Are Online & Electronic Wills Legal in Ontario?
Last updated 2026-06 · Ontario
Three terms get mixed up here, and the difference matters in Ontario:
- Online will — created on a website, then printed and signed on paper. Legal in Ontario.
- Electronic will — signed with an e-signature and witnessed by video, stored digitally. Not clearly permitted in Ontario.
- Digital will — a catch-all that includes electronic signing and storage.
Online wills: yes, with paper
Using an online platform to build your will is completely valid in Ontario. The platform asks about your life and generates an Ontario-compliant document. To make it legal, you then print it and sign it in front of two witnesses who aren't beneficiaries. The convenience is in the drafting; the execution is still on paper.
Fully electronic wills: not yet in Ontario
British Columbia allows fully electronic wills (e-signature plus remote video witnessing) — but Ontario does not clearly permit them. Ontario added a "substantial compliance" power to the Succession Law Reform Act for deaths on or after January 1, 2022, and courts have been working through whether an electronic document can ever be saved under it. The law here is still being settled. Until it is, the safe path in Ontario is a printed, wet-ink will with two witnesses.
Where to store it
Keep the original signed will somewhere your executor can find it — a home safe, a safety deposit box, or with your lawyer. Ontario probate generally requires the original, not a copy or scan. Tell your executor where it is.
Practical takeaway
Create it online if you like the convenience — just don't rely on an e-signature in Ontario. Print, sign with two qualifying witnesses, and store the original safely.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sign my will electronically in Ontario? Not safely — Ontario doesn't clearly recognize fully electronic wills. Print and sign on paper. Is an online will legal in Ontario? Yes, when you print it and sign it with two witnesses. Where should I store my will in Ontario? Keep the original signed copy somewhere secure and accessible to your executor; probate needs the original. Is a will made on a website valid in Ontario? Yes — once printed and properly signed and witnessed.
Not legal advice. General information about Ontario law as of 2026; the law on electronic wills is evolving. Confirm with an Ontario estate lawyer.
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