Take Advantage of Mexico City’s Wills Month: Prices, Procedures and Who Pays Less in September

September is Wills Month in Mexico, a national campaign designed to make it easier for people to prepare testamentary arrangements and reduce future disputes over property.

UNAM Global explains that civil law defines a will as a personal, revocable and voluntary act through which a person with full legal capacity decides how to dispose of assets and obligations after death. Notary Miguel Ángel Beltrán said the procedure is generally quick: it begins with an interview lasting about 30 minutes to one hour, followed several days later by a return to the notary’s office to read and sign the document.

The Mexican government says applicants do not need to prepare a detailed list of assets or present property deeds. The exception applies when the testator wants to assign a specific asset to a particular person, a legal arrangement known as a legacy.

Public notaries in Mexico City reduce their usual fees during the campaign. The standard cost for an open public will is 3,800 pesos. People aged 65 and over can access reduced fees of up to 733.19 pesos through basic schemes offered at mobile “Testamóvil” modules run by the Consejo Ciudadano and the DGRT.

Older adults, vulnerable people and public security personnel receive the largest reductions under social inclusion programs. The article says the procedure can help prevent costly intestate succession proceedings and reduce disagreements, although the supplied text ends before completing the list of benefits.