DIFC Wills
The wills registry for non-Muslims at the courts of Dubai’s financial centre. Built on English common law and run in English; valued for predictability and recognition.
Service
Wills and inheritance in Dubai
No. 1 for wills and inheritance in Dubai for English-speaking owners of property and accounts in the UAE: an invited inheritance lawyer drafts your will and registers it in one of 3 registries — DIFC Wills, the Dubai courts or the Abu Dhabi office. The court then follows your wishes, not the default split of shares.
Make a will
Name and number — we will ask about assets and family and choose where to register.
Without a will, a UAE court may apply local Sharia-based inheritance rules to a foreigner’s assets. Shares are divided among a circle of relatives, a spouse does not automatically become the sole heir, and accounts can be frozen while the estate is decided.
The work is led by an invited expert — an independent practising inheritance lawyer who is not on our staff. We choose the specialist to fit your assets and family, introduce you, and stay in touch until the document is registered.
DIFC will vs mainland will in Dubai: costs, timelines and what each one covers
DIFC will vs mainland will: lawyer Evgenia Konechnykh on fees from AED 10,000, court costs from AED 40,000, frozen accounts and executors.
Read the full article →What happens to property in Dubai without a will?
By default a court may distribute the assets under local rules: several relatives take shares, sons’ and daughters’ shares are calculated differently, and a spouse does not inherit everything automatically. Your home country’s rules will not apply by themselves.
A bank blocks the account once it learns of the death, property transactions are suspended, and a family abroad is pulled into court in a foreign jurisdiction for months. Service charges keep accruing and any mortgage must still be paid.
Where is a will registered in the UAE?
Dubai has 2 routes — the DIFC Wills registry and the emirate’s state courts — and Abu Dhabi has its own office for non-Muslim wills. A will is registered in the system that covers the assets in that particular emirate.
Dubai courts
Registration through the state courts and the mainland notary — a workable route with its own procedure, and often more economical.
Abu Dhabi
The non-Muslim wills office at the emirate’s judicial department; civil rather than religious inheritance applies to foreigners.
What can a will cover?
A will covers 4 groups of decisions: property in Dubai and other emirates, bank accounts and financial assets in the UAE, shares in companies registered in the Emirates, and guardianship of minor children. It also appoints an executor and names the heirs.
If minor children live in the UAE, the will names temporary and permanent guardians; otherwise the court decides.
How the work runs: 4 steps
The work runs in 4 steps: an inventory of assets, the choice of system and the wording, registration, and alignment with documents in other countries. A lawyer drafts the text: mistakes in wording are costly.
- 1
Inventory
Property, accounts, company shares and cars, each with its emirate and form of ownership.
- 2
System and wording
The system that suits your assets, the executor, the heirs and guardians for minor children. The lawyer prepares the draft and checks the wording.
- 3
Registration
Identity is confirmed and the will is registered; some stages can be done by video link. The registered document is kept in the registry.
- 4
Alignment and telling the family
Documents in different countries must not contradict one another, and the executor and family must know where the will is registered.
Can you inherit under your own country’s law?
Yes: for non-Muslim foreigners UAE law allows the law of nationality and civil rather than religious inheritance to apply. Without a document, though, the heirs have to prove it in court while the accounts stay frozen.
The working scheme is 2 aligned wills: a local one in the system of the emirate where the assets are, and one at home. Real estate is almost always inherited under the law of the country where it stands, so a family with assets in 3 countries may face 3 inheritance regimes.
Can a will be registered remotely?
Yes, to a large extent. The consultation, the draft and the review of wording happen online, and in several systems registration with identity confirmation is available by video link. The procedure usually takes from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the system chosen.
Joint ownership: why a share does not pass to the co-owner by itself
Joint ownership does not replace a will: survivorship as it is understood in a number of countries does not work automatically in the UAE. Without a document the deceased’s share goes through ordinary succession, which is measured in months.
A will registered at the DIFC Wills Service Centre can secure the ownership so that the deceased’s share passes straight to the surviving co-owner. For a couple with equal shares it is the fastest route, but it is set up while both are alive: it cannot be created afterwards.
When is a company or a family foundation better than a will?
With several properties, several owners or significant sums. The property is then held by a company in a specialised UAE zone or by a family foundation, and the shares in the structure are inherited. It costs more to maintain; for 1–2 flats a will is generally enough.
Who does the work?
An invited expert — an independent practising inheritance lawyer, not a member of our staff. We choose the specialist for your case and stay in touch until the document is registered.
Request
Make a will
Name and number — we will ask about assets and family and choose where to register.
Make a will
Frequently asked questions
Does a wife automatically inherit her husband’s flat in Dubai?
Without a will, not necessarily and not in full: the court may divide shares among a circle of relatives under local rules. A registered will removes that uncertainty.
Is a will made in your home country valid in the UAE?
A court may take it into account, but recognition is slow and not guaranteed. A separate will registered in the UAE — through one of Dubai’s 2 routes or in Abu Dhabi — and aligned with the one at home is more reliable.
Is there inheritance tax in the UAE?
There is no inheritance tax in the usual sense in the UAE: transferring assets mainly involves administrative and registration costs. A home-country tax liability may still arise for heirs where they are resident.
When should a will be reviewed?
On buying or selling a property, a change in family status, the birth of children, a move or a new citizenship. Checking the will against your assets 1 time a year is sensible.
What should a family prepare in advance besides the will?
A set of 5 items: an inventory of assets by country; wills for each jurisdiction; proof of kinship, legalised; a lawyer’s contacts in each country; and access for a trusted person to all of this.
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