The Ultimate UAE Expat Estate Planning Guide (2025)

This guide covers everything an expat in the UAE needs to know about estate planning, from the basics of UAE inheritance law to the specific steps of registering a will, protecting your children, and ensuring your family has access to funds when they need them most. Bookmark it, share it, and use it as your reference when you're ready to act.

Part 1: Why UAE Estate Planning Is Different

Estate planning in the UAE is unlike estate planning in the UK, US, Australia, or most other countries that UAE expats come from. Three features make it genuinely different:

1. Sharia Default Rules

For non-Muslims, UAE inheritance law defaults to Sharia distribution rules in the absence of a registered will. This means a fixed formula, not your wishes, that determines who gets what. A wife receives 1/8 of the estate (with children) or 1/4 (without). Sons receive double daughters' shares. Unmarried partners and friends receive nothing.

2. Immediate Account Freezes

UAE banks freeze all accounts in a deceased person's name immediately on notification. Joint accounts are also frozen. No funds can be accessed without a court order or a registered will. This can leave families without access to money for months.

3. Foreign Wills Are Not Automatically Enforceable

A UK will, US will, or will from any other country requires a complex authentication and judicial recognition process to be enforced in UAE courts. In practice, this means a foreign will offers very limited protection for UAE assets.

Part 2: UAE Will Registration Systems

ADJD (Abu Dhabi Judicial Department)

The most widely used system. Covers all UAE assets across all seven Emirates. Government fee AED 950 per will. Registration includes a video verification call with no in-person appointment required. OwnX prepares the draft and certified translation online before you submit directly to ADJD.

DIFC Wills Service Centre

Common Law-based. Primarily covers Dubai assets. Registration fees AED 3,600–10,000 depending on will type. Offers specialist products: Guardianship Will, Financial Assets Will, Business Owners Will. Better suited for complex estates with DIFC-regulated holdings.

Dubai Courts

An alternative registration system for Dubai-based assets. OwnX can advise on which system best suits your situation.

Part 3: What a UAE Will Can Cover

• UAE bank and investment accounts
• UAE real estate (freehold and leasehold) in all Emirates
• Vehicles registered in the UAE
• Personal belongings and household contents
• End-of-service gratuity entitlement
• Cryptocurrency and digital assets (with appropriate instructions)
• Business interests and shares (where applicable)
• Specific bequests to named individuals or charities
• Guardianship wishes for minor children
• Appointment of executor

Part 4: Key People in Your Will

Your Executor

The executor carries out your will, dealing with banks, courts, employers, and beneficiaries. Choose someone trustworthy and organised. They do not need to be UAE-based, but they need to be willing to engage with UAE authorities. Name a backup executor in case your first choice is unable to act.

Your Beneficiaries

Name primary beneficiaries (who inherits first) and contingent beneficiaries (who inherits if a primary beneficiary predeceases you). Be specific with proportions: 'equally' or explicit percentages. Consider what happens if all named beneficiaries predecease you.

Your Guardian (if you have children)

Express your preference for who should care for your minor children. UAE courts take this seriously, though they retain discretion. Speak to your chosen guardian before naming them, as guardianship is a significant commitment.

Part 5: Assets That Pass Outside Your Will

Some assets pass directly to named beneficiaries without going through your estate. These include:

• Life insurance policies with a named beneficiary designation
• Pension plans with a valid beneficiary nomination (e.g. DEWS)
• Certain employer-held savings schemes with active nominations

These nominations override your will. Review all nominations annually and after any major life event.

Part 6: Digital Assets

Cryptocurrency, online investment accounts, domain names, digital business assets, and valuable social media accounts need separate planning. Your will should reference digital assets in general terms; access information (private keys, seed phrases, login credentials) should be stored securely where your executor can find them, but not in the will itself.

Part 7: Inheritance Tax

The UAE imposes no inheritance tax. There is no estate duty, no death tax, no threshold above which tax applies. However, your home country may subject your UAE assets to inheritance or estate tax; UK IHT and US estate tax both apply to worldwide assets. Home-country tax advice is essential.

Part 8: The OwnX Process: End to End

1. Complete the online questionnaire (15–25 minutes)
2. OwnX prepares the initial draft and shares it in your secure account
3. Request any amendments; revised draft returned promptly
4. Court-certified Arabic translation prepared by OwnX
5. Sign the bilingual will electronically in your OwnX account
6. You upload the completed will to the ADJD court portal
7. Court contacts you for payment (AED 950) and schedules a video verification call
8. Will registered, usually the next working day after verification

Part 9: Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

• Relying on a foreign will: register a UAE will for UAE assets
• Assuming a joint account protects your family: it doesn't (accounts are frozen)
• Not updating after divorce: divorce does not revoke a UAE will automatically
• Forgetting contingent beneficiaries: name backups for every primary beneficiary
• Not briefing your executor: they need to know the will exists and where to find it
• Ignoring digital assets: they can be permanently lost without clear instructions
• Waiting: accidents don't give notice

Part 10: Your Next Step

You now have everything you need to understand UAE estate planning. The only remaining step is to act on it. OwnX makes the process as simple and accessible as it can be: 15 minutes to start, 1–2 weeks to register, and a fraction of the cost of a traditional law firm.

Your family's security is not something to defer. The average UAE expat has over AED 500,000 in combined UAE assets. Protecting those assets costs AED 749 and a video call.

Author & Legal Reviewer ✓ Licensed Advocate

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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