Registering a Will in the UAE courts for non-muslim expats

The Will needs to be drafted in both English and Arabic then executed before the notary. As for execution, a legal process must first be carried before the Dubai Court.

For info, please write to contact@motei.com

The DIFC has recently passed a law permitting all non-Muslim expatriates (both resident and non-resident) to register Wills. Such Wills can include all sort of assets in Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah including bank accounts, real properties, vehicles, end of service benefits, insurance, shares and stocks. The Will can also include a provision for guardianship of minor children. The most important aspects are - Sharia’ Law is not applied and you can choose your beneficiaries.

As you may know, in the event of an expatriate’s death, all his assets are frozen immediately (including bank accounts) and the legal heirs are not permitted to access them. The legal heirs are required to approach the local courts along with supporting documents (to be obtained from their home country, after notarization/legalization formalities) before the assets are distributed to them. This is a time-consuming and costly process. Further, such distribution will be as per Sharia’ Law, meaning that the assets may be inherited by people other than his wife and kids also; and the distribution shall be in the proportion mentioned under the Sharia’ Law.

All the above hassles can be avoided by registering a Will at the DIFC Wills & Probate Registry. Wills registered at DIFC are 100% secure and there have been many instances of probate recently.

We have specialist Wills lawyers that are registered, well versed and experienced in the preparation of wills under the auspice of DIFC.

With best regards

Mrs. Khan