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• Collect the will, death record, asset list, debts, family tree and executor correspondence first.

• For RMB 10 million in estate assets, missing bank, company or foreign records can delay distribution.

• Ask for status and accounts in writing before making accusations.

• Use Caira to draft beneficiary, executor or asset-holder document requests.

A Chinese will template can be useful only if it respects the form of will being used and the facts of the family. A short document saying I leave everything to one person may create more risk than clarity if it ignores handwriting, witness, signature, date, capacity, property ownership, dependants, or cross-border assets. The official source family for this guide is the Civil Code material in the national law database, the State Council publication of the Civil Code, and the Ministry of Justice inheritance-notarisation guidance listed in the official materials.

Who this is for

This guide is for families thinking about a will for assets in mainland China, including bilingual families, foreign residents with China assets, and Chinese citizens with overseas relatives. It is a practical checklist, not a complete will. Use legal information and document review where there are minor children, dependants, remarriage, property disputes, company shares, rural housing, jointly owned assets, foreign law questions, or family conflict.

Choose the will type before drafting

The Civil Code source family recognises different ways a will may be made. Before copying a template, identify whether the draft is meant to be a self-written will, printed will, witnessed will, audio or video will, notarised will, or another form supported by current law. Each form can have different requirements for handwriting, witnesses, signatures, dates, or recording details. A template that works for one form may fail for another.

Useful Simplified Chinese labels include 遗嘱 for will, 自书遗嘱 for self-written will, 代书遗嘱 for will written by another person, 打印遗嘱 for printed will, 见证人 for witness, 遗嘱人 for testator, 继承人 for heir, and 继承公证 for inheritance notarisation.

Check capacity and pressure

A will file should show that the person making the will understood the document and acted voluntarily. If the person is elderly, ill, isolated, dependent on one relative, or likely to face later challenge, document capacity and independence carefully. Avoid having the main beneficiary organise every witness, translation, and signing step alone. If a relative is pressuring someone to sign, a template is the wrong tool.

Describe property accurately

List assets in a way that can be recognised later: apartment address, ownership certificate details where available, bank account, securities account, company interest, vehicle, valuable personal items, debts, and any property outside mainland China. Do not give away property the testator does not own. If property is jointly owned with a spouse, parent, child, or company, separate the testator's share from the whole asset. If there is a mortgage or unresolved title issue, flag it.

Think about dependants and family structure

A will should not be drafted as if every family has the same inheritance rules. Spouses, children, parents, adopted children, step-family relationships, dependants, and people who lack ability to support themselves can make the analysis more delicate. A will that ignores required support or family rights may invite a dispute. Use the official law text and legal information and document review before disinheriting close family or changing an earlier estate plan.

Notarisation and later inheritance procedures

Notarisation may be useful in some situations, and inheritance notarisation guidance can help families understand the later document environment. But do not assume every valid will must be notarised, and do not assume a notarised inheritance workflow is the same thing as writing the will. Keep the original will safe, record where it is stored, and tell a trusted person how it can be found. Multiple unsigned drafts can create confusion.

A preparation checklist message

Use this before asking for review:

您好：为准备遗嘱文件，请先整理以下信息：遗嘱人身份信息、拟处分的财产清单及权属证明、受益人信息、是否存在配偶/子女/父母或需要扶养的人、是否已有旧遗嘱、是否涉及境外资产、拟采用的遗嘱形式以及见证人安排。请不要在未确认形式要求前签署模板。

Common mistakes

Do not type a document and call it a handwritten will. Do not use witnesses who may be disqualified without checking the rules. Do not forget dates and signatures. Do not mix Chinese and English asset names inconsistently. Do not leave the original where nobody can find it. Do not treat a probate, inheritance, or notarisation form as a will template.

Where Unwildered fits

Upload the draft will, asset list, family tree, translations, earlier wills, and property documents. Unwildered can help organise the questions that need official-law or Caira review before anyone signs.

Free copyable template: This guide includes a free draft you can copy into Microsoft Word, adapt to your facts, and compare against your documents before uploading the file to Caira.

Copyable Chinese will template

Copy the wording below into Microsoft Word or Google Docs, then replace every square-bracketed section. To make a Word version, copy from the first line of the template to the signature block, paste it into Microsoft Word, then save or download it as a .docx file. Keep the surrounding explanation in this article as guidance, but use the template text as the part to copy.

遗嘱

立遗嘱人：[姓名]，身份证/护照号码：[号码]，出生日期：[日期]，现住址：[地址]。

一、声明
本人在意识清楚、自愿且未受胁迫的情况下订立本遗嘱。本遗嘱用于表达本人死亡后对个人合法财产的处分意愿。

二、撤销
本人撤销此前就同一财产所作的任何遗嘱或遗赠安排，但本遗嘱明确保留的除外。

三、遗产范围
本人遗产包括但不限于：银行存款、房产、车辆、公司股权、投资账户、债权、个人物品及其他依法属于本人的财产。

四、受益人及分配
1. 本人将位于[地址]的不动产留给[受益人姓名、身份证/护照号码、关系]。
2. 本人将[银行/账户/投资]中的权益留给[受益人]。
3. 剩余遗产在清偿债务、税费和必要费用后，由[受益人A]取得[比例]，由[受益人B]取得[比例]。

五、执行与文件
本人希望[姓名]协助继承人整理死亡证明、亲属关系证明、财产证明、公证或登记所需文件。

六、签署
立遗嘱人签名：[签名]
日期：[年/月/日]
地点：[城市]

见证人一：[姓名、身份证号、签名]
见证人二：[姓名、身份证号、签名]

Example filled-in China Will Template

This is a realistic example only. Do not copy the facts unless they match your situation.

遗嘱示例

立遗嘱人：张明，护照号码：E12345678，出生日期：1978年3月12日，现住址：上海市静安区示例路88号。

本人撤销此前遗嘱。本人将上海市静安区示例路88号房产中属于本人的全部权益留给配偶李娜。本人将招商银行账户尾号6688内的存款留给女儿张安安。剩余遗产在清偿债务、税费和必要费用后，由李娜取得60%，张安安取得40%。

立遗嘱人签名：张明
日期：2026年5月5日
见证人一：王强，签名：王强
见证人二：陈洁，签名：陈洁

Copyable messier Chinese will example

Copy the wording below into Microsoft Word or Google Docs, then replace every square-bracketed section. If you want a .docx file, copy from the first line of the draft to the signature block, paste it into Microsoft Word, and save or download it as a Word document.

遗嘱补充清单

如遗产包括公司股权、境外账户、前婚子女或代持房产，请在遗嘱附件中列明资产、登记人、估值资料、贷款、受益人和执行人需要调取的文件。

Example filled-in messier Chinese will example

This example is deliberately a little messy: real files often involve children, blended families, business interests, offshore accounts, disputed valuations, old messages and incomplete paperwork. Use it as a model for the level of detail to gather, not as facts to copy.

遗嘱附件示例

立遗嘱人：张明，护照号码E12345678。

资产清单包括：上海静安区住宅一套，估值约人民币2,600万元，贷款余额约人民币700万元；海南三亚度假公寓一套，登记在弟弟名下但首付款来自本人账户；上海云舟科技有限公司18%股权，最近一轮融资估值约人民币1.2亿元；招商银行理财账户尾号6688；新加坡银行账户尾号9012；以及一辆奔驰S级轿车。

家庭情况：本人现任配偶李娜，女儿张安安，前婚儿子张远。本人希望三亚公寓权益最终归张远，但如弟弟拒绝配合，执行人应先保存银行转账记录、聊天记录和购房文件，再与继承人协商处理。

What to add when the estate is not simple

The will template is most useful when it is paired with an asset schedule. A high-value estate may include registered property, company shares, app-based investments, debts owed by relatives, foreign accounts and assets held by someone else for convenience. The schedule helps the executor and family understand what must be found, valued and transferred.

If there are children from different relationships, state the intended split plainly. Ambiguity can turn a practical estate plan into a family dispute. The example above deliberately names a current spouse, a child from the current relationship and a child from an earlier relationship so the structure is visible.

• Add account endings rather than full passwords or private keys.

• For company shares, list company name, percentage, registration number and where records are stored.

• For property held by relatives, keep proof of payment and a written explanation with the will file.

• For vulnerable beneficiaries, explain whether money should be held, paid in stages or used for care costs.

Sources

• Civil Code materials in the official law database

• notary and public legal-service guidance

• local court guidance for disputed estates

This article is general information, not legal, financial, medical or tax advice.