Internal prototype — noindexed, not linked from public navigation yet.

Md. Code, Estates and Trusts § 4-603

This is the official text of Md. Code, Estates and Trusts § 4-603, part of Maryland’s Code, Estates and Trusts — governs wills, trusts, and probate.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

§4–603.

Official statutory text

(a) An international will:

(1) Shall be made in writing;

(2) Does not need to be written by the testator;

(3) May be written in any language; and

(4) May be written by hand or by any other means.

(b) (1) The testator shall declare in the presence of at least two witnesses and a person authorized to act in connection with international wills that the document is the testator’s will and that the testator knows the contents of the document.

(2) The testator need not inform the witnesses or the authorized person of the contents of the will.

(c) In the presence of the witnesses and of the authorized person, a testator shall:

(1) Sign the will; or

(2) If the testator has previously signed the will, acknowledge the testator’s signature.

(d) (1) If a testator is unable to sign, the absence of the testator’s signature does not affect the validity of the will if:

(i) The testator indicates the reason for the testator’s inability to sign; and

(ii) The authorized person makes note on the will of the reason for the testator’s inability to sign.

(2) If a testator is unable to sign, another person present, including the authorized person or one of the witnesses, may sign the testator’s name for the testator if:

(i) The other person signs at the direction of the testator; and

(ii) The authorized person makes note on the will of the other person signing the testator’s name at the direction of the testator.

(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (2) of this subsection, a person is not required to sign the testator’s name at the testator’s direction.

(e) The witnesses and the authorized person shall there and then attest the will by signing their names in the presence of the testator.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.