Estate plan requirements
Minnesota
Everything your estate plan needs to be valid in Minnesota: execution requirements, statutory citations, and the exact wording each document requires.
Requirements at a glance
| Document | Witnesses | Notary |
|---|---|---|
| Will | 2 required | Recommended |
| Living trust | None required | Recommended |
| Power of attorney | None required | Required |
| Healthcare directive | 2 required, or notary | Alternative to witnesses |
Document generation isn’t currently available in Minnesota.
We are reviewing Minnesota’s rules for online legal document services and have paused generating documents governed by Minnesota law while that review is under way.
Will
Minn. Stat. §524.2-501 et seq.
Witnesses: 2 required
Each witness must sign within a reasonable time after witnessing either the signing of the will or the testator's acknowledgment of that signature or of the will.
Notarization: Recommended
Not legally required, but recommended for self-proving affidavit
Holographic will: Not valid
Minnesota does not recognize handwritten wills without witnesses
Self-proving affidavit: Available
Allows the will to be admitted to probate without witness testimony
State-specific notes
ViewWitness disqualification / interested-witness rule
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
Certification of trust: Minn. Stat. §501C.1013
Minnesota lets your trustee prove the trust to a bank, brokerage, title company, insurer, or transfer agent with a short certification instead of the trust itself. It states that the trust exists, who the trustee is, and what the trustee may do, and it leaves out who inherits and what each person receives.
Durable Power of Attorney
Minn. Stat. §§523.01-523.24
Last verified: 2014-01
Witnesses: None required
No witnesses required for power of attorney
Notarization: Required
Notarization is required for a valid durable power of attorney
State-specific notes
ViewWarning notice for the principal
ViewAgent acknowledgment wording
Health Care Directive
Minn. Stat. §§145C.01-145C.16
Witnesses: 2 required, or notary
Minnesota accepts either 2 witnesses or notarization
Notarization: Accepted as alternative
Acknowledged before a notary public. Minn. Stat. §145C.03
Document sections
State-specific notes
ViewWitness disqualification recital
6 more documents with a subscription
Document generation is currently unavailable for Minnesota, including these.
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. The free packet includes it too whenever it has a healthcare directive.
In this state: Gives the signed and dated consent Minn. Stat. §144.293, subd. 2 requires before a provider releases your health records, and Minn. Stat. §144.294, subd. 1 applies that same rule to mental-health records. Minnesota does not require a separate consent for each disclosure. Duration is the point to watch: under Minn. Stat. §144.293, subd. 4 a consent is valid for one year unless it specifies a different period, so this authorization states its own period in the Duration section and is not intended to lapse after twelve months.
Nomination of Guardian of the Person and Conservator of the Estate
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.
Free vs. paid
| Free | Paid | |
|---|---|---|
| All 4 state-specific documents | Included in free | Included in paid tier |
| State-specific signing guide | Included in free | Included in paid tier |
| Download as PDF, print forever | Included in free | Included in paid tier |
| Secure online storage | Not in free | Included in paid tier |
| Covers real estate, business, digital, and funeral wishes | Not in free | Included in paid tier |
| Disposition of remains authorization | Not in free | Included in paid tier |
| Standalone HIPAA authorization | Not in free | Included in paid tier |
| Nomination of conservator | Not in free | Included in paid tier |
| Business succession declaration | Not in free | Included in paid tier |
| Real-estate retitling checklist | Not in free | Included in paid tier |
| Special needs trust provisions | Not in free | Included in paid tier |
| Letter of instruction, pre-filled and editable | Not in free | Included in paid tier |
| Edit anytime | Not in free | Included in paid tier |
| Annual review reminder | Not in free | Included in paid tier |
Electronic will status
Minnesota has adopted electronic will legislation (2023). You may be able to create, sign, and witness a will electronically using approved methods.
Digital assets access
Minnesota has adopted RUFADAA (2016). 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)
Minnesota authorized RON in 2018. The law took effect on January 1, 2019.
Will
Allowed
Trust
Allowed
POA
Allowed
Remote online witnessing (ROW)
For the paper documents Will.com produces, Minnesota does not allow remote online witnessing. 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 Minnesota for guidance specific to your situation.
Also for Minnesota
Document generation isn’t currently available in Minnesota.