What Is a Holographic Will?

By Chad Foster, Family Law Attorney · Updated August 8, 2026

A holographic will is a will written entirely in the testator's own handwriting and signed by them, but not witnessed. Some states accept them. Washington, as a rule, does not. If you handwrite your wishes on a piece of paper and sign it without witnesses, that document will generally not be a valid will in Washington. For families in Snohomish County, understanding why is the first step toward making sure your wishes actually hold up. This topic is part of Washington wills and trusts.

What Makes a Will "Holographic"

The defining feature of a holographic will is the absence of witnesses. It is typically handwritten and signed by the person making it, but no one witnesses the signing. People are drawn to them for understandable reasons: they are quick, private, and free. In an emergency, or simply out of a desire to handle things informally, someone might jot down who should get what and sign at the bottom, believing they have made a will. Related guides cover How Do I Make a Valid Will in Washington? and What Is a Pour-Over Will?.

What Is a Holographic Will: At a Glance

Three practical points explained in this guide.

Key point 1

What Makes a Will "Holographic"

The defining feature of a holographic will is the absence of witnesses.

Key point 2

Washington Requires Witnesses

Washington's requirements for a valid will are set out in RCW 11.12.020.

Key point 3

The One Important Exception: Wills Valid Where Made

There is a meaningful exception, and it is worth understanding.

The problem is that ease of creation is exactly what the law guards against, because an unwitnessed document is hard to verify and easy to forge, contest, or fabricate after death. That is why most states, including Washington, impose formalities.

Washington Requires Witnesses

Washington's requirements for a valid will are set out in RCW 11.12.020. Under that statute, every will must be in writing, signed by the testator or by another person at the testator's direction and in the testator's presence, and attested by two or more competent witnesses who sign the will. The two-witness requirement is the crucial part.

Because a holographic will by definition lacks witnesses, it fails this requirement. A handwritten, signed, but unwitnessed will executed in Washington does not meet RCW 11.12.020 and is generally not valid here. It does not matter how clearly the document states your wishes or how obviously it is in your handwriting. Without the witnesses the statute demands, it is not an enforceable Washington will. The statute does not use the word "holographic," but the effect of the witness requirement is to exclude such wills made in this state.

The One Important Exception: Wills Valid Where Made

There is a meaningful exception, and it is worth understanding. RCW 11.12.020 includes a foreign wills provision. Under that provision, a will that was executed in the manner prescribed by the law of the place where it was executed, or by the law of the testator's domicile, is treated as legally executed and given the same effect as a will made under Washington's requirements.

This matters because some states do recognize holographic wills. If a person validly made a holographic will in a state that permits them, and that will satisfied that state's law, Washington will generally honor it under the foreign wills provision, even though the same document could not have been validly created in Washington. So the rule is not that Washington always rejects holographic wills; it is that Washington does not allow a holographic will to be created here, while it may respect one validly made elsewhere.

For most Washington residents, though, that exception is cold comfort. If you live in Washington and write an unwitnessed will here, you cannot rely on the foreign wills provision to save it, because it was neither executed in a state that permits holographic wills nor made by someone domiciled in such a state.

A Note on Modern Execution

Washington has modernized how wills can be signed, and RCW 11.12.020 now recognizes execution using "electronic presence," allowing the testator and witnesses to be in each other's electronic presence rather than the same physical room in certain circumstances. There is also a separate framework for electronic wills. But none of this eliminates the core requirement. Even with electronic presence, a will still must be attested by two competent witnesses. The technology relaxes where people have to be standing, not whether witnesses are needed at all.

Why This Matters

The practical danger of a holographic will is that you will not be around to fix it. The document's validity is tested after you die, when it is too late to redo it properly. If a Washington court finds your handwritten, unwitnessed will invalid, the result is as if you had no will at all, and your estate passes under the intestate succession statute to relatives in a fixed order, which may be nothing like what you intended. The very informality that made the holographic will appealing is what can defeat your wishes entirely.

The good news is that a valid Washington will is not difficult or expensive to create. It mainly requires getting the formalities right: a written document, your signature, and two competent witnesses. That modest effort is what transforms your wishes from a hopeful piece of paper into an enforceable plan.

Make Sure Your Will Will Hold Up

If you have written out your wishes by hand, or you are relying on an informal document, it is worth confirming whether it would actually be valid in Washington, before it is too late to fix. And if you have not made a will at all, putting a proper one in place is one of the simplest ways to protect your family. The Law Office of Chad Foster helps Snohomish County families create wills that meet Washington's requirements and carry out their wishes. Reach out to make sure your plan will hold up when it counts.