A person's will may be made only in accordance with the formalities prescribed by this Code.

Any person who has attained 15 years of age may make a will.

The provisions of Article 5, Article 9, Article 13, and Article 17 do not apply to wills.

At the time of making a will, the testator must have the capacity to do so.

A testator may make a disposition of all or part of the testator's property, under a universal or particular title.

The provisions of Article 886 and Article 891 apply mutatis mutandis to legatees.

①A will is void if a person under guardianship makes it to the benefit of the guardian or the guardian's spouse or lineal relative before the guardian has finished accounting for the guardianship.

②The provisions of the preceding paragraph do not apply if the guardian is a lineal relative, spouse, or sibling of the ward.

A will must be made in the form of a holographic instrument, notarial instrument, or sealed and notarized instrument; provided, however, that this does not apply if it is permissible to use a special formality.

①To make a will in the form of a holographic instrument, the testator must write the entire text, the date, and the testator's full name in the testator's own hand, and affix the testator's seal thereto.

②Notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, if a list of all or part of the estate (including the rights prescribed in Article 997, paragraph (1) in the case prescribed in that paragraph) is attached to a holographic instrument as an integral part of it, the list need not be written in the testator's own hand. In this case, the testator must sign and affix the testator's seal on every sheet of the list (or, if there is writing not in the testator's own hand on both sides of a sheet, on both sides).

③An insertion, deletion, or any other alteration to a holographic instrument (including the list referred to in the preceding paragraph) is not valid unless the testator specifically signs a supplementary note disclosing the location of the alteration and indicating that it has been made, and also affixes the testator's seal to the place that has been altered.

①For a will to be made in the form of a notarial instrument, it must be prepared according to the following formalities:

②The notarial instrument referred to in the preceding paragraph is to be prepared as provided by the Notary Act (Act No. 53 of 1908).

③With regard to the witness referred to in paragraph (1), item (i), the provisions of the Notary Act (excluding the provisions of Article 35, paragraph (3) of that Act) apply, deeming the witness to be a witness prescribed in Article 30 of that Act.

①In order for a testator who cannot speak to make a will in the form of a notarial instrument, the testator must give a statement as to the tenor of the will through an interpreter, or in the testator's own hand, before the notary and witnesses, in lieu of the oral instructions referred to in paragraph (1), item (ii) of the preceding Article.

②If a notarial instrument is prepared according to the formalities prescribed in the preceding paragraph, the notary must state or record that fact in the instrument.

①For a will to be made in the form of a sealed and notarized instrument, it must be prepared according to the following formalities:

②The provisions of Article 968, paragraph (3) apply mutatis mutandis to a will in the form of a sealed and notarized instrument.

Even if a will that is in the form of a sealed and notarized instrument is deficient in terms of a formality prescribed in the preceding Article, it is valid as a will made in the form of a holographic instrument if prepared according to the formalities provided for in Article 968.

①In order for a testator who cannot speak to make a will in the form of a sealed and notarized instrument, the testator must indicate that the instrument is the testator's own will and state the full name and address of the person that wrote it through an interpreter or write the same on the closed and sealed instrument in the testator's own hand before the notary and witnesses, in lieu of the making the statement referred to in Article 970, paragraph (1), item (iii).

②In a case as referred to in the preceding paragraph, if the testator offers a statement through an interpreter, the notary must write an indication of this on the closed and sealed instrument.

③In a case as referred to in paragraph (1), if the testator writes on the closed and sealed instrument in the testator's own hand, the notary must write an indication of this on the closed and sealed instrument in lieu of writing the statement as prescribed in Article 970, paragraph (1), item (iv).

①At least two doctors must be present in order for an adult ward to make a will at a time that the ward's capacity to appreciate the situation at hand has recovered temporarily.

②The doctors present during the making of a will must make a supplemental note on the will indicating that the testator did not lack the capacity to appreciate the situation at hand at the time of making the will, and must sign it and affix their seals thereto; provided, however, that for a will in the form of a sealed and notarized instrument, the doctors must write an indication to that effect on the closed and sealed instrument, sign it, and affix their seals thereto.

None of the following persons may be a witness or person present to observe a will:

A will may not be made by two or more persons on the same instrument.

①If a person who is rapidly approaching death due to illness or any other reason seeks to make a will, that person may do so in the presence of not less than three witnesses by giving oral instructions as to the tenor of the person's will to one of the witnesses. The person receiving the oral instructions in such a case must transcribe them and read back the transcription for the testator and other witnesses to hear or have them inspect it, and then sign the transcription and affix the person's own seal thereto after each of the witnesses has confirmed its accuracy.

②In order for a testator who cannot speak to make a will pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the testator must state the tenor of the will through an interpreter before the witnesses in lieu of the oral instructions referred to in that paragraph.

③If the testator or one of the other witnesses as referred to in the latter clause of paragraph (1) is deaf, the person receiving the oral instructions or statement as to the tenor of the person's will may convey the details of the transcription prescribed in that clause to the testator or other witness through an interpreter in lieu of reading it back for the person to hear as referred to in that clause.

④A will made pursuant to the provisions of the preceding three paragraphs is not valid unless declared so by the family court, as requested by one of the witnesses or an interested party within twenty days of the creation of the will.

⑤The family court may not issue a declaratory judgment that a will as referred to in the preceding paragraph captures the true intention of the testator unless it has the abiding conviction that such is the case.

A person that, due to a communicable disease, is in a place that has been isolated pursuant to an administrative disposition may make a will in the presence of one police official and at least one witness.

A person aboard a ship may make a will in the presence of the ship's captain or crew member, and at least two witnesses.