Tex. Estates Code § 1104.203

This is the official text of Tex. Estates Code § 1104.203, part of Texas’s Estates Code — governs wills, probate, and estate administration.

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.

§ 1104.203. REQUIREMENTS FOR DECLARATION.

Official statutory text

(a) Except as provided by Subsection (a-1), a declaration under this subchapter must be signed by the declarant and be:

(1) written wholly in the declarant's handwriting; or

(2) attested to in the declarant's presence by at least two credible witnesses who are:

(A) 14 years of age or older; and

(B) not named as guardian or alternate guardian in the declaration.

(a-1) If the declaration does not expressly disqualify any individual from serving as guardian of the declarant's person or estate, the declaration must be signed by the declarant and may be acknowledged by a notary public instead of being attested to in the declarant's presence by witnesses as required by Subsection (a)(2).

(b) Notwithstanding Subsection (a) or (a-1), a declaration that is not written wholly in the declarant's handwriting may be signed by another person for the declarant under the direction of and in the presence of the declarant.

(c) A declaration described by Subsection (a)(2) may have attached a self-proving affidavit signed by the declarant and the witnesses attesting to:

(1) the competence of the declarant; and

(2) the execution of the declaration.

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.