--- title: "Do You Need a Notary for a Will in North Carolina? | MCC" description: "North Carolina will: no, not for the will itself, per the official page. What else the signing needs, and the next step." url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/notary/does-it-need-a-notary/will-north-carolina" --- Does it need a notary? · North Carolina # Do you need a notary for a will in North Carolina? The answer from the state's own pages, what else a will needs to be signed properly here, and how to get it done. ✓ New Jersey commissioned notary, no. 50244803, insured for errors and omissions. [See the credentials](/about/credentials) No, not for the will itself. The signing rule on the pages we read asks for two witnesses, who sign in the testator's presence. They don't have to sign in each other's presence. A notary isn't part of that rule; one comes in for the self-proving affidavit, where it's used. ## In the source's wording "attested by at least two competent witnesses" From the sources listed below, checked November 2026. ## What else the signing needs Self-proving affidavit Allowed at signing or any time later, before an officer authorized to administer oaths, under official seal. "at any time subsequent to its execution" Interested witnesses A witness who, or whose spouse, is a beneficiary can cause that gift to be lost (Nolo, citing N.C. Gen. Stat. 31-10). Remote or video signing Not provided for: no North Carolina law we found lets witnesses appear by video, and e-wills aren't authorized (Nolo's North Carolina page, updated August 2025). The emergency video-witnessing authority in G.S. 10B-200 ran only through June 30, 2024, and the state's remote notarization law excludes self-proving wills. "certain documents cannot be remotely notarized namely, self-proving wills" Electronic wills Not authorized, per Nolo's North Carolina page (updated August 2025). From January 2026 a paper will can be stored electronically through a North Carolina-licensed attorney (31-71 to 31-73). "North Carolina currently doesn't allow e-wills" Handwritten wills Recognized if written entirely in the testator's handwriting and signed. No witness is needed. "No attesting witness to a holographic will is required." Who can make a will 18 or older, of sound mind. "Any person of sound mind, and 18 years of age or over, may make a will." ## Next step Plan an in-person signing, with the witnesses in the room. Online notarization of a will is generally not available through us: New Jersey's remote notarization law leaves wills and codicils out for signers outside the U.S. ([N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10](https://pub.njleg.gov/bills/2020/PL21/179_.HTM)), and states set their own rules on video witnessing. Here: Not provided for: no the state law we found lets witnesses appear by video, and e-wills aren't authorized (Nolo's North Carolina page, updated August 2025). The emergency video-witnessing authority in G.S. 10B-200 ran only through June 30, 2024, and the state's remote notarization law excludes self-proving wills. Need a notary for the self-proving affidavit in the state? We can look for a mobile notary commissioned there; bring your own witnesses (two). [Request a mobile notary in North Carolina](/notary/mobile-notary-outside-new-jersey) If a local notary in the state does it: Acknowledgment, jurat, verification or proof, per notarized principal signature, $10; Oath or affirmation without a signature, per person, $10, under the state's fee rules ([North Carolina notary fees](/notary/fees-by-state/north-carolina)). ## Worth knowing A spoken (nuncupative) will is allowed only during a last sickness or in imminent peril of death, before two witnesses, and can pass personal property only. ## Sources - [N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 31, Article 1, Execution of Wills (North Carolina General Assembly)](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/ByArticle/Chapter_31/Article_1.pdf) (checked November 2026) - [N.C. Gen. Stat. 31-11.6, Self-proved wills (North Carolina General Assembly)](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_31/GS_31-11.6.html) (checked November 2026) - [Nolo (secondary source): How to Make a Will in North Carolina (Nolo, updated August 2025)](https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/north-carolina-make-will-32171.html) (checked November 2026) - [NC General Assembly bill summary, S.L. 2023-57 (S 552): emergency video notarization and witnessing extended to June 30, 2024](https://dashboard.ncleg.gov/api/Services/BillSummary/2023/S552-SMST-82(sl)-v-5) (checked November 2026) Sourced from official pages; a few facts from vetted secondary sources, marked "(secondary source)". We are not lawyers, and this is general information, not legal advice. Checked November 2026. Rules change, and whoever receives the document decides what it accepts; we can't guarantee acceptance. ## Common questions **Does a will have to be notarized in North Carolina?** No, not for the will itself. The signing rule on the pages we read asks for two witnesses, who sign in the testator's presence. They don't have to sign in each other's presence. A notary isn't part of that rule; one comes in for the self-proving affidavit, where it's used. **Where does a notary come in for a North Carolina will?** The self-proving affidavit. Allowed at signing or any time later, before an officer authorized to administer oaths, under official seal. **Can a will be signed over video in North Carolina?** Not provided for: no the state law we found lets witnesses appear by video, and e-wills aren't authorized (Nolo's North Carolina page, updated August 2025). The emergency video-witnessing authority in G.S. 10B-200 ran only through June 30, 2024, and the state's remote notarization law excludes self-proving wills. **Can a beneficiary witness a North Carolina will?** A witness who, or whose spouse, is a beneficiary can cause that gift to be lost (Nolo, citing N.C. Gen. Stat. 31-10). ## Keep going - [North Carolina will signing requirements](/notary/will-signing-requirements-north-carolina) - [Will signing-day checklist](/notary/will-signing-day-checklist?state=nc) - [Will witness rules in every state](/notary/will-witness-requirements-by-state) - [A car title in North Carolina](/notary/does-it-need-a-notary/car-title-north-carolina) - [A power of attorney in North Carolina](/notary/does-it-need-a-notary/power-of-attorney-north-carolina) - [A small estate affidavit in North Carolina](/notary/does-it-need-a-notary/small-estate-affidavit-north-carolina) A will in another state: [New York](/notary/does-it-need-a-notary/will-new-york) · [North Dakota](/notary/does-it-need-a-notary/will-north-dakota) · [every state](/notary/does-it-need-a-notary?doc=will) ## Signing a will in person? [Request a mobile notary](/notary/mobile-notary-outside-new-jersey)[Call (908) 444-6373](tel:+19084446373)