No. Wills do not have to be registered before probate in West Virginia. The will is filed with the clerk of the county commission after the death of the testator. Wills are kept by the testator until death. If someone else has the will, that person must deliver it to the clerk or to the executor named in the will within thirty days after the death of the testator is known to him. If the will is delivered to the executor, the executor must then deliver it to the clerk within a reasonable time or offer it for probate. If delivered to the clerk, the clerk will notify both the executor and the people named in the will once the will is received.
For more information, see: W. Va. Code §§ 41-5-1 to -3 (2015); Cary v. Riss, 189 W. Va. 608, 433 S.E.2d 546 (1993); In re Winzenrith’s Will, 133 W. Va. 267, 55 S.E.2d 897 (1949); 80 Am.Jur. 2d Wills § 915 (2012); 95 C.J.S. Wills § 474 (2012)