Central Register of Wills: Safeguarding Your Last Will

Creating a legally valid will is only the first step. To ensure that your testamentary dispositions are actually found and implemented in the event of death, registration in the Central Register of Wills (Zentrales Testamentsregister – ZTR) is of vital importance.

Why Registration is Essential

In practice, it happens all too often that documents are overlooked by mistake, misplaced, or—in the worst-case scenario—deliberately suppressed by disadvantaged parties. Registration in the ZTR ensures that the competent probate court and the court commissioner (notary) are automatically notified of the existence of your instructions during probate proceedings.

Maximum Discretion and Data Privacy

A common misconception is that the will itself is stored or uploaded to the register. The Central Register of Wills only records that a disposition exists and where the original document is securely kept (e.g., at the office of your attorney).

• No risk of disclosure: The contents of your will remain strictly confidential until the time of death.
• Security against tampering: Since the location of the original is officially registered, the document cannot simply "disappear."

Who Can Register a Will?

Access to the Central Register of Wills is strictly regulated. Only attorneys and notaries have the secure interfaces required to register documents or perform queries upon a person's passing. This ensures a professional process governed by strict professional standards and ethics.

Benefits of Legal Custody

By depositing your will with an attorney and having it registered, you benefit from double protection: a professional review of formal validity and the guarantee that the probate court will find your document through the ZTR.