What happens to your overseas assets if you only have a South African will when you die?

Many South Africans living abroad build financial lives that stretch across multiple countries. You may own a home in the UK, hold retirement investments in Australia, have savings accounts in the UAE, or maintain offshore shares and investment portfolios in Europe or North America.

But while your assets become global, your estate planning often stays local.

Many expats still rely on a single South African last will and testament to cover their worldwide estate. In some cases, that may work. In others, it can create significant delays, legal complications, and unnecessary costs for the people left behind.

Understanding how wills in South Africa interact with foreign laws is an important part of protecting your estate and making things easier for your family.

Top three takeaways for expats on wills in South Africa

1. A South African will may not be enough to deal efficiently with offshore property, bank accounts, investments, or retirement assets.
2. Some countries may require separate foreign wills or local probate processes, even if you already have a valid South African will in place.
3. Without proper cross-border estate planning, your loved ones could face delays, frozen assets, conflicting legal systems, and unnecessary administrative costs after your death.

Can a South African will be used to cover overseas assets?

Technically, yes. A properly drafted last will and testament in South Africa can include worldwide assets. However, whether foreign authorities will recognise and efficiently process that will depends on the laws of the country where the assets are located.

This is where many expats encounter problems.

Certain countries have strict succession laws, probate requirements, or forced heirship rules that differ from South African law. In some jurisdictions, a South African executor may not automatically have authority to administer assets located there. As a result, your family could face lengthy probate processes, translation requirements, court applications, or duplicate legal procedures before assets can be transferred.

Read more: Cross-border estate planning: expats, what happens to your South African assets on death?

Why foreign assets can complicate estate planning

Cross-border estates are often far more complicated than people realise. If you pass away owning offshore property, investments, pension products, or bank accounts, different legal systems may become involved simultaneously. Your estate may need to comply with both South African law and foreign succession laws.

Some common challenges include:

• Delays in accessing offshore bank accounts
• Frozen investment portfolios during probate
• Conflicting inheritance laws between countries
• Additional taxes or estate duties
• Multiple legal processes across jurisdictions
• Currency transfer complications
• Translation and notarisation requirements

This is why having only one legal last will and testament may not always be enough for South Africans abroad.

Read more: Cross-border wills – what every South African emigrant needs to know.

When might you need a foreign will?

Whether you need a separate foreign will depends largely on:

• The country where your assets are located
• The type of assets you own
• The value of those assets
• Local inheritance laws
• Your tax residency status

In many cases, expats with foreign immovable property, such as houses or apartments, are advised to consider a separate will in that jurisdiction. Some countries strongly prefer locally compliant wills for property transfers. Others may require local probate procedures regardless of whether you already have a South African will. Countries with civil law systems can sometimes present additional complications because inheritance laws may dictate how assets are distributed, regardless of your wishes.

Read more: Wills and estate planning for expats – protecting your offshore assets.

The risk of conflicting wills

One of the biggest dangers with international estate planning is accidentally revoking your existing will. Many people create a second will overseas without realising that poorly drafted wording could invalidate their South African will entirely.

This can create confusion about which document applies to which assets. A properly structured estate plan usually ensures that:

• Your South African will governs local assets
• Your foreign will governs specific offshore assets
• Neither document revokes the other
• Executors understand how the wills interact

This is why professional advice is essential when dealing with cross-border estates.

What happens if you die without a will?

Many expats wrongly assume their family will automatically inherit everything smoothly if no will exist. Unfortunately, that is rarely the case.

If you die intestate, meaning without a valid will, your estate will generally be distributed according to the rules of intestate succession in the relevant country. In South Africa, the Intestate Succession Act determines who inherits your assets if there is no valid will and testament South Africa in place. But offshore assets may fall under entirely different foreign inheritance rules. This means your estate could effectively be divided under multiple legal systems at once.

For loved ones already dealing with grief, this can become overwhelming. Questions around “what happens if you die without a will” or “what happens when you die without a will” become even more complicated when multiple countries are involved.

Does South African law recognise electronic or foreign wills?

The Wills Act of South Africa contains specific legal requirements for a valid will. A will generally needs to be:
● In writing
● Signed by the testator
● Witnessed correctly
● Drafted while the testator has legal capacity

Foreign wills may still be recognised in South Africa under certain circumstances, but practical administration can still become complicated. Similarly, some countries now recognise electronic wills or digital estate documents, while South Africa still applies more traditional execution requirements.

This is why relying on generic online documents or simple testament templates in South Africa may not always be sufficient to cover expats with international assets.

Read more: Cross-border estate planning: what happens if a South African resident bequeaths foreign assets to an heir?

Why DIY wills can create problems for expats

There are many downloadable templates online. While these can help people understand the structure of a will, they are often not suitable for complex international estates. Cross-border estate planning involves far more than simply deciding who inherits your assets.

It can involve:

• International tax considerations
• Offshore reporting obligations
• Foreign probate procedures
• Exchange control implications
• Executor coordination across countries

A generic template may overlook critical issues that only become apparent after death — when it is too late to fix them.

How to approach estate planning as a South African expat

If you live abroad and own assets in multiple countries, it is worth reviewing your estate plan regularly.

Important questions to ask include:

• Does my current will cover all my assets?
• Will foreign authorities recognise my South African will?
• Should I have separate wills in different countries?
• Could my foreign will accidentally revoke my South African will?
• Are my executors equipped to handle an international estate?

Understanding how to draw up a will in South Africa and coordinating that with foreign legal requirements is essential for effective cross-border estate planning.

FinGlobal: cross-border expertise for expats

FinGlobal assists South Africans abroad with cross-border estate planning and financial matters. Our team of international financial planners, tax specialists and cross-border experts can help you structure your estate correctly, understand South African will requirements, coordinate offshore assets and navigate potential tax implications. We also assist with tax emigration, international money transfers, retirement annuity withdrawals and more.

With the right guidance, you can reduce unnecessary complications for your beneficiaries and gain peace of mind, wherever you live in the world. Contact FinGlobal today.