Estate plan requirements

Arkansas

Everything your estate plan needs to be valid in Arkansas: execution requirements, the documents we generate, statutory citations, and the exact wording our generators insert.

Requirements at a glance

DocumentWitnessesNotary
Will2 requiredRecommended
Living trustNone requiredRecommended
Power of attorneyNone requiredRecommended
Healthcare directive2 required, or notaryAlternative to witnesses

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Will, living trust, durable power of attorney, healthcare directive, and six more documents, all valid in Arkansas.

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Arkansas content last reviewed May 18, 2026.

1

Will

Ark. Code §28-25-101 et seq.

Witnesses: 2 required

Two witnesses are required. The testator must declare to the witnesses that the instrument is the testator's will, and must sign it, or acknowledge a signature already made, in the presence of two or more attesting witnesses at the same time; the signature must be at the end of the instrument (Ark. Code §28-25-103(b)(2)). The witnesses then sign at the testator's request and in the testator's presence. Arkansas does not require the witnesses to sign in each other's presence, but completing the whole ceremony in one sitting is the conservative practice.

Notarization: Recommended

Not legally required, but recommended for self-proving affidavit

Holographic will: Valid

Handwritten wills without witnesses are recognized in Arkansas

Self-proving affidavit: Available

Allows the will to be admitted to probate without witness testimony

State-specific notes

Holographic will handwriting must be proved by three credible disinterested witnesses at probate (Ark. Code §28-25-104)
ViewWitness disqualification / interested-witness rule
Ark. Code §28-25-102: a will is not invalidated by attestation by an interested witness, but an interested witness who is not joined by two qualified disinterested witnesses forfeits so much of the disposition to that witness as in the aggregate exceeds what the witness would have taken in intestacy. A witness is interested only if the will gives that witness a beneficial interest by way of devise.
2

Living Trust

Witnesses: None required

No formal execution requirements beyond settlor signature; notarization strongly recommended when funding real property

Notarization: Recommended

Not legally required for the trust document, but needed to transfer real property

3

Durable Power of Attorney

Witnesses: None required

No witnesses required for power of attorney

Notarization: Recommended

Notarization is not legally required but is recommended. It creates a presumption of genuine signature and simplifies third-party acceptance.

State-specific notes

Treat acknowledgment before a notary as functionally mandatory. Although Arkansas law does not, by its terms, condition the execution validity of a Power of Attorney on notarization (Ark. Code §28-68-105), acknowledgment before a notary public is the statutory trigger for the presumption that the principal's signature is genuine, and that presumption is what allows third parties to accept and rely on the POA under Ark. Code §§28-68-119 and 28-68-120. An unnotarized Arkansas POA is not commercially usable; banks, brokerages, title companies, and recorders refuse to honor it on sight.
Recording with the circuit clerk in the county where the property lies (Ark. Code §18-12-501) requires the acknowledged form, so any POA intended to convey or encumber Arkansas real estate should be notarized
Durability is presumed unless the instrument states otherwise (Ark. Code §28-68-104)
Spouse-agent authority terminates automatically upon filing of an action for divorce, annulment, or legal separation unless the POA expressly provides otherwise (Ark. Code §28-68-110)
ViewWarning notice for the principal
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE PRINCIPAL (Plain-English notice prepared by Will.com; Arkansas does not codify a mandatory pre-form warning to the principal at Ark. Code §28-68-301.) As the "principal," you are giving the person whom you choose (your "agent") authority to spend your money and sell or dispose of your property during your lifetime without telling you. You do not lose your authority to act even though you have given your agent similar authority. When your agent exercises this authority, your agent must act according to any instructions you have provided or, where there are no specific instructions, in your best interest. The "Agent Acknowledgment and Certification of Duties" page at the end of this document sets out your agent's responsibilities, and your agent signs it. This Power of Attorney does not authorize your agent to make healthcare decisions for you. Treat acknowledgment before a notary as functionally mandatory. Your signature on this Power of Attorney is presumed to be genuine when you acknowledge it before a notary public (Ark. Code §28-68-105), and that statutory presumption is what triggers third-party acceptance and reliance under Ark. Code §§28-68-119 and 28-68-120. Acknowledged form is also required for the document to be recorded with a circuit clerk for real-estate transactions (Ark. Code §18-12-501). An unnotarized form is not commercially usable: Arkansas banks, brokerages, title companies, and recorders routinely refuse to honor any Power of Attorney that has not been acknowledged. Do not sign this Power of Attorney without completing the notary acknowledgment. Your agent's authority is created by your execution of this Power of Attorney itself. Unless this Power of Attorney provides otherwise, a person accepts appointment as your agent by exercising authority or performing duties as an agent, or by any other assertion or conduct indicating acceptance (Ark. Code §28-68-113). Arkansas law does not condition your agent's authority on a separate written acceptance, and the Agent Acknowledgment page at the end of this document is included as evidence of acceptance rather than as a legal precondition. Your agent should still sign it. You can request information from your agent at any time. If you are not satisfied with the way your agent is performing his or her duties, you should revoke this Power of Attorney immediately and notify your agent in writing of the revocation. Your agent must then immediately stop acting on your behalf. This Power of Attorney is governed by Arkansas's Uniform Power of Attorney Act, Ark. Code §§28-68-101 through 28-68-406. Your agent's authority will continue if you become incapacitated unless this document expressly states otherwise (Ark. Code §28-68-104). If your spouse is your agent, that authority terminates automatically when an action for divorce, annulment, or legal separation is filed unless this document states otherwise (Ark. Code §28-68-110). Termination of an agent's authority or of the Power of Attorney itself is not effective as to the agent or any other person who, without actual knowledge of the termination, acts in good faith under the Power of Attorney. If there is anything about this document that you do not understand, you should ask a lawyer to explain it to you.
4

Declaration

Ark. Code §20-17-201 et seq.

Witnesses: 2 required, or notary

Arkansas accepts either 2 witnesses or notarization

Notarization: Accepted as alternative

Acknowledged before a notary public in lieu of two witnesses, for declarations executed on or after July 1, 2017 (Ark. Code §20-17-202(a)(3))

State-specific notes

Two witnesses are the default execution path: the declaration must be signed by the declarant, or by another at the declarant's direction, and witnessed by two individuals. Declarations executed on or after July 1, 2017 are also valid if notarized without witnesses (Ark. Code §20-17-202(a)(3)), or if they satisfy the Arkansas Healthcare Decisions Act (Ark. Code §20-6-101 et seq.).
Will.com asks that both witnesses be adults who are not the declarant's healthcare proxy or any alternate, who are not related to the declarant by blood, marriage, or adoption, and who would not take any part of the declarant's estate. The declaration statute itself requires only that the declaration be witnessed by two individuals, so these stricter conditions are Will.com drafting practice rather than requirements of that statute.
ViewWitness disqualification recital
Each witness confirms that he or she is at least eighteen years of age, is not the declarant's healthcare proxy or any alternate proxy, is not related to the declarant by blood, marriage, or adoption, would not be entitled to any portion of the declarant's estate under any existing will or codicil or by operation of law, and is not the declarant's attending physician or an employee of a healthcare facility where the declarant is a patient.
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6 more documents with a subscription

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Disposition of Remains Authorization

Names the agent who controls funeral, burial, or cremation decisions, with optional preferences.

HIPAA Authorization

Stand-alone PHI release that survives death for the period you specify, separate from the in-life authorization in your healthcare directive.

Nomination of Conservator

Pre-nominates the person you want a court to appoint if a conservator (or guardian of the estate) is ever needed.

Business Succession Declaration

Identifies your interests in any closely-held businesses and how they should be transferred or wound down.

Real-Estate Retitling Checklist

Step-by-step instructions for transferring real-property deeds into your trust so the trust actually controls those assets.

Letter of Instruction

Non-binding personal note to your executor and family: where to find documents, account access, funeral wishes, and other practical guidance.

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Electronic will status

Arkansas has not adopted electronic will legislation. A traditional paper will with physical signatures is required.

Digital assets access

Arkansas has adopted RUFADAA (2017). This is the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, which lets your executor, trustee, or agent access your email, social media, cryptocurrency wallets, cloud storage, and other digital accounts after death or incapacity.

To take advantage of RUFADAA, your will, trust, or power of attorney must explicitly grant authority to access digital assets. Without explicit authorization, service providers can deny access even to a court-appointed executor.

Remote online notarization (RON)

Arkansas authorized RON in 2021.

Will

Not allowed

Trust

Allowed

POA

Allowed

Remote online witnessing (ROW)

Arkansas does not allow remote online witnessing for estate planning documents. Witnesses must be physically present when you sign.

Will

Not allowed

Trust

Not allowed

POA

Not allowed

HC Directive

Not allowed

This information is general in nature and not legal advice. Laws change. Consult a licensed estate planning attorney in Arkansas for guidance specific to your situation.

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