Does a photocopy or PDF count as your will?
No. Only the wet-ink original is legally effective — not a scan, not a photocopy, not the PDF. A copy is at best evidence in a difficult court application if the original is lost. Storage is about protecting that single piece of paper and making sure the right people can find it. SwiftWill does not store the original; you keep it.
Why must you never store a will in a bank safe-deposit box?
The box cannot be opened without probate, and probate cannot be obtained without the will. Your executors are locked out of the document they need to unlock the box. If your will is in a safe-deposit box now, move it. Home, solicitor storage or HMCTS (about £23) are the safer options.
Where should you store a will instead?
A fire-resistant box at home is the practical default if your executors know where it is. Solicitor storage is safe if they know the firm. HMCTS Probate Service storage is about £23 one-off. The Certainty National Will Register records location, not contents, as a backstop. Skip paid storage if two people already know where the original lives.
| Option | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Home, fire-resistant box | Cost of the box | The practical default. Somewhere dry, fire-resistant and known to your executors. |
| Solicitor storage | Free–small annual fee | Safe and professional; make sure executors know the firm, and check retrieval terms if the firm closes or merges. |
| HMCTS Probate Service storage | ~£23 one-off | Government-run will storage; executors need the storage reference to retrieve it. |
| Certainty National Will Register | Small one-off fee | Registers the will's existence and location (not its contents) so it can always be found — a backstop alongside any option above. |
Who should you tell where the will is?
Tell your executors exactly where the original is, and write the location on a note with your important papers. The most common storage failure is not fire or flood — it is silence. A will that cannot be found is treated as no will at all, and the intestacy rules decide instead.
What should you not do with the original will?
Do not pin, staple or clip anything to it — marks suggest missing pages. Do not write on it after signing. Do not laminate it. Do not keep the only copy somewhere nobody else knows about. After you sign, follow the signing rules and leave the document alone.
- Do not attach anything with pins, staples or clips — marks suggest missing pages
- Do not write on it after signing — amendments are invalid unless executed like a will
- Do not laminate it — alterations to the physical document raise questions at probate
- Do not keep the only copy somewhere nobody else knows about