Registering a will in the UAE without overpaying or being caught out.

A foreign will is not automatically enforced for UAE-situs assets. To make sure UAE bank accounts, real estate, shares and other local assets pass the way you intend, you need to register a will with one of the recognised UAE registries — Dubai Courts, the DIFC Wills Service Centre, the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department non-Muslim wills registry, the ADGM Courts, or a Notary Public via the Ministry of Justice. You can keep your foreign will for foreign assets and add a UAE will for UAE assets.

DIFC is built on common-law principles and English-language Schedule 1 forms, and under Article 11 of the DIFC Wills and Probate Registry Rules a registered will can dispose of movable and immovable property anywhere in the world. That makes it a strong fit for complex or global estates, expat couples drafting mirror wills, and parents who need a guardianship clause for minors habitually resident in Dubai or Ras Al Khaimah. For a straightforward UAE-only estate, the Abu Dhabi non-Muslim registry or Dubai Courts can deliver the same legal protection at a fraction of the cost.

The DIFC Wills Service Centre, the Abu Dhabi non-Muslim wills registry and Dubai Courts' Register of Wills of non-Muslims are all reserved for non-Muslims. Muslim testators in the UAE are governed by Sharia-based inheritance principles and can document specific bequests within the limits the law allows — typically through Notary Public attestation at the courts or Ministry of Justice. If you are unsure which framework applies to you, ask Sidqo before you draft.

Once your draft is final and your supporting documents are ready (passport copy, Emirates ID, asset list, witness details), the registration appointment itself usually takes a single sitting. DIFC offers virtual registration for non-residents and faster turnaround for prepared wills. Dubai Courts and the Abu Dhabi non-Muslim registry typically complete registration within one to three weeks from booking, depending on translation and review steps.

Your UAE bank accounts and local assets can be frozen while the courts work out who inherits. For non-Muslims, Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2022 lets you choose between UAE law and your home-country law, but in practice your family will need to prove that election in court — a slow, expensive process. Without a registered will the default rules can produce outcomes you would not have chosen, especially around guardianship of minors and property held only in your name.

Yes. You can update or revoke a registered will at the same registry where it was registered. Major life events — marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, buying property, starting a company — are the usual triggers to review your will. Each registry has its own amendment fee structure and process; some allow codicils, others require a full new registration.

What the AED 799 fee almost always buys is a drafting template and sometimes help preparing for notarisation — not court registration. A document on its own is not the same as a registered will. To be enforceable for your UAE assets, the will still has to be lodged with one of the recognised registries, and the registration fee is paid separately. Read the small print of any cheap wills service before you pay.

Some embassies and consulates in the UAE — for example the UK, Indian and several EU consulates — offer will registration or notarisation services for their nationals. That can be a sensible complement to your foreign estate planning, but it does not replace UAE registration for UAE-situs assets. UAE courts execute wills registered through the recognised UAE registries.

Yes, in principle. Article 11 of the DIFC Wills and Probate Registry Rules states that a DIFC-registered will may dispose of movable and immovable property located in any part of the world. Whether a foreign court will recognise and enforce your DIFC will for assets in that jurisdiction depends on local conflict-of-laws rules — so for very complex global estates, coordinate your DIFC will with separate advice in the country where the foreign assets sit.

Both are common-law financial free zones with their own courts. DIFC is in Dubai and operates the longer-established Wills Service Centre under Dubai Law No. 15 of 2017 and the DIFC WPR Rules. ADGM Courts in Abu Dhabi register non-Muslim wills under their own common-law framework, and are the natural choice for many Abu Dhabi residents. The legal effect is similar; the practical decision is usually about location, fees and which courts you would prefer to administer the estate.