Knowledge & Resources
Wills and estate planning
What a will does, how to write one, and what your state requires for it to count.
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Wills and estate planning
What a will does, how to write one, and what your state requires for it to count.
New Jersey follows the Uniform Probate Code, so its witnesses may sign within a reasonable time rather than at the moment you sign.
A New Jersey will must be in writing, signed by the testator or in the testator's name by another individual in their conscious presence and at their direction, and signed by at least two individuals who each signed within a reasonable time after witnessing either the signing or the testator's acknowledgment of it.
N.J.S. § 3B:3-2
No. Section 3B:3-2 requires two witnesses, not a notary, and notarizing a New Jersey will does not replace them. A notary appears only in a separate self-proving affidavit.
N.J.S. § 3B:3-2
N.J.S.A. § 3B:3-2 (Execution; witnessed wills; writings intended as wills). Signed by at least two individuals, each of whom signed within a reasonable time after witnessing the signing or the testator's acknowledgment.
Links last checked 2026-08-25.
We could not read this statute at its official source, so the summary above is provisional. Confirm it before relying on it.
This is general information about the law, not legal advice, and it has not been reviewed by an attorney licensed in New Jersey. Requirements change. Confirm the current rules for your state before you sign.
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