private clients / wills / expat will
How to write an expat will in the UAE
01_introduction
Many expats who move here already have a will, and assume it covers their UAE assets. Often it does not, or not without a slow recognition process at the worst possible moment. The first question is whether the UAE route is open to you at all: the civil and DIFC routes are for non-Muslims who have never been Muslim.
02
01
Do I need a UAE will if I have a foreign will?
Do I need a UAE will if I have a foreign will?
For an eligible non-Muslim with UAE assets, usually yes. A foreign will is not void here, but before anyone can act on it, it has to be legalised in the country where it was made, translated into Arabic, and put before a UAE court for recognition, and while that runs the bank holds the deceased’s accounts.
A registered UAE will removes the recognition step, because the register and the court behind it are already UAE bodies. Where assets sit in several countries, the usual arrangement is a UAE will covering UAE assets, drafted so that it does not revoke the foreign one. The detailed statutory position sits on the Wills pillar.
02
What happens to my assets in Dubai if I die without an expat will?
What happens to my assets in Dubai if I die without an expat will?
A statutory succession regime applies. For a non-Muslim, the federal civil default sets the distribution; a Muslim expat remains under Sharia-based succession under Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2024.
The practical consequences arrive first: sole accounts are held pending a succession order, a surviving spouse has no automatic authority over property or company shares, and where minor children are involved a court decides guardianship if no valid appointment exists.
03
How do I register a DIFC will as a non-Muslim?
How do I register a DIFC will as a non-Muslim?
The will is prepared to the registry’s requirements, signed in the presence of the Registrar with two witnesses, and entered on the register. The appointment can be held by video conference, and UAE residency is not required.
- The step-by-step process, the will types and the documents sit on the Wills pillar.
04
Can I write my own will in the UAE?
Can I write my own will in the UAE?
You can write your own will; whether it will be accepted is a separate question. An unregistered document carries no standing with a UAE bank, the Dubai Land Department or the courts until it has been through a recognition process, and the registries impose their own form and witnessing requirements, so an application that misses them is refused.
The failures that cost families most concern substance: a self-drafted will appoints a guardian who cannot act, omits an asset class such as company shares, or revokes an existing foreign will without anyone intending it.
05
How does UAE inheritance law apply to expats?
How does UAE inheritance law apply to expats?
The route depends on religion, not nationality: the civil and DIFC routes are open only to a person who is not Muslim and has never been Muslim, and is at least 18. The DIFC Courts, the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department and the ADGM notary route each cover assets across all seven emirates, so the choice turns on where the estate will be administered and in which language, rather than on where the assets sit.
One scope point matters for parents: DIFC guardianship is described as covering minor children resident in Dubai or Ras Al Khaimah, so a family whose children live in another emirate should confirm the scope before registering.
03
How GCG handles it
GCG establishes the asset picture and selects the right registry,
then registers the will or coordinates its drafting and registration so it gives effect to your wishes. We align it with any home-country will so that neither document revokes the other, and fit it to the ownership structure, including assets held through a DIFC foundation or an ADGM foundation. A will is one instrument within the wider estate planning and wealth structuring plan.
Find out whether your foreign will reaches your UAE assets
Send us the list of what you hold in the UAE, where your children live, and whether a will already exists elsewhere. We will tell you which route fits, what the will has to cover, and what your existing will does to the position as it stands.
04_faq
Can I keep my foreign will as well as a UAE one?
Yes, and most people should. The UAE will is drafted to deal only with UAE assets and not revoke the foreign one, which is a drafting point rather than a registration one.
Can a UAE will cover assets outside the UAE?
A DIFC full will can include assets held abroad, but probate over them is still granted in the country where they are located, so a separate will there is often the cleaner arrangement. See estate planning in the UAE for how the two fit together.
How does registering a will protect non-Muslim inheritance?
For an eligible non-Muslim, registration allows the estate to be distributed according to the will rather than the civil default rules. It also fixes the forum, so the executor applies to a known court with a document that court already holds.
What documents do I need to register an expat will?
Identification for the testator, the executors, the witnesses and the beneficiaries, plus evidence of the assets being covered and the details of any proposed guardians. The full list sits on the Wills pillar.
How much does an expat will cost?
Cost is driven by the registry you choose, the type of will and how much it has to cover, whether you are registering one will or mirror wills for a couple, and the drafting work behind it. The registry fee and the drafting fee are separate items.
Can I change my will after it has been registered?
Yes. A registered will can be revoked or replaced, and the change takes effect through the registry rather than by amending your copy. Any change to your circumstances, including a marriage, a divorce or a new property, is a reason to revisit it.
Who can be a witness to a UAE will?
Two witnesses are required, and they sign in the presence of the Registrar. A witness should not be a beneficiary, and the registry applies its own conditions.