Registering a UAE will used to mean scheduling appointments with lawyers, attending a notary's office, and waiting weeks for paperwork. OwnX changed that. Our process is built around one principle: you should be able to protect your family without disrupting your life.
Here is exactly what happens from the moment you start to the moment your will is registered, step by step.
OwnX prepares wills for ADJD (Abu Dhabi Judicial Department) registration. The ADJD system is enforceable across all seven UAE Emirates and is widely used by non-Muslim expats.
Step 1: Complete the Online Questionnaire
Everything starts with a structured questionnaire you fill in at your own pace, from your phone, laptop, or tablet, wherever you are. It covers:
- Your personal details and residency status
- Your UAE assets (accounts, property, investments, personal belongings)
- Your beneficiaries, who inherits, and in what proportions
- Contingent beneficiaries, who inherits if a primary beneficiary predeceases you
- Your executor, the person who will carry out the will
- Any specific bequests or guardianship wishes
Most clients complete the questionnaire in 15–25 minutes. Plain-English explanations accompany every question, no legal knowledge required.
Step 2: Initial Draft Prepared and Shared
OwnX's team prepares an initial draft of your will based on your questionnaire responses. This is a professionally drafted legal document that accurately reflects your wishes. The draft is shared with you via your secure OwnX account for review.
This is your will, review it carefully. Check names, spellings, asset descriptions, proportions, and executor details. If anything needs changing, this is the moment.
Step 3: Amendments (If Any)
If you need any changes, a different beneficiary split, an updated executor, an additional bequest, simply note them through your account. OwnX revises the draft and shares an updated version. This continues until you are completely satisfied with the document.
Step 4: Court-Certified Legal Translation
Once the English draft is approved, OwnX arranges a certified Arabic translation by a court-approved legal translator. This is not a machine translation or a generic bilingual document, it is a stamped, certified translation that meets the ADJD's legal requirements.
The bilingual will (English and Arabic) is then uploaded to your OwnX account.
Step 5: You Sign the Bilingual Will Online
The final bilingual will is available in your OwnX account. You review and sign it electronically. No printing. No scanning. No posting. No need to visit any office.
Step 6: Submit to the Court Portal
Once your bilingual will is ready, submit it directly through the ADJD court portal. The document then enters the court's review and verification process.
Step 7: Court Contacts You for Payment and Video Verification
The ADJD court contacts you directly to arrange payment of the government registration fee (AED 950). Once payment is confirmed, the court schedules a short video verification call at a time that works for you, typically 10–15 minutes.
On the call, a court official verifies your identity, confirms you understand the contents of your will, and records your verification. Both spouses can be verified on the same call for mirror wills.
The video verification is conducted directly by the ADJD court, not by OwnX. This is the government's process to confirm authenticity. You simply need your passport to hand for the call.
Step 8: Will Registered, Usually the Next Working Day
Your will is typically registered by the next working day after the video verification call. Once registered, it is immediately legally enforceable in all UAE courts. A sealed digital copy is accessible in your OwnX account; the original is filed with the ADJD.
Total time from starting your questionnaire to a registered will: typically 1–2 weeks.
Why This Process Is Different
- 100% remote, no office visits, no travel, no in-person appointments
- Court-certified Arabic translation included, not an optional add-on
- Video verification means your will can be registered from anywhere in the world
- Next working day registration after the verification call
- All documents stored securely in your OwnX account
- From AED 749, a fraction of traditional law firm costs
Start your UAE will today. 15 minutes to fill in, a week to register, entirely from home. From AED 749.
Start Your Will
Aanchal Adhikari (Advocate, LL.B., LL.M. (Cand.))
Senior Specialist & UAE Estate Planning Advocate
Aanchal Adhikari is a Nepal-licensed Advocate with 4+ years of legal practice, specialized in ADJD Wills, DIFC wills, and UAE inheritance. She has drafted and overseen 800+ ADJD Wills in the UAE and is currently pursuing an LL.M. at Middlesex University Dubai.
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