Why this matters
The Indian Succession Act, 1925 sets out what a valid will needs: a person of sound mind who is not a minor, a document in writing, the will-maker’s signature made with the intention of giving the will effect, and attestation by two witnesses who each saw the signature and then signed in the will-maker’s presence. Nothing in those requirements concerns how the text was produced.
That is why online preparation works in practice. An online service can collect your details, assemble the clauses and give you a document to print — but it cannot sign it for you. India has no general provision for an electronically signed will, so the signed original must exist on paper.
What NRIs should consider
The signed paper original is the will
A PDF or Word file is a draft until it is printed, signed and witnessed. Keep the signed original safe in India where possible, and tell your executor where it is.
Both witnesses must be present when you sign
Two witnesses must see you sign and then sign themselves in your presence. Record their full names and addresses on the document.
Witnesses should not be beneficiaries
Under the Indian Succession Act a bequest to a person who attests the will is void. The will itself stands; the gift to that witness does not.
Describe Indian assets precisely
Survey or flat numbers, society and city, bank names with account identifiers, folio and demat numbers. An online questionnaire helps only if you enter identifiers an executor can act on.
Registration stays optional
You can register a will at a sub-registrar's office in India under the Registration Act, 1908, but registration is not required for validity and cannot be done online.
Example
An NRI in New Jersey owns a flat in Pune and two bank accounts in India, and wants to sort this out without flying back.
The document can be prepared entirely online: listing the flat with its society and survey details, the accounts with their identifiers, the beneficiaries and an executor in India, plus an alternate.
The signing then happens in New Jersey: printed on paper, signed and dated, with two witnesses who are not beneficiaries, signing together in one sitting as good practice. The signed original is then stored securely and its location shared with the executor.
This example describes general considerations only. It is not advice about any particular person’s situation.
When professional legal advice may be appropriate
Consider speaking with a lawyer qualified in India if your estate spans several countries in a complicated way, if significant tax planning is involved, if a family dispute or contested estate is likely, if a business, trust or unusual ownership structure is part of the estate, or if you are unsure how a Will made where you live interacts with one covering Indian assets.