Last Will and Testament

Last will and testament – a professional template in Word format

A will is a declaration by which a person disposes of their property in the event of death – deciding who inherits the real estate, the money in the bank account and the movable property. This template contains the two forms recognised by law which a person can draw up on their own: a holograph will and a written will before two witnesses. You choose one form, delete the other and fill in the details.

A will is a strictly formal document – it is governed by the Inheritance Act (Zakon o nasljeđivanju), and a will that does not meet the prescribed form is not valid. A holograph will (Article 30 of the Inheritance Act) must be written entirely in the testator’s own hand and signed by their own hand, while a written will before witnesses (Article 31) may be typed but requires two witnesses present at the same time. The template gives an express warning about those conditions in both places.

Key features

• Professional template – two forms drawn up in line with Articles 30 and 31 of the Inheritance Act (Zakon o nasljeđivanju), with the optional clauses marked.
• Practical reliability – the warnings about the form, about who may not act as a witness and about the forced share are built into the document itself, not into small print.
• Easy customisation – you fill in the details of the testator, the heirs and the property, and simply delete the options you do not need.
• Digital delivery – the DOCX file with instructions arrives by e-mail immediately after purchase, ready for printing or for copying out by hand.

What the template includes

• Form A – a holograph will (Article 30 of the Inheritance Act), with an express warning that a typed text or one written by another person’s hand is not valid
• Form B – a written will before two witnesses present at the same time (Article 31 of the Inheritance Act), with space for the witnesses’ signatures and details
• An opening statement on the testator’s full awareness, capacity and free will
• An optional clause revoking all earlier wills
• Disposal of real estate with the land registry details (land registry folio, cadastral municipality, cadastral parcel number), of funds by IBAN and of movable property
• A clause on the remainder of the estate, wherever it may be located
• Options for a substitute heir and for an executor of the will
• A block listing the persons who cannot act as witnesses (Article 35 of the Inheritance Act) and the rule on dispositions in favour of witnesses and of the person who drew up the will being null and void (Article 36)
• Instructions for completion – the date, the forced share, deposit with a notary public and entry in the Hrvatski upisnik oporuka (Croatian Register of Wills)

Copy the land registry details of the property exactly from the title deed (land registry extract) – an imprecisely described property is a regular source of disputes in probate. We have explained step by step what a will looks like and where to keep it in our guide kako napisati oporuku (how to write a will). If probate proceedings have already been opened, see also the declaration of heir template.