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Alamo Wills A Permanent Registry of Record
The Full Procedure

How it works, start to finish

No software to install and no passwords to invent. If you can take a photograph and type your name, you are qualified to use this service.

Before you begin: the will itself

A holographic will is a will written entirely in your own handwriting and signed by you. Texas recognizes them (Estates Code §251.052), as do many — though not all — other states. We do not help you write your will and we cannot advise whether it is valid; a licensed attorney in your state can. For educational examples and practical pointers, see writing your handwritten will. What we provide is a permanent, independent record of it.

What makes a will invalid?

Our record can’t cure any of these — it only proves your document existed, unchanged, on a date. Among the things that can make a handwritten will invalid or unenforceable:

  • It isn’t written entirely in your own hand — typed or pre-printed words mixed in can disqualify a holographic will.
  • It isn’t signed by you.
  • You lacked testamentary capacity — you didn’t understand that you were making a will, what you own, or who your heirs are — when you wrote it.
  • It was made under duress, fraud, or the undue influence of someone else.
  • It doesn’t clearly show you meant it to be your will (no testamentary intent).
  • A later will or codicil revoked it, or you revoked it — for example, by destroying it.
  • Your state doesn’t recognize handwritten wills signed without witnesses — roughly half do not.
  • The original paper can’t be produced — courts generally require the original, not a photo or a copy.

This is general information, not legal advice. Requirements vary by state and change over time; a licensed attorney in your state is the one who can tell you whether your will is valid.

Because a holographic will requires no witnesses, this can be done — and kept — entirely privately. No one need sign it, and no one need even know it exists. You protect your family without asking anyone to dwell on the thought.

The seven steps

  1. Photograph your will. Good light, the document flat, every word within the frame. Your phone’s camera is ideal.
  2. Confirm it is legible. We show you the photograph; you confirm every word can be read. If it cannot, take another — there is no charge for additional attempts.
  3. The $18.36 recording fee. Payment is handled by Stripe. We do not collect the fee until your record is sealed and recorded — your card is only authorized at this step, and the authorization is released if you do not finish.
  4. Identity. Government-ID verification is coming soon; today you attest that the will is your own. We state this plainly on the page itself.
  5. Your contact information. Name, email, and phone. Everything is encrypted in our records. If you already have an account, this is filled in for you.
  6. Your designated contacts. Name up to three people — or choose to add them later. Upon a verified death certificate, we notify them and provide your recorded will, by email or phone.
  7. Review and record. A final review, then we collect the fee, seal your photograph, and record it on the blockchain. You receive your Record Number at once.

What “sealed and recorded” means

Your photograph is locked inside an encrypted archive with its own randomly generated key — a key used for your file alone. The encrypted archive, which no one can read without the key, is placed on private storage, and its digital fingerprint is committed to a blockchain transaction. From that moment, anyone can prove the file existed on that date and has not changed by a single letter — yet only you, and those you choose, can open it.

The protection: against tampering and forgery

This is the real value. The blockchain timestamp is an impartial, independent record — not held by a relative, an executor, or anyone with a stake in the outcome — and it cannot be changed by anyone, ever, including us. If your will is altered after the fact, or someone produces a forged “newer” version, your record is permanent, neutral proof of exactly what you wrote and when. It does not make any document legally valid — that is a question for a court — but it gives your family and the court tamper-proof evidence of the truth.

Your 30 days, and what follows

For 30 days, your account offers two downloads: your original photograph and your archive package — the sealed file, its key, the blockchain transaction, and instructions, bundled together. Download it and keep it with your important documents; it is self-contained and verifiable forever, with no help from us. After 30 days we move the file off our web server and into long-term archival storage — cheaper for us to keep, but slower to reach, so the self-service downloads close — but two things never expire:

When the time comes

Your family, your attorney, or law enforcement presents a valid death certificate — through your record’s page or our Law Enforcement Portal. A member of our office reviews every request; nothing is automatic. Once verified, we notify and provide your recorded will to the people you named.

Record My Will — $18.36

Most people finish in about ten minutes.