republic-os/legal/us/code/title-10/chapter-53/section-1044d.md

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LegalText	10 U.S.C. § 1044d	Military testamentary instruments: requirement for recognition by States	us	united_states_code	code_section	10	ARMED FORCES	53	MISCELLANEOUS RIGHTS AND BENEFITS	1044d	10 U.S.C. § 1044d	current	119-100	2026-06-26	official	https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc10@119-100.zip	/us/usc/t10/s1044d	data/legal/raw/us/code/title-10/usc10.xml	7232135d5504ef3f5344fe5a54138e9df4b80c58316bb319f9e4fef1e3d324e4	06a2679d38355c44f4219c983fdad34009233205d6ba271593a4c1b17a739ec1	6f7186e957ebdc9c24909997b7c1bc16497b37939ef09c77a861c19483fc3c6c	2026-07-04	official	legal us-code

10 U.S.C. § 1044d - Military testamentary instruments: requirement for recognition by States

Text

(a) Testamentary Instruments To Be Given Legal Effect.— A military testamentary instrument—

(1) is exempt from any requirement of form, formality, or recording before probate that is provided for testamentary instruments under the laws of a State; and

(2) has the same legal effect as a testamentary instrument prepared and executed in accordance with the laws of the State in which it is presented for probate.

(b) Military Testamentary Instruments.— For purposes of this section, a military testamentary instrument is an instrument that is prepared with testamentary intent in accordance with regulations prescribed under this section and that—

(1) is executed in accordance with subsection (c) by (or on behalf of) a person, as a testator, who is eligible for military legal assistance;

(2) makes a disposition of property of the testator; and

(3) takes effect upon the death of the testator.

(c) Requirements for Execution of Military Testamentary Instruments.— An instrument is valid as a military testamentary instrument only if—

(1) the instrument is executed by the testator (or, if the testator is unable to execute the instrument personally, the instrument is executed in the presence of, by the direction of, and on behalf of the testator);

(2) the execution of the instrument is notarized by—

(A) a military legal assistance counsel;

(B) a person who is authorized to act as a notary under section 1044a of this title who—

(i) is not an attorney; and

(ii) is supervised by a military legal assistance counsel; or

(C) a State-licensed notary employed by a military department or the Coast Guard who is supervised by a military legal assistance counsel;

(3) the instrument is executed in the presence of at least two disinterested witnesses (in addition to the person notarizing the instrument in accordance with paragraph (2)), each of whom attests to witnessing the testator’s execution of the instrument by signing it; and

(4) the instrument is executed in accordance with such additional requirements as may be provided in regulations prescribed under this section.

(d) Self-Proving Military Testamentary Instruments.— (1) If the document setting forth a military testamentary instrument meets the requirements of paragraph (2), then the signature of a person on the document as the testator, an attesting witness, a notary, or the presiding attorney, together with a written representation of the person’s status as such and the person’s military grade (if any) or other title, is prima facie evidence of the following:

(A) That the signature is genuine.

(B) That the signatory had the represented status and title at the time of the execution of the will.

(C) That the signature was executed in compliance with the procedures required under the regulations prescribed under subsection (f).

(2) A document setting forth a military testamentary instrument meets the requirements of this paragraph if it includes (or has attached to it), in a form and content required under the regulations prescribed under subsection (f), each of the following:

(A) A certificate, executed by the testator, that includes the testator’s acknowledgment of the testamentary instrument.

(B) An affidavit, executed by each witness signing the testamentary instrument, that attests to the circumstances under which the testamentary instrument was executed.

(C) A notarization, including a certificate of any administration of an oath required under the regulations, that is signed by the notary or other official administering the oath.

(e) Statement To Be Included.— (1) Under regulations prescribed under this section, each military testamentary instrument shall contain a statement that sets forth the provisions of subsection (a).

(2) Paragraph (1) shall not be construed to make inapplicable the provisions of subsection (a) to a testamentary instrument that does not include a statement described in that paragraph.

(f) Regulations.— Regulations for the purposes of this section shall be prescribed jointly by the Secretary of Defense and by the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Department of the Navy.

(g) Definitions.— In this section:

(1) The term “person eligible for military legal assistance” means a person who is eligible for legal assistance under section 1044 of this title.

(2) The term “military legal assistance counsel” means—

(A) a judge advocate (as defined in section 801(13) of this title); or

(B) a civilian attorney serving as a legal assistance officer under the provisions of section 1044 of this title.

(3) The term “State” includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and each possession of the United States.

(Added Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [[div. A], title V, § 551(a)], Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1654, 1654A–123; amended Pub. L. 107–296, title XVII, § 1704(b)(1), Nov. 25, 2002, 116 Stat. 2314; Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title V, § 523(a), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2116.)

Notes

Editorial Notes

Amendments2016—Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 114–328, § 523(a)(1), added par. (2) and struck out former par. (2) which read as follows: “the instrument is executed in the presence of a military legal assistance counsel acting as presiding attorney;”. Subsec. (c)(3). Pub. L. 114–328, § 523(a)(2), substituted “person notarizing the instrument in accordance with paragraph (2)” for “presiding attorney”. 2002—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 107–296 substituted “of Homeland Security” for “of Transportation”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2002 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 107–296 effective on the date of transfer of the Coast Guard to the Department of Homeland Security, see section 1704(g) of Pub. L. 107–296, set out as a note under section 101 of this title.