What Do I Need to Sign My Trust in Michigan?

Notarization is not required for a trust to be valid in Michigan.MCL 700.7101 et seq.Verified Jul 15, 2026 However, notarization Standard practice for trust validity and property transfers.

Michigan allows Remote Online Notarization (RON) for trusts.MCL 700.7101 et seq.Verified Jul 15, 2026 The notarization can be completed via secure video call with an approved RON provider. The state also accepts out-of-state RON.

To execute a trust in Michigan: Get the document notarized (standard practice, not required). Fund the trust by transferring assets. Update beneficiary designations as needed. Remote notarization is available; whether the document itself may be signed electronically is unresolved

A trust is a private contract governed by its own choice-of-law clause, not by any state's recording or filing system, so a trust validly executed in another state is recognized in Michigan for holding personal property. The exception is real estate: Michigan property must be retitled into the trust through a Michigan deed, which the foreign trust agreement doesn't accomplish on its own. Banks, brokerages, and title companies in Michigan will work with a properly executed trust from any state. See the document portability tool for state-by-state details.