Will & Testament

Without a will, the UAE Law of Inheritance will be applied to your possessions after your passing, and it may even have an impact on your children's guardianship if they are still minors.

You may already have a will for your possessions in your home country as a non-Muslim expat in the UAE. Your movable and/or immovable assets in the UAE may not be subject to the inheritance laws of your home country, however, unless you have a will that has been legally acknowledged by the UAE.

What are you going to need first?
- Emirates ID
the passport (original and a copy).
- The "Will" document must be legalized, and there must be enough copies for all parties involved and one copy for recordkeeping.
- Records that clearly demonstrate who is the rightful owner of the property left in a will.
- If the document was written in a language other than Arabic, an official translation certified by the Ministry of Justice is necessary.

Submit application and get approval

On the website of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD), the application must be submitted online. The knowledgeable worker checks to see if the application complies with the requirements. The applicant receives an SMS message when their application has been approved or modified. The ADJD website accepts online payments for the application fee.

Preparation of the application
The applicant can make an appointment for the processing of their application by contacting the Non-Muslim Wills Registration Office. The applicant must next go to the Non-Muslim Wills Registration Office on the designated day to submit the original paperwork. After completing these steps, the will is completely legalized and will be presented by the department's Notary Public.

Steps to get a will registered in Abu Dhabi
The ‘wills’ registration office in the capital, where many non-Muslim residents register their wills, has reduced the registration charges from Dh5,500 to Dh950 from December.