Mexico´s formal name is Estados Unidos Mexicanos (United Mexican States). The United Mexican States are a federation of thirty-one free, sovereign, autonomous and independent states, and the Federal District. All states have the right to create their own constitution.
Mexico City is the Federal District, seat of the government (powers of the Union) and capital of the United Mexican States. The city is coextensive with the Federal District territorially and administratively. If the federal government moves to another city, the Federal District would be transformed into another state of the Union.
In the Mexican legal system, all states and Federal Distric have their own civil laws. Therefore, this article applies for foreigners living in the state of Michoacan.
The Michoacan law requires for a foreigner`s will:
- Three Mexican witnesses.
- Two interpreters.
- A handwritten will, signed by testator.
- Translation of your handwritten document to Spanish.
- It has to be signed in front of the notario.
- It has to be issued in Spanish.
- Witnesses, interpreters and testator, must go to the notario’s office at the same time.
- If one of this requirements is missing, the will is invalid (article 692 of Codigo Civil de Michoacan.Unless you have specif stuff that you want to leave to a certain person, I recommend to write your will in general: “all my properties and possessions on the date of my death”.
