Validity of South African will

[cvanderm]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Oregon
We have an existing will made in South Africa in 1981. We are now legal U.S. citizens. This will is in Afrikaans, not English. Is it valid? Will an English will drawn up in South Africa be valid here? If we have to redo the will in the U.S., does it have to specifically mention assets in South Africa (pension fund invested with document specifying beneficiaries was done in 2006 in possession of the bank in South Africa)? I have bought a CD thinking it would be easy to draw up a new will, but everything is so complicated. All we want to do is have our children or their children be the beneficiaries of our estate. Is there an easier way to do this? Why does it have to be so detailed; it is not as if we are multimillionaires. Thank you for your kind assistance.

 

[Dandy Don]

You need to discuss this with a local probate attorney or a certified estate planning professional. The will you have may need to be revised to come in agreement with state law. You may also need to find out if there are any South African rules and regulations or law that would apply to how your pension is distributed--you can find that out by talking to the pension company directly about how to achieve what you want. Did you make sure that your beneficiary designation form also included the addresses of the beneficiaries so the pension company would know how to contact them?