its international origin and to the need for uniformity in its interpretation.
D.C. Code § 18-303 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 3 / § 18-303
§ 18-303. General devise and bequest of all property.
Status: in_force

A devise and bequest purporting to be of all real or personal property, or both, belonging to the testator, includes also all property of either or both kinds, respectively, over which he has a general power of appointment, unless a contrary intention appears in the testamentary instrument containing the devise or bequest.
D.C. Code § 18-503 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 5 / § 18-503
§ 18-503. Notice to unknown kin or heirs at law.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 18-308 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 3 / § 18-308
§ 18-308. Death of devisee or legatee; lapsed or void devises or bequests.
Status: in_force

Unless a different disposition is made or required by the will, if a devisee or legatee dies before the testator, leaving issue who survive the testator, the issue shall take the estate devised or bequeathed as the devisee or legatee would have done if he had survived the testator. Unless a contrary intention appears by the will, the property comprised in a devise or bequest in a will that fails or is void or is otherwise incapable of taking effect, shall be deemed included in the residuary devise or bequest, if any, contained in the will.
D.C. Code § 18-909 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 9 / § 18-909
§ 18-909. Certification of paper copy.
Status: in_force

An individual may create a certified paper copy of an electronic will by affirming under penalty of perjury that a paper copy of the electronic will is a complete, true, and accurate copy of the electronic will. If the electronic will is made self-proving, the certified paper copy of the will shall include the self-proving affidavits.
D.C. Code § 18-902 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 9 / § 18-902
§ 18-902. Definitions.
Status: in_force

(a) For the purposes of this chapter , the term:
  (1) "Electronic" means relating to technology having electrical, digital, magnetic, wireless, optical, electromagnetic, or similar capabilities.
  (2) "Electronic presence" means the relationship of two or more individuals in different locations communicating in real time to the same extent as if the individuals were physically present in the same location.
  (3) "Electronic will" means a will executed electronically in compliance with § 18-905(a) .
  (4) "Record" means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form.
  (5) "Sign" means, with present intent to authenticate or adopt a record:
    (A) To execute or adopt a tangible symbol; or
    (B) To affix to or logically associate with the record an electronic symbol or process.
  (6) "State" means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. The term includes a federally recognized Indian tribe.
  (7) "Will" includes a codicil and any testamentary instrument that merely appoints an executor, revokes or revises another will, nominates a guardian, or expressly excludes or limits the right of an individual or class to succeed to property of the decedent passing by intestate succession.
D.C. Code § 18-108 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 1 / § 18-108
§ 18-108. Execution of power by will.
Status: in_force

An appointment made by will in the exercise of a power is not valid unless it is so executed that it would be valid for the disposition of the property to which the power applies if it belonged to the testator.
D.C. Code § 18-703 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 7 / § 18-703
§ 18-703. International will; requirements.
Status: in_force

(a) The will shall be made in writing. It need not be written by the testator himself or herself. It may be written in any language, by hand, or by any other means.
(b) The testator shall declare in the presence of 2 witnesses and of a person authorized to act in connection with international wills that the document is his or her will and that he or she knows the contents thereof. The testator need not inform the witnesses, or the authorized person, of the contents of the will.
(c) In the presence of the witnesses, and of the authorized person, the testator shall sign the will or, if he or she has previously signed it, shall acknowledge his or her signature.
(d) When the testator is unable to sign, the absence of his or her signature does not affect the validity of the international will if the testator indicates the reason for his or her inability to sign and the authorized person makes note thereof on the will. In these cases, it is permissible for any other person present, including the authorized person or one of the witnesses, at the direction of the testator, to sign the testator’s name for him or her, if the authorized person makes note of this also on the will, but it is not required that any person sign the testator’s name for him or her.
(e) The witnesses and the authorized person shall then and there attest the will by signing in the presence of the testator.
D.C. Code § 18-105 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 1 / § 18-105
§ 18-105. Retention or demand of void devise or legacy by attesting witness prohibited.
Status: in_force

A person to whom a beneficial devise, legacy, estate, interest, gift, or power of appointment is given or made in a will or codicil, which is void under section 18-103 , may not, in any manner or under any color or pretense whatsoever:
(1) demand or take possession of or receive any profits or benefit of or from the devise, legacy, estate, interest, gift, or power of appointment so given or made; or
(2) demand, receive, or accept from another person the beneficial devise, legacy, estate, interest, gift, or power of appointment or any satisfaction or compensation therefor.
D.C. Code § 18-1003 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 10 / § 18-1003
§ 18-1003. Custodian of will upon death of testator.
Status: in_force

(a) Upon notification of the testator's death, the Register of Wills shall:
  (1) Unseal the will;
  (2) Deliver the will to the Probate Court for filing in accordance with § 18-110 .
(b) If the testator was not a domiciliary of the District of Columbia at the time of death, the Register of Wills, upon order of the Probate Court, shall transfer the registered will to the probate officer or Register of Wills for the county or state where the decedent is alleged to have been domiciled at the time of death.
D.C. Code § 18-109 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 1 / § 18-109
§ 18-109. Revocation of wills; revival.
Status: in_force

(a) A will or codicil, or a part thereof, may not be revoked, except by implication of law, otherwise than by
  (1) a later will, codicil, or other writing declaring the revocation, executed as provided by section 18-103 or 18-107 ; or
  (2) burning, tearing, cancelling, or obliterating the will or codicil, or the part thereof, with the intention of revoking it, by the testator himself, or by a person in his presence and by his express direction and consent.
(b) A will or codicil, or a part thereof, after it is revoked, may not be revived otherwise than by its re-execution, or by a codicil executed as provided in the case of wills, and then only to the extent to which an intention to revive is shown.
D.C. Code § 18-506 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 5 / § 18-506
§ 18-506. Appearance of persons not cited.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 18-908 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 9 / § 18-908
§ 18-908. Electronic will attested and made self-proving at time of execution.
Status: in_force

(a) An electronic will may be simultaneously executed, attested, and made self-proving by acknowledgment of the testator and affidavits of the witnesses.
(b) The acknowledgement and affidavits under subsection (a) of this section shall be:
  (1) Made before an officer authorized to administer oaths under law of the state in which execution occurs or, if fewer than two attesting witnesses are physically present in the same location as the testator at the time of signing under § 18-905(a)(2) , before an officer authorized under § 1-1231.13a .; and
  (2) Evidence by the officer's certificate under official seal affixed to or logically associated with the electronic will.
(c) The acknowledgement and affidavits under subsection (a) of this section shall be in substantially the following form:
"I, ______________________________, the testator, and, being sworn, declare to the
"(Name)
"undersigned officer that I sign this instrument as my electronic will, I willingly sign it or willingly direct another individual to sign it for me, I execute it as my voluntary act for the purposes expressed in this instrument, and I am 18 years of age or older, of sound mind, and under no constraint or undue influence.
"_________________________________________________________________
"Testator
"We, ___________________________ and
"(Name)
"_______________________________,
"(Name)
"witnesses, being sworn, declare to the undersigned officer that the testator signed this instrument as the testator's electronic will, that the testator willingly signed it or willingly directed another individual to sign for the testator, and that each of us, in the physical or electronic presence of the testator, signs this instrument as witness to the testator's signing, and to the best of our knowledge the testator is 18 years of age or older, of sound mind, and under no constraint or undue influence.
"_________________________________________________________________
"Witness
"_________________________________________________________________
"Witness
"Certificate of officer:
"State of _________________________
"Subscribed, sworn to, and acknowledged before me by
"__________________________________________________________, the testator,
"(Name)
"and subscribed and sworn to before me by
"________________________________  and,
"(Name)
"____________________________________,
"(Name)
"witnesses, this _________ day of _____________________, ______________________________.
"_________________________
"(Signed)
"_________________________
"(Capacity of officer)"[.]
(d) A signature physically or electronically affixed to an affidavit that is affixed to or logically associated with an electronic will under this chapter is deemed a signature of the electronic will under § 18-905(a) .
D.C. Code § 18-110 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 1 / § 18-110
§ 18-110. Opening will before delivery to Probate Court.
Status: in_force

A person having possession or custody of a testamentary instrument may, after the death of the testator, open and read it in the presence of near relatives of the deceased, who may conveniently have notice thereof, and of other persons, and immediately thereafter may deliver the will or codicil to the Probate Court or the Register of Wills, until proceedings may be held for the purpose of proving it or other action is taken thereon.
D.C. Code § 18-304 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 3 / § 18-304
§ 18-304. Devise of land to include leaseholds.
Status: in_force

A devise of the land of a testator, or of his land in any place, or in the occupation of a person named or otherwise described in a general manner, includes his leasehold estates or those to which the descriptions extend, as well as freehold estates, unless a contrary intention appears in the testamentary instrument containing the devise.
D.C. Code § 18-706 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 7 / § 18-706
§ 18-706. International will; effect of certificate.
Status: in_force

In the absence of evidence to the contrary, the certificate of the authorized person shall be conclusive of the formal validity of the instrument as a will under this chapter. The absence or irregularity of a certificate shall not affect the formal validity of a will under this chapter.
D.C. Code § 18-906 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 9 / § 18-906
§ 18-906. Harmless error.
Status: in_force

(a) A record readable as text not executed in compliance with § 18-905(a) is deemed to comply with § 18-905(a) if the proponent of the record establishes by clear and convincing evidence that the decedent intended the record to be:
  (1) The decedent's will;
  (2) A partial or complete revocation of the decedent's will;
  (3) An addition to or modification of the decedent's will; or
  (4) A partial or complete revival of the decedent's formerly revoked will or part of the will.
D.C. Code § 18-104 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 1 / § 18-104
§ 18-104. Devises, legacies, etc., to attesting witnesses.
Status: in_force

(a) A beneficial devise, legacy, estate, interest, gift, or power of appointment of or affecting real or personal estate, given or made to an attesting witness to a will or codicil is void as to him and persons claiming under him, except as provided by subsections (b) and (c) of this section.
(b) Where an interested witness to a will or codicil, referred to in subsection (a) of this section, would be entitled to a share of the estate of the testator in case the will or codicil were not established, he or persons claiming under him shall take such portion of the devise or bequest made to him in the will or codicil as does not exceed the share of the estate which would be distributed to him or persons claiming under him in case of intestacy.
(c) The voidance provided for by subsection (a) of this section does not apply to charges on real estate for the payment of debts.
(d) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, an interested witness referred to therein, whether an heir at law or not, is not disqualified as a competent witness to the execution of the will or codicil by reason of his interest.
D.C. Code § 18-510 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 5 / § 18-510
§ 18-510. Prior will not to be probated pending issues.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 18-302 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 3 / § 18-302
§ 18-302. Devises or bequests for religious purposes.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 18-511 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 5 / § 18-511
§ 18-511. Guardian ad litem.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 18-507 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 5 / § 18-507
§ 18-507. Admission to probate.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 18-301 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 3 / § 18-301
§ 18-301. Estates disposable by will.
Status: in_force

The real and personal estate of a person, which may pass by deed or gift, or which would, in case of the owner’s dying intestate, descend to or devolve upon his heirs or other legal representatives, may be disposed of, transferred, and passed by his last will, testament, or codicil in accordance with this part.
D.C. Code § 18-508 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 5 / § 18-508
§ 18-508. Caveat; will not to be probated while issues pending.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 18-705 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 7 / § 18-705
§ 18-705. International will; certificate.
Status: in_force

The authorized person shall attach to the will a certificate, to be signed by him or her, establishing that the requirements of this chapter for valid execution of an international will have been complied with. The authorized person shall keep a copy of the certificate and deliver another to the testator. The certificate shall be substantially in the following form:
“CERTIFICATE “(Convention of October 26, 1973)
“1. I, ________ (name, address and capacity), a person authorized to act in connection with international wills
“2. Certify that on ________ (date) at ________ (place)
“3. (testator) ________
“(name, address, date and place of birth) in my presence and that of the witnesses
“4. (a) ________ (name, address, date and place of birth)
“(b) ________ (name, address, date and place of birth)
“has declared that the attached document is his or her will and that he knows the contents thereof.
“5. I furthermore certify that:
“6. (a) in my presence and in that of the witnesses
“(1) the testator has signed the will or has acknowledged his signature previously affixed.
“(2) [to be completed if appropriate] following a declaration of the testator stating that he or she was unable to sign his will for the following reason ________, I have mentioned this declaration on the will and the signature has been affixed by ________ (name and address)
“7. (b) the witnesses and I have signed the will;
“8. (c) [to be completed if appropriate] each page of the will has been signed by ________ and numbered;
“9. (d) I have satisfied myself as to the identity of the testator and of the witnesses as designated above;
“10. (e) the witnesses met the conditions requisite to act as such according to the law under which I am acting;
“11. (f) [to be completed if appropriate] the testator has requested me to include the following statement concerning the safekeeping of his will:
“12. PLACE OF EXECUTION
“13. DATE
“14. SIGNATURE and, if necessary, SEAL.”
D.C. Code § 18-901 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 9 / § 18-901
§ 18-901. Short title.
Status: in_force

This chapter may be cited as the Uniform Electronic Wills Act.
D.C. Code § 18-306 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 3 / § 18-306
§ 18-306. “Pour over” trusts.
Status: in_force

(a) Bequests or Devises to Trustee Under, or in Accordance With Terms of, Existing Trusts. — A devise or bequest may be made in a will or codicil, otherwise valid, in form or substance to the trustees under, or in accordance with the terms of, a written inter vivos trust, including an unfunded life insurance trust, although the settlor has reserved rights of ownership in the insurance contracts, which has been executed and is in existence prior to or contemporaneously with the execution of the will or codicil and is identified in the will or codicil, without regard to the size or character of the corpus of the trust, or whether the settlor is the testator or a third person.
The devise or bequest is not invalid because the trust is subject to amendment or modification or may be terminated or revoked after the will or codicil is executed, whether by the settlor or any other person or persons, nor because the trust instrument or an amendment thereto was not executed in the manner required by law for wills or codicils.
Unless the will or codicil otherwise provides:
  (1) the devise or bequest is not invalid because the trust was amended or modified after the will or codicil was executed, and the devise or bequest shall be given effect in accordance with the terms of the trust as they appear in writing on the date of death of the testator, including any amendment or modification;
  (2) property passing under the devise or bequest passes directly to the trustees of the inter vivos trust and becomes a part of the assets of the trust, and is not deemed to be held under a separate testamentary trust;
  (3) an entire revocation of the trust prior to the death of the testator invalidates the devise or bequest even though the revocation was not effected in the manner provided by law for the revocation of wills and codicils;
  (4) a termination of the trust, except by way of revocation, in accordance with the terms of the trust or by its exhaustion or by operation of law or otherwise does not invalidate the devise or bequest.
(b) Bequests or Devises to Trustee Under, or in Accordance With Terms of, Testamentary Trusts. — A devise or bequest may be made in a will or codicil, otherwise valid, in form of substance to the trustees under, or in accordance with the terms of, a testamentary trust established under another valid will or codicil. The devise or bequest is not invalid because the testamentary trust or the will or codicil establishing the testamentary trust was not in existence when the will or codicil containing the devise or bequest was executed, if the testator of the will or codicil establishing the testamentary trust predeceases the testator of the will or codicil containing the devise or bequest, and the will or codicil establishing the testamentary trust is admitted to probate.
Unless the will otherwise provides:
  (1) property passing under the devise or bequest is deemed to pass directly to the trustees of the testamentary trust and becomes a part of the assets of the trust, and is not deemed to be held under a separate testamentary trust;
  (2) a termination of the trust in accordance with the terms of the trust or by its exhaustion or by operation of law or otherwise does not invalidate the devise or bequest.
(c) This section applies to a devise or bequest made by a testator living on December 5, 1963, or born subsequent thereto, without regard to the date of execution of the will or codicil containing the devise or bequest or of the trust instrument, or an amendment thereto.
(d) This section does not affect the validity, as existing before December 5, 1963, of:
  (1) a devise or bequest made by a testator who died prior to December 5, 1963; or
  (2) a devise or bequest which does not come within this section.
D.C. Code § 18-707 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 7 / § 18-707
§ 18-707. International will; revocation.
Status: in_force

The international will shall be subject to the ordinary rules of revocation of wills.
D.C. Code § 18-501 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 5 / § 18-501
§ 18-501. Notice of petition for probate.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 18-505 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 5 / § 18-505
§ 18-505. Proof of wills; testimony; witnesses outside District.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 18-305 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 3 / § 18-305
§ 18-305. After-acquired real property.
Status: in_force

(a) A will executed after January 17, 1887, and before January 1, 1902, devising real property, from which it appears that it was the intention of the testator to devise property acquired after the execution of the will, operates as a valid devise of all after-acquired real property.
(b) A will executed after January 1, 1902, which by words of general import devises all the estate or all the property of the testator, operates as a valid devise of real property acquired by the testator after the execution of the will, unless it appears therefrom that it was not the intention of the testator to devise the after-acquired real property.
D.C. Code § 18-903 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 9 / § 18-903
§ 18-903. Law applicable to electronic will; principles of equity.
Status: in_force

An electronic will is a will for all purposes of the law of the District of Columbia. The law of the District of Columbia applicable to wills and principles of equity apply to an electronic will, except as modified by this chapter .
D.C. Code § 18-1002 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 10 / § 18-1002
§ 18-1002. Deposit of will in testator's lifetime.
Status: in_force

(a) Beginning January 1, 2028, an original will may be deposited by a domiciliary testator, the testator's agent, or the testator's attorney, with the Register of Wills for safekeeping. The will shall be delivered and shall not be opened, except as provided in this section.
(b) Upon payment of the required fee, the Register of Wills shall give a receipt.
(c) The will shall be enclosed in a sealed wrapper, which shall have endorsed on it "Will of", followed by:
  (1) The name of the testator;
  (2) The testator's address in the District of Columbia;
  (3) The name of the person or persons whom the testator nominated in the will to serve as a personal representative upon the testator's death . ; and
  (4) The testator's Social Security number, if available.
(d) The Register of Wills shall endorse on the sealed wrapper containing the will:
  (1) The date it was received; and
  (2) The name of the person from whom it was received.
(e) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, during the lifetime of the testator, a deposited will may be delivered only to the testator or to a person authorized by the testator in writing to receive it.
  (2) If a testator is adjudicated incapacitated or an investigation or proceeding has been initiated in accordance with [Chapter 9A of Title 22] , or in accordance with Chapter 5 of Title 21 , and the will was deposited with the registry less than one year from the adjudication or investigation, a court-appointed guardian, conservator, guardian ad litem, or counsel in the proceedings may be authorized to unseal and examine a deposited will of testator under procedures designed to maintain the confidential character of the document, to the extent possible, and to ensure that it will be resealed and kept on deposit after the examination. If the will of an incapacitated testator has been deposited continuously for more than one year, the will cannot be unsealed without a court order.
D.C. Code § 18-107 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 1 / § 18-107
§ 18-107. Nuncupative wills.
Status: in_force

A nuncupative will made after January 1, 1902, is not valid in the District of Columbia except that a person in actual military or naval service or a mariner at sea may dispose of his personal property by word of mouth, if:
(1) his oral disposition of the property is proved by at least two witnesses who were present at the making thereof and were requested by the testator to bear witness that the disposition was his last will; and
(2) the will is made during the time of the last illness of the deceased; and
(3) the substance of the will is reduced to writing within 10 days after it was made.
D.C. Code § 18-702 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 7 / § 18-702
§ 18-702. International will; validity.
Status: in_force

(a) A will shall be valid as regards form, irrespective particularly of the place where it is made, of the location of the assets, and of the nationality, domicile, or residence of the testator, if it is made in the form of an international will complying with the requirements of this chapter.
(b) The invalidity of the will as an international will shall not affect its formal validity as a will of another kind.
(c) This chapter shall not apply to the form of testamentary dispositions made by 2 or more persons in one instrument.
D.C. Code § 18-504 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 5 / § 18-504
§ 18-504. Probate; waiver of notice; proof of execution.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 18-911 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 9 / § 18-911
§ 18-911. Transitional provision.
Status: in_force

This chapter applies to the will of a decedent who dies on or after May 27, 2020.
D.C. Code § 18-111 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 1 / § 18-111
§ 18-111. Withholding will.
Status: in_force

Whoever, having possession of a testamentary instrument, willfully neglects, for the period of 90 days after the death of the testator becomes known to him, to deliver it to the Probate Court, or to the Register of Wills, or to an executor named in the instrument, shall be fined not more than $500.
D.C. Code § 18-101 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 1 / § 18-101
§ 18-101. Definitions.
Status: in_force

As used in this title, unless the context requires a different meaning:
words importing the singular include the plural, and words importing the plural include the singular;
the present tense includes the future as well as the present;
“District Court” means the United States District Court for the District of Columbia; and
“Probate Court” and “court”, respectively, mean the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
D.C. Code § 18-704 — DC Code / Title 18 / Chapter 7 / § 18-704
§ 18-704. International will; other points of form.
Status: in_force

(a) The signatures shall be placed at the end of the will. If the will consists of several sheets, each sheet shall be signed by the testator or, if he or she is unable to sign, by the person signing on his or her behalf or, if there is no such person, by the authorized person. In addition, each sheet shall be numbered.
(b) The date of the will shall be the date of its signature by the authorized person. That date shall be noted at the end of the will by the authorized person.
(c) The authorized person shall ask the testator whether he or she wishes to make a declaration concerning the safekeeping of his or her will. If so, and at the express request of the testator, the place where he or she intends to have his or her will kept shall be mentioned in the certificate provided for in section 18-705.
(d) A will executed in compliance with section 18-703 shall not be invalid merely because it does not comply with this section.