Changing Your Will in Singapore: Codicils, New Wills and Why Marriage Revokes a Will

By Johnathan Lee, Advocate and Solicitor (Singapore). Updated 28 September 2026.

You change a will in Singapore by signing a new document with the same formalities as the original: either a codicil (a shorter document that amends the existing will) or a new will. Handwritten changes on a signed will generally have no legal effect unless the change is itself signed and witnessed as the Wills Act 1838 requires. Marriage revokes an existing will under section 13 of the Act, unless the will was expressed to be made in contemplation of that marriage. Divorce is not mentioned in the Act, and section 14 provides that no will is revoked merely because circumstances have changed.

When should I review my will?

Section 19 provides that a will speaks as if it had been signed immediately before your death, unless it shows a contrary intention. A will that made sense when signed can produce an odd result years later. Review it after any of these events:

• Marriage. Unless made in contemplation of that marriage, the will is revoked and your estate would pass under the rules explained in our guide to dying without a will.
• Divorce or separation. The will is not revoked, so gifts to your spouse and any appointment of your spouse as executor stand until you change them.
• A new child. The will is not revoked (section 14). Whether the child benefits depends on the wording, for example whether it names particular children or refers to “my children”.
• The death of a beneficiary. The Act has default rules. Section 20 sends certain failed gifts of real estate into the residuary gift (the gift of “everything else”). Section 26 provides that a gift to your child or other descendant who dies before you, leaving issue alive at your death, does not lapse but takes effect as if that person had died immediately after you. These defaults may not match your wishes.
• The death or unavailability of an executor. Appointing a replacement avoids a gap.
• New or sold assets. A gift of a property you have since sold may have nothing to operate on. The CPF Board also states that CPF monies are not covered by a will. They are distributed according to your CPF nomination or, without one, under intestacy laws.
• Moving overseas. Section 5 treats a will as properly executed if it complied with the law of, among other places, the territory where it was executed or where you were domiciled or habitually resident. That covers formal validity only; how the will operates on assets abroad may also depend on the law of the country where they are.

Why does marriage revoke a will, and what is the exception?

Section 13(1) states: “Every will made by a man or woman shall be revoked by his or her marriage, except a will made in exercise of a power of appointment, when the real or personal estate thereby appointed would not in default of such appointment pass to his or her heir, executor or administrator or the person entitled under the Intestate Succession Act 1967.” The power of appointment exception is technical and affects few people. For most, marriage cancels the will.

The exception that matters in practice is section 13(2): “Notwithstanding subsection (1), where a will made on or after 29 August 1938 is expressed to be made in contemplation of a marriage, the will shall not be revoked by the solemnisation of the marriage contemplated; and this subsection shall apply notwithstanding that the marriage contemplated may be the first, second or subsequent marriage of a person lawfully practising polygamy.”

Three conditions follow from that wording. The will must be made on or after 29 August 1938. It must be expressed to be made in contemplation of a marriage, so the will itself must say so. And it is protected only from “the marriage contemplated”. A will made before a wedding therefore usually names the intended spouse and states that it is made in contemplation of marriage to that person. A general statement that you may marry someday risks not meeting the test.

Marriage affects CPF savings too. The CPF Board states that “Your CPF nomination will be revoked upon marriage”. It advises making a new nomination after marriage if you want your CPF savings distributed according to your wishes; otherwise they “will be distributed in accordance with intestacy laws or the Inheritance Certificate (for Muslims)”.

Does divorce cancel a will in Singapore?

Not under the Wills Act 1838. No section of the Act refers to divorce, annulment or a former spouse. Section 14 states: “No will shall be revoked by any presumption of an intention on the ground of an alteration in circumstances.” Divorce is also not among the methods of revocation listed in section 15, set out below.

So a will leaving your estate to your spouse, or naming your spouse as executor, will be read as written after the marriage ends unless you change it. If you are separating or divorcing, review your will and check your CPF nomination with the CPF Board.

Codicil or new will: which should I use?

A codicil is a supplementary document that adds to, changes or revokes part of an existing will and is read together with it. The Act treats it like a will: section 6(2) refers to the signature “to his will or codicil”, and section 15(b) to “another will or codicil executed in the manner by this Act required”. Either document must be signed and witnessed with full formality, as described in our guide on how to make a valid will.

	Codicil	New will
What it does	Amends part of the existing will, which otherwise stays in force	Replaces the existing will, usually through an express revocation clause
Suited to	One or two contained changes, such as replacing an executor	Several changes, a new family situation, or a will revoked by marriage
Points to watch	Documents must be read and kept together; risk of inconsistency	Must be validly executed before the old will is destroyed

Where marriage has revoked the will, a codicil is not the natural tool. Section 17(1) allows a revoked will to be revived only “by the re-execution thereof, or by a codicil executed in the manner required by this Act and showing an intention to revive the will or codicil”. A fresh will reflecting your married position is usually cleaner. Once there are two or more codicils, a single new will is often easier for executors to work with.

For either document, choose independent witnesses. Under section 10, a gift to a witness, or to the witness’s husband or wife, is “utterly null and void” as far as that person is concerned, although the witness can still prove the will. The exception in section 10(3) applies only where the will is properly executed without counting that witness, for example because two other independent witnesses also signed.

Can I make handwritten changes on my signed will?

It is risky and usually ineffective. Section 16(1) states: “No obliteration, interlineation or other alteration made in any will after the execution thereof shall be valid or have any effect except so far as the words or effect of the will before such alteration shall not be apparent, unless the alteration shall be executed in the like manner as by this Act is required for the execution of the will.” In plain terms:

• If you strike through a name but it can still be read, the will is generally read as it was before the change.
• If you blot out words so that they can no longer be made out, the original gift may be lost while any words you wrote in are still not valid, leaving a gap nobody intended.
• An alteration counts only if executed like a will. Section 16(2) allows your signature and the witnesses’ signatures to be placed in the margin near the alteration, or at the end of a memorandum referring to it.

Handwritten changes also raise questions about when and by whom they were made, usually at a time when you can no longer answer. That can lead to the disputes discussed in our article on contesting a will.

What happens to my old will when I make a new one?

Section 15 sets out the only ways a will or codicil, or any part of it, can be revoked: “(a) as provided in section 13; (b) by another will or codicil executed in the manner by this Act required; (c) by some writing declaring an intention to revoke it, and executed in the manner in which a will is by this Act required to be executed; or (d) by the burning, tearing, or otherwise destroying the will by the testator, or by some person in his presence and by his direction, with the intention of revoking it.”

A properly drafted new will normally opens with a revocation clause expressly revoking all earlier wills and codicils, so that it operates under section 15(b) as a clean replacement. Without one, executors may have to work out which parts of older documents survive. If you also want to destroy the old will, do so only after the new one has been validly signed and witnessed, and with the intention of revoking it, as section 15(d) requires.

Revoking a later will does not bring back an earlier will that it revoked. Under section 17(1), revival requires re-execution or a codicil showing that intention.

How do I keep the Wills Registry record current?

The Wills Registry, run by the Singapore Academy of Law, describes itself as “a non-mandatory confidential Registry”. It records details of the person making the will, the date of the will, who drew it up and where it is held, rather than the will itself. Its site currently lists fees of $50 per will deposit submission and $10 per search submission. Since 9 September 2026, the Singapore Academy of Law has also offered a Wills Repository service, through participating law firms, for depositing a digital copy of a will. It states that this “does not replace the original signed paper Will or determine whether the Will is legally valid.”

The Registry’s website offers two eServices: searching for an existing will record and depositing a new will record. It does not describe a separate function for amending an existing record. When you sign a codicil or new will, or move the original, check with your lawyer or the Registry how best to make sure that anyone searching is led to the current document.

From my time assisting in my family’s funeral business, one practical lesson is that families can only act on the will they can find. Our death to-do list covers other documents worth keeping in order.

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Frequently asked questions

Does having a child revoke my will in Singapore?

No. Section 14 of the Wills Act 1838 provides that no will is revoked by any presumed intention arising from an alteration in circumstances. Whether the new child benefits depends on the wording of your will, so a review is sensible.

Can I change my will by writing a signed note or letter?

Not unless the note is executed like a will, with two or more witnesses present at the same time. Section 15(c) only allows revocation by a writing executed in the manner required for a will, and section 16 denies effect to unexecuted alterations. The safer course is a codicil or a new will.

Is my will revoked if I tear it up?

Under section 15(d), burning, tearing or otherwise destroying the will revokes it only if done by you, or by someone in your presence and at your direction, with the intention of revoking it. Accidental loss or damage is not enough. A new will with a revocation clause is clearer evidence of what you intend.

Do I have to register my new will with the Wills Registry?

No. The Wills Registry is non-mandatory and your will’s validity does not depend on whether you have deposited your will information. A record does help your family locate your will, so when you make a new will or codicil, consider depositing its details and check with the Registry that searches will lead to the current document.

This article is general information, not legal advice. It states Singapore law as at September 2026. Speak to a lawyer about your specific situation.