Minister supports KNB's practical solution for remote passing

In exceptional circumstances, notaries may execute a will via video link, without the testator signing the deed themselves. This practical solution, proposed by the Royal Dutch Association of Civil-Law Notaries (KNB), is supported by Minister for Legal Protection Sander Dekker. He wrote this in a letter to the House of Representatives.

In this situation, the mandatory signing of the deed is replaced by a declaration that the testator is unable to sign the deed due to the restrictive measures imposed as a result of the coronavirus. The notary then notes this in the deed. "I support this practical solution," Dekker writes in his letter . "This will ensure the continuity of notarial services for drawing up wills and other notarial deeds for which no private power of attorney can be granted, even under the current circumstances."

Emergency legislation
To prevent potential legal uncertainty regarding the legal validity of wills or other deeds drawn up in this way, the Minister included a passage on this topic in the emergency legislation for COVID-19 adopted last week. This stipulates that people can also appear before a notary using audiovisual means. "With this, I want to eliminate any uncertainty regarding the authenticity of, among other things, wills that have been executed by a notary using audiovisual means under the current circumstances."