What it means
A will or codicil executed in conformity with § 732.502 may be made self-proved at execution or at any subsequent date. The testator acknowledges the instrument and the witnesses make affidavits before an officer authorized to administer oaths, evidenced by the officer's certificate attached to or following the will, in substantially the form the statute sets out. (§ 732.503(1))
The form provides for acknowledgment and subscription by physical presence or online notarization. (§ 732.503(1)) A will or codicil made self-proved under former law, or executed in another state and self-proved under that state's laws, is considered self-proved under this section. (§ 732.503(2))
Self-proved wills may be admitted to probate without further proof. A purportedly self-proved electronic will whose online notarization involved a substantial failure to comply with § 117.265 is admitted only in the ways § 733.201(2) and (3) provide. (§ 733.201(1))
- A will or codicil executed under § 732.502 may be made self-proved at execution or at any later date (§ 732.503(1)).
- Self-proof uses the testator's acknowledgment and the witnesses' affidavits before an officer authorized to administer oaths (§ 732.503(1)).
- The officer's certificate is attached to or follows the will, in substantially the statutory form (§ 732.503(1)).
- The form allows physical presence or online notarization (§ 732.503(1)).
- Wills self-proved under former law or under another state's law are treated as self-proved (§ 732.503(2)).
- Self-proved wills may be admitted to probate without further proof (§ 733.201(1)).
Text of the statute (2026)
(1) A will or codicil executed in conformity with s. 732.502 may be made self-proved at the time of its execution or at any subsequent date by the acknowledgment of it by the testator and the affidavits of the witnesses, made before an officer authorized to administer oaths and evidenced by the officer’s certificate attached to or following the will, in substantially the following form:
(2) A will or codicil made self-proved under former law, or executed in another state and made self-proved under the laws of that state, shall be considered as self-proved under this section.
Excerpts are the subsections the summary relies on. Read the full official text of § 732.503.
History. s. 1, ch. 74-106; s. 21, ch. 75-220; s. 12, ch. 77-87; s. 8, ch. 93-62; s. 962, ch. 97-102; s. 18, ch. 98-246; s. 43, ch. 2001-226; s. 5, ch. 2021-205.
How it applies
A self-proving affidavit changes how a will is proved at probate. A self-proved will may be admitted without further proof (§ 733.201(1)), and the self-proving affidavit is admissible and establishes prima facie the formal execution and attestation of the will in a contest (§ 733.107(1)). Without it, a will may be admitted on the oath of an attesting witness, or in the circumstances in § 733.201(3), on the oath of the nominated personal representative or of a person with no interest in the estate (§ 733.201(2), (3)). The affidavit does not replace the execution requirements of § 732.502.
Where this shows up
Pages on this site where § 732.503 does real work:
- Will vs. trust in Florida: what each does, how each is signed and what each avoids
- When to update a Florida estate plan: marriage, divorce, a birth, a death, a move, new assets and incapacity, what Florida law changes automatically and which documents to review after each event
- Florida will checklist: who may make a will, signing and witness rules under section 732.502, the self-proving affidavit, and decisions on beneficiaries, personal representative, guardian and homestead
- Will contest in Florida: grounds, deadlines and the 3-month objection period
- Out-of-state wills in Florida: validity, moving to Florida and probate steps
- Free Florida Last Will and Testament Template
- Revocable Living Trust
- Last Will & Testament
- In re Estate of Carpenter
- Nina Wang
Questions people ask
Sources
- Fla. Stat. § 732.503 (2026), Online Sunshine / Florida Senate (Subsection (1): may be made self-proved at the time of its execution or at any subsequent date)
- Fla. Stat. § 733.201 (2026), Online Sunshine / Florida Senate (Effect of self-proof: Self-proved wills executed in accordance with this code may be admitted to probate without further proof.)
- Fla. Stat. § 733.107 (2026), Online Sunshine / Florida Senate (Prima facie proof in a contest: A self-proving affidavit executed in accordance with s. 732.503)
Last checked: October 17, 2026
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