Q: My wife passed away in December. Her end of service benefits was deposited by her company to her bank account. Now, the bank is telling me to get a court order before they can issue the funds to me. What are the requirements for getting a court order?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, My name is R. A. K. s/o A. K., Pakistani national, currently working here in Riyadh- KSA in an office admin position. We need your cooperation regarding my late father (Mr A. K.) bank account matter. My father died in the UAE on 31 Oct 2012, because of a heart attack. We received his documents which show us that he had a business in scrap and a bank account in the UAE in a bank, and that account he used and issued cheques to some companies which is a million UAE dirhams. We just want to check his account details/all statements to know further about his business and account amount. I have all the documents including birth certificate. Kindly requiring your advice. Thank you.

Q: Good day, My brother passed away on May 12, 2018, in the Philippines while he was on vacation. He owns a car here in Dubai. I would like to ask what are the legal step-by-step actions for the car to be transferred under my name. I hope you can help me with this since it's almost 2 years now.

Q: Hi, My husband passed away last May. The car is in his name. I have two girls above 21 years of age. What is the procedure to transfer the car to one of our names, please? Many thanks in advance!

Q: The governing law for succession in the country is UAE Federal Law No. 5 of 1985 or the Civil Transactions Code which states in Article 17 (1) that "Inheritance shall be governed by the law of the deceased at the time of his death." Does it mean that something would substitute as a death certificate since the question would probably be governed by the law of that state? Please explain in detail.

Q: Hi, My father died in Kalba hospital. My mother is in Pakistan, my brother is in Indonesia and I am in Malaysia. Can I come directly to the U.A.E and make a letter of succession? Or I need a POA? If yes, is my mother's POA enough or I need a POA from my brother also? Kindly reply, Thanks!

Q: Dear sir/madam, I would like someone to be honest with me. I am in the UK. How long have I got to claim inheritance in Dubai? I was reading in the Gulf News that the laws of the country of the deceased at the time of death can be applied regarding the will. Is this true or false? I am really looking for these two questions to be answered first. Can anyone help me with this, please?

Q: Hi, My family lives in Ireland and we are Irish citizens. We are not UAE residents nor do we have citizenship. I am the eldest son in my family. My mother and father own property in Dubai, UAE. My father passed away last year. He did not have a will. I have his original death certificate. My siblings and mother have granted me Power of Attorney to sell the property. I have notarized, authenticated, and legalized both these documents with the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and the UAE embassy in Ireland. The title deeds for the property are currently in my mother’s and father’s name. We have the keys to the property and the title deeds. I wish to sell the property as soon as possible to divide the proceeds with my family. Would you be able to advise if I can fly over to Dubai to complete the sale of the property? Would I need to transfer the names of the title deeds from my parents' names to my name first? What extra documentation would I need? Thanks!

An interview-format article covering reasons why a non-Muslim expatriate should have a will in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW. Ludmila sheds light in this article on the right time and place to start the procedure based on tested practices in the UAE.

Do you have assets in the UAE? Have you made a will yet? It is highly recommended to register a will soon, otherwise, the drive to asset disbursement can be extensive and expensive. In addition to the option of registering a will in DIFC for Non-Muslim will registration, Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) had also introduced a separate office since August 2017, which has made the entire will registration process easier and cost-effective.

UAE Personal Status Law (also known as Personal Affairs Law) governs marriage, divorce, inheritance and other personal affairs in the United Arab Emirates. The law equally applies to citizens of the UAE and non-citizens unless one of them asks for the application of his home country law.