# How find witnesses for signed wills? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 22, 2018, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-find-witnesses-for-signed-wills/812884 "2018-04-22T01:12:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-find-witnesses-for-signed-wills/812884/21 "2018-04-24T11:24:15Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > Working in an airport coffee shop, I witnessed a few will signatures. > Always seemed a little weird Wow–that’s weird! I can understand taking your will with you to work, or to the neighbors, or even to your local beauty salon, as mentioned above…but who packs their will when they’re going to the airport? ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-find-witnesses-for-signed-wills/812884/22 "2018-04-24T13:46:58Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Wow–that’s weird! > I can understand taking your will with you to work, or to the neighbors, or even to your local beauty salon, as mentioned above…but who packs their will when they’re going to the airport? I imagine some passengers decide to actually write a will in the airport. Some also decide to buy insurance, so it might be part of the same mindset: A £million policy and a will to be sure that your ex-wife can’t get her greedy mitts on it. In the UK there are charities who will write simple wills free, but in the h̶o̶p̶e̶ expectation that they will be beneficiaries. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-find-witnesses-for-signed-wills/812884/23 "2018-04-24T17:45:03Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Wow–that’s weird! > I can understand taking your will with you to work, or to the neighbors, or even to your local beauty salon, as mentioned above…but who packs their will when they’re going to the airport? People who were going to be overseas for a while, didn’t get around to it until last minute and wanted to post it to someone before they left the country, or the people who straight up wrote it there, while waiting for the flight. I wasn’t allowed to ask customers why they were being weird… ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-find-witnesses-for-signed-wills/812884/24 "2018-04-24T17:50:37Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > In spain, and in most countries a “notorio” is a respected job, usually also a lawyer > In the USA , a “notary public” is a joke. > Any citizen (with no criminal history) can call himself a notary, and use a nice fancy stamp-machine to emboss your document. > > It used to be that most pharmacists were also notary publics. Because the drug store is open late at night, so it’s a convenient place to get your papers stamped any time. > > A notary stamp is just theater for legal stuff. Sort of like the searches at airports are just theater for security stuff…everybody has to do it, and everybody knows it’s meaningless. Yeah, in Illinois, it’s easy. I was a notary for a number of years when I briefly worked at a law office and they needed me to become a notary. I thought there would be a class or something, but nope. Just meet the eligibility requirements, get a surety bond, and fill out the application. That’s about it. Easy peasy and you get a 4-year commission (IIRC). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-find-witnesses-for-signed-wills/812884.md?page=1)