When you register a will in Bangalore, the sub-registrar copies it into Book 3, the register of wills. After your death, anyone who applies can get a copy signed and sealed by the registering officer, and that copy is admissible to prove what your will says. The fee is a flat Rs 200 with no stamp duty, and you book the visit on Kaveri 2.0.

If you would rather the text stayed unread until after your death, the Registration Act gives you a second route. For Rs 1,000 you can deposit the original with a District Registrar in a sealed cover, entered in Book 5 and kept in the Registrar's fire-proof box until you withdraw it or it is opened after your death. Bangalore has five District Registrar offices that take these deposits: Gandhinagar, Jayanagar, Basavanagudi, Rajajinagar and Shivajinagar.

Where this page sits

Write the will before you book anything, because the text has to be final before it goes up on Kaveri. If you need the will drafted, WillJini offers will writing in Bangalore. Probate is a separate question, answered in is probate required for a registered will.

Related guides:

• Does registration make a will valid
• Registered or unregistered will
• Will registration in Delhi

What Does Registering Your Will in Bangalore Give Your Family?

Section 51(1) of the Registration Act 1908 requires every registration office to keep Book 3, the "Register of wills and authorities to adopt", and a registered will is copied into it.

While you are alive, copies of that entry go only to you or your agent. After your death, section 57 lets any person who applies get a copy, and every copy is "signed and sealed by the registering officer, and shall be admissible for the purpose of proving the contents of the original documents". If the original is lost or damaged after your death, the family can apply for that copy.

Registration does not replace your witnesses: the will is valid when you sign it and two witnesses attest it, under section 63(c) of the Indian Succession Act 1925, and a court asked to prove a registered will still calls one of them under section 67 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023. For how a registered will is proved in court, see the validity of a registered will.

How Much Does Will Registration Cost in Bangalore?

Will registration in Bangalore costs Rs 200, with nil stamp duty, under the Department of Stamps and Registration fee table. Every sub-registrar office in Bangalore charges the same Rs 200, whatever the will leaves and to whom.

The same table prices the other things you can do with a will:

Can You Deposit Your Will in a Sealed Cover Instead of Registering It?

Section 42 of the Registration Act allows it: "Any testator may, either personally or by duly authorised agent, deposit with any Registrar his will in a sealed cover". The deposit costs Rs 1,000 and carries no stamp duty.

The Registrar does not open the cover when you hand it in. It is entered in Book 5, the "Register of deposits of wills", and kept in the office's fire-proof box. Section 51 keeps Book 5 only in the offices of Registrars, so in Bangalore a deposit goes to one of the five District Registrar offices.

You, or an agent you authorise, can withdraw the cover later for Rs 200. After your death, your family can apply to the Registrar to open it, for Rs 100. Once satisfied that you have died, the Registrar opens it in the applicant's presence and, under Karnataka's amendment to section 45, has a true copy made and filed in Book 3, so the will ends up in the same register a registered will goes into.

Registration puts a copy of the text on record now while you keep the original. The deposit hands the original itself to the Registrar, unread, until you withdraw it or it is opened after your death.

Which Office Takes a Will in Bangalore?

For registration, you can use any sub-registrar office in the city. Section 40(1) of the Registration Act reads: "The testator, or after his death any person claiming as executor or otherwise under a will, may present it to any Registrar or Sub-Registrar for registration." You do not have to use the sub-registrar office that covers your home or your property, and Kaveri lets you pick the office and the date when you book. Section 40 applies across India, so the same choice of office holds for will registration in Delhi.

For a sealed deposit, you go to a District Registrar. The department's list of sub-registrar offices places Bangalore's 42 sub-registrar offices under five District Registrar offices:

• Gandhinagar, with offices including Gandhinagar, Malleshwaram, Hebbal and Yelahanka
• Jayanagar, including Jayanagar, BTM Layout, JP Nagar and Kengeri
• Basavanagudi, including Basavanagudi, Chamarajpet, Banashankari and Anekal
• Rajajinagar, including Rajajinagar, Yeshwanthpur, Peenya and Vijayanagar
• Shivajinagar, including Shivajinagar, KR Puram, Indiranagar and Mahadevapura

Nelamangala, Devanahalli, Doddaballapura and Hosakote fall under Bangalore Rural, which is a separate District Registrar.

How Do You Register a Will in Bangalore Through Kaveri?

To register a will in Bangalore, you complete the paperwork on Kaveri 2.0 first and then make one visit to the sub-registrar office with your witnesses.

Step 1: Create a login on Kaveri 2.0

Click the register button and enter your details; an auto-generated password arrives on your registered mobile number or email ID.

Step 2: Pay the Rs 200 fee

You pay the fee before the document is presented, by net banking, debit or credit card, or UPI. A will carries no stamp duty, so you pay Rs 200.

Step 3: Upload the final text for scrutiny

You can upload a draft that the parties have not yet signed. The Sub-Registrar either approves it or sends it back with remarks within 24 hours, and has no power to ask for changes to what the will says. Once it is approved, the content cannot be changed, so upload only the text you intend to sign.

Step 4: Book the office and the date

Choose the sub-registrar office and a date that suits you. Rescheduling the slot is free. If you do not arrive within 30 minutes of the allotted time, the appointment is postponed automatically, and if a party cannot attend, you reschedule or the document may be kept pending.

Step 5: Attend with your witnesses

Every person presenting the will gives a passport-size photograph and fingerprints under section 32A. Under section 34(3), the officer asks whether the people named as signing the will did sign it, and checks the identity of everyone who appears. The officer must refuse registration if the person signing appears to be a minor or not of sound mind (section 35(3)(b)).

Who Has to Come With You to the Sub-Registrar Office?

You come with two witnesses. The department's Kaveri 2.0 presentation states that two witnesses have to identify the parties to the document, and the Kaveri 2.0 FAQ says the witnesses may be different people from those who signed the document.

This is a separate role from the two witnesses who attested your will under section 63(c), each of whom saw you sign or received your personal acknowledgement of your signature.

How Long Does Will Registration Take in Bangalore?

The Kaveri 2.0 FAQ gives the Sub-Registrar up to 24 hours to approve your upload or send it back. After approval, the registration itself takes one visit, with you and your witnesses at the office and time you booked.

There is no deadline to register a will. Section 27 of the Registration Act says: "A will may at any time be presented for registration or deposited in manner hereinafter provided."

How Does WillJini Handle Will Registration in Bangalore?

WillJini has offices in all major Indian cities, with one of our strongest presences in Bangalore. Our Bangalore office is at No. 7, Commanders Place, Richmond Road, Bangalore 560025.

We draft the will, check the witnesses, book the Kaveri slot and handle the registration. A registration stalls if you upload a draft before the wording is final, if the Sub-Registrar sends it back, if you miss the 30 minute grace period, or if a witness cannot come. We settle the text before anything is uploaded, confirm that both witnesses can attend and book an office and date that suit you, so the visit is the only step left for you. To start, talk to a specialist about will registration in Bangalore.

FAQs

How much does it cost to register a will in Bangalore?

The Karnataka Department of Stamps and Registration fee table sets the registration fee for a will at Rs 200, with nil stamp duty. The same Rs 200 applies at every sub-registrar office in Bangalore, whatever the will leaves.

Can I register my will online in Karnataka?

You pay the fee, upload the will for scrutiny and book the slot online on Kaveri 2.0. The registration is completed when you and your witnesses attend the sub-registrar office, where each person presenting gives a photograph and fingerprints under section 32A of the Registration Act.

Is it compulsory to register a will?

Registration of a will is optional under section 18(e) of the Registration Act 1908, and a will is valid once signed and attested by two witnesses under section 63(c) of the Indian Succession Act 1925. Registering it adds an entry in Book 3, of which your family can obtain a signed and sealed copy after your death.

Can a will be registered after the person has died?

A will can be registered after the testator's death. Section 40(1) of the Registration Act lets any person claiming as executor or otherwise under the will present it, and under section 41(2) the officer registers it if satisfied that the testator made it, that the testator is dead and that the presenter is entitled to present it. Whether the family then needs probate is covered in is probate required for a registered will.

Can the sub-registrar come home to register a will?

The officer can attend at your home on special cause being shown, under section 31 of the Registration Act, both to register a will and to take a sealed deposit. The Kaveri 2.0 FAQ lists an additional charge of Rs 1,000 for this private attendance.

Is there stamp duty on a will in Karnataka?

The Karnataka fee table sets stamp duty at nil both for registering a will and for depositing one in a sealed cover. The fees are Rs 200 to register and Rs 1,000 to deposit.