Lakshmi Omanakuttan April 20, 2026 If you live or invest in the UAE and don’t have a valid Will, your family could face frozen accounts, lengthy court proceedings, and inheritance rules you never intended. Here’s what every expat needs to know. You’ve built a life here. An apartment in Dubai, a salary account, maybe a business. You’ve thought about schools, visas, healthcare. But there’s one thing most expats in the UAE never get around to and it can cost their families everything. Making a Will The Default Nobody Wants Here’s something that surprises most people when they find out: if you die in the UAE without a valid registered Will, your estate may be distributed according to Sharia inheritance principles regardless of your nationality, your religion, or your wishes. This isn’t a loophole. It’s the default position under UAE law for anyone who hasn’t taken steps to register a Will under one of the available legal frameworks. That means your assets might be split in ways you never intended. And the guardianship of your minor children could be left to someone not of your choice, as the court may appoint a guardian at its discretion. The Frozen Assets Problem Even before inheritance comes into play, there’s a more immediate issue that most expats have never heard of. In the UAE, upon the death of an account holder, banks are required to freeze all accounts. Properties cannot be transferred. Investments cannot be accessed. Everything stops until a court order is obtained. For a family suddenly dealing with grief, this can mean weeks or months without access to funds. Rent still needs to be paid. School fees don’t pause. And navigating UAE probate proceedings without a Will in place is a slow, expensive, and uncertain process. A registered Will doesn’t prevent the freeze but it dramatically speeds up the process of obtaining the court order needed to unlock everything. With a Will, your executor has a clear legal mandate to act. Without one, your family starts from scratch. Two Ways to Register a Will in the UAE The good news is that the UAE has developed clear, accessible frameworks specifically designed for non-Muslim residents and investors. The DIFC Wills Service The Dubai International Financial Centre offers a common law Will registration service that operates entirely in English. It was designed with expats in mind and allows you to structure your Will the way you would in the UK, Australia, the US, or most Western jurisdictions. Registration is done online via a video call with no need to appear in person. A DIFC Will can cover your entire UAE estate, or just specific assets such as a property, a bank account, or your company shares. You can also use it solely to appoint guardians for your children, which many expat parents overlook entirely. The Onshore Courts The second option is registering your Will with the UAE Onshore Courts such as the Dubai Courts or the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department. This operates under a civil law framework and covers assets across all seven emirates. The Will must be in Arabic (or translated by a certified legal translator), and registration takes place before a registered Notary either in person or via video call. Both options are equally valid. The right choice depends on your personal circumstances, asset profile, and which legal framework you feel more comfortable with. What a Will Actually Covers People often think of a Will as simply deciding who gets what. In the UAE context, it does much more than that. It appoints your chosen executor, the person legally authorized to manage your estate. It specifies exactly how your assets are distributed, overriding any default rules. It names a guardian for your minor children, so that decision is never left to a court. It protects your business interests, including shares in UAE-registered companies. And it makes the probate process faster and cheaper for everyone you leave behind. Who Needs One? The short answer: any non-Muslim expat with assets in the UAE. That includes anyone who owns property, holds a bank account, has an investment portfolio, owns shares in a UAE company, or has minor children living here. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve been here two years or twenty. It doesn’t matter whether you plan to stay or are thinking of leaving. Your UAE assets remain subject to UAE law regardless. Age is also not a reason to delay. The DIFC Wills Service requires testators to be at least 18 years old. There is no upper limit. And the younger you are when you register, the more easily it can be updated as your circumstances change. A Common Misconception Many expats assume that a Will registered in their home country will cover their UAE assets. In most cases, it won’t, or at least not reliably. UAE courts apply UAE law to assets located within the UAE. A foreign Will may be recognized in limited circumstances, but the process is complex, slow, and uncertain. A UAE-registered Will gives your family a clear, enforceable document recognised by UAE courts from day one. How Long Does It Take? Less time than you think. The process of drafting and registering a Will in the UAE, whether through the DIFC or the Onshore Courts, can typically be completed within a matter of days once your instructions are confirmed. Registration itself is done remotely, so there is no need to take time off work or travel to a courthouse. The One Thing You Shouldn’t Put Off Estate planning is the kind of task that feels like it can always wait until next month. But the consequences of not having a Will in place fall entirely on the people you care most about, at the worst possible moment. If you live in the UAE, have assets here, or have children here, registering a Will is one of the most straightforward and impactful things you can do for your family’s security. At Fichte & Co, we advise non-Muslim expatriates on Will drafting and registration under both the DIFC Courts Wills Service and the UAE Onshore Courts. As registered DIFC Wills draftsmen, we manage the full process from drafting to registration in English, efficiently and confidentially. If you would like to understand your options, get in touch with our Registered DIFC Wills Draftsman at lakshmi.omanakuttan@fichtelegal.com.
