Making a Will in Dubai as a Property Owner: DIFC Will, Dubai Courts or ADJD

A will in Dubai can be registered by a non-Muslim property owner at the DIFC Courts Wills Service or at Dubai Courts, the two registers created by Dubai Law No. 15 of 2017. The DIFC Courts Property Will covers up to five UAE properties and costs AED 7,500 for a single will, or AED 10,000 for mirror wills.

Is a will mandatory in the UAE?

None of the laws read for this guide makes a will compulsory.

For non-Muslims, Article 11 of Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2022 on Civil Personal Status gives the testator the right to leave a will with the entire property he owns in the State in favour of anybody he wants, in accordance with the controls specified by the Executive Regulations of the decree-law. The same article says that in the absence of a will, half of the inheritance goes to the husband or wife and the other half is distributed equally among the children, with no differentiation between male and female. It then sets out who inherits where the deceased has no children.

Article 1 applies the decree-law to non-Muslim UAE citizens and to non-Muslim foreigners residing in the State, unless they adhere to the law of their home country. Article 11 adds that any of a foreigner's heirs may request the law applicable to the estate under the Civil Code, unless there is a registered will to the contrary. Article 1 names only those two groups, so an owner who lives outside the UAE should ask a licensed legal professional which law applies to their estate.

These articles were read in the English text on the UAE Legislation portal on 10 November 2026, where the decree-law is shown as active with its last update listed as 3 October 2022. The portal states that the original Arabic text prevails over the English version.

For Muslims, the UAE Government portal u.ae points to Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2024, which regulates wills and inheritance among other family matters and came into effect on 15 April 2025.

Which registries can register a will in Dubai and Abu Dhabi?

Three official bodies register wills in the sources for this guide. Article 6 of Dubai Law No. 15 of 2017 creates a Register of Wills of non-Muslims at the Dubai Courts and at the DIFC Courts. The Dubai Courts register is therefore a route the law provides, but the Dubai Courts website (dc.gov.ae) could not be reached on 10 November 2026, either by direct request or in a desktop browser, so its fee and procedure are missing from this guide. Ask Dubai Courts or a licensed legal professional for them.

	DIFC Courts Wills Service	Dubai Courts	ADJD Civil Family Court
Legal basis named by the source	Resolution No. 4 of 2014 and Dubai Law No. 15 of 2017	Dubai Law No. 15 of 2017	Abu Dhabi Law No. 14 of 2021
Who it is for, in the source's words	Non-Muslims investing and living in the UAE	Non-Muslims	The court page says anyone who is not a UAE citizen, regardless of religion. The ADJD FAQ refers to registering a will for non-Muslims
Published registration fee	AED 7,500 single Property Will, AED 10,000 single Full Will	Not available: dc.gov.ae could not be reached on 10 November 2026	AED 950 regular, AED 2,500 special

Article 29 of Law No. 15 of 2017 states that, depending on the place of registration of a will, the Dubai Courts or the DIFC Courts will have jurisdiction to determine disputes related to that will. Article 4 says the legislation in force in Dubai applies where the estate or will relates to real property located in the Emirate.

How much does it cost to do a will in Dubai?

At the DIFC Courts, a will that covers property costs AED 7,500 or AED 10,000 to register as a single will. The figures below are from the DIFC Courts fees page as read on 10 November 2026. The page carries no version date of its own and also states that all DIFC Courts fees are exempt from Value Added Tax.

DIFC Courts Will	What the fees page says it covers	Single Will	Mirror Wills
Full Will	All moveable and immoveable assets	AED 10,000	AED 15,000
Property Will	Shares in up to five real estate properties within the UAE	AED 7,500	AED 10,000
Financial Assets Will	Shares in up to 10 different bank accounts within the UAE	AED 5,000	AED 7,500

Mirror Wills apply to a married couple who register their DIFC Courts Wills at the same time. A non-refundable booking fee applies: AED 750 for a single Property Will and AED 1,000 for a single Full Will. It is deductible from the service fee, but is not refunded if the appointment is cancelled, rescheduled more than three times, or moved to a date more than ninety days from the previous appointment.

The DIFC Courts describe the fees on that page as administrative fees. A lawyer's fee for drafting a will is not part of that schedule.

Dubai Courts also registers wills of non-Muslims. Under Article 32 of Law No. 15 of 2017, Dubai Courts charges the fees prescribed by a resolution of the Chairman of the Executive Council. The Dubai Courts website could not be reached on 10 November 2026, so no Dubai Courts figure is given here. That is a gap in this guide, not a sign that the route is free or closed.

What does DIFC stand for, and who can use a DIFC will?

DIFC stands for Dubai International Financial Centre. The DIFC Courts describe the Wills Service as a joint initiative of the Government of Dubai and the DIFC Courts that gives non-Muslims investing and living in the UAE the option to pass on their assets in accordance with the instructions in their will.

The rule references in this guide are to the DIFC Wills and Probate Registry Rules in the version marked effective 30 June 2019, which is the version the Wills Service rules page still linked on 10 November 2026. That page says the Rules are amended and supplemented by Practice Directions issued from time to time, so check it for anything newer.

Rule 9 of that version limits the Rules to wills of non-Muslim individuals over the Age of Majority, which the Rules define as the age of 21. The will must be in the Schedule 1 form, in English and in writing, and witnessed by at least two witnesses who are physically or virtually present in front of the Registrar or an Authorised Officer.

Owners based abroad, such as readers of buying property in Dubai as a foreigner and borrowers using mortgages for non-residents, should confirm eligibility for their own case with the Wills Service or a registered draftsman.

How to make a will in the UAE: the DIFC Property Will steps

The DIFC Courts Property Will is prepared through an online portal. The steps below follow the Property Will page, the fees page and the Rules.

1. Choose a Single Will, or Mirror Wills if you are married and registering together.
2. Decide on legal advice. The DIFC Courts say you are strongly advised to consider taking legal advice, because a will that does not meet the minimum requirements of the Rules would be unenforceable. The Wills Service publishes a list of approved draftsmen.
3. Prepare the will in the Property Will Portal, which gives access to an online template and explanatory notes. Have your title deed to hand. Our guide to title deed verification in Dubai explains how to check one.
4. Book the appointment and pay. Payment can be made through the Wills Service's online payment facility at the time of making an appointment.
5. Sign in person, with at least two witnesses, as Rule 9 sets out.

Do not assume an agent can sign for you: Rule 9 refers to a will signed in person by the testator. Our guide to power of attorney for property in Dubai explains how a POA works in property transactions.

How does an ADJD will work in Abu Dhabi?

An ADJD will is a civil will registered with the Civil Wills Section of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department. The Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court page says that for a civil will to be recognised as legally valid, it must be registered.

The court lists the fee for a regular will registration as AED 950 and for a special will registration as AED 2,500. It says that if you are not a UAE citizen then, regardless of your religion, you may register a will with the Abu Dhabi Civil Wills Office, and that it has prepared a standardised will template in both English and Arabic.

The ADJD FAQ describes four steps:

1. The request, which the FAQ describes as a request to register a will for non-Muslims, is submitted through the ADJD website by the testator or by a representative under a legal power of attorney.
2. The competent employee reviews the application.
3. The customer pays the fees.
4. The customer books an appointment by video conferencing and, if approved, the will is certified and notarised at the Judicial Department.

Whether an Abu Dhabi will is the right instrument for a property in Dubai is a question for a licensed legal professional.

What are the rules for inherited property in Dubai?

For non-Muslims, Law No. 15 of 2017 governs how a will is carried out and how an estate is administered in Dubai. Three points matter most to a property owner.

• Under Article 18, a will registered on the Register is implemented by a written order of the competent court. An unregistered will needs a judgment, on a written application by the beneficiary.
• Under Article 10, a will lapses where the willed property is disposed of in a manner that involves transfer of ownership.
• Under Article 21, no disposition of an estate may be undertaken before the competent court issues an estate administration judgment or order, apart from funeral and necessary family expenses.

For a DIFC will, the DIFC Courts probate page says the executors apply to the Registry for a Grant of Probate. Once the grant is converted to a Dubai Courts judgment, the Execution Department of the Dubai Courts instructs the authorities relevant to the assets, such as Dubai Land Department.

How do heirs get a succession certificate and transfer the title in Dubai?

Dubai Land Department (DLD) transfers a deceased owner's property under its Real Estate Inheritance Registration service, which requires a legal inheritance certificate or inheritance declaration issued by the judicial authorities and endorsed by the UAE courts. That certificate comes from the courts, not from DLD, and this guide does not set out the court procedure or fee for it.

According to the DLD service page, the steps at DLD are:

1. Visit a Trustee centre or the DLD Main Building and submit the required documents.
2. Pay the fees and receive a payment receipt.
3. After the transaction is audited and approved, receive an email notification with the issued documents, which include an electronic title deed.

DLD requirement or fee	What the service page states
Mortgaged property	No Objection Certificate from the bank or financing entity
Property under construction	No Objection Certificate from the developer
Inheritance property registration	AED 1,000 per property
Transfer under a will	0.125% of the value of the property subject to the will
Title deed	AED 250
Knowledge and Innovation fee	AED 20
Service partner fee	AED 130 plus VAT

Buyers of off-plan property should note the developer certificate: the page asks for it where a property is initially registered or under construction. It also says the will fee applies only where the transaction is applicable based on the approved document or court decision. These inheritance fees are separate from the costs of buying, which you can estimate with the buying costs calculator.

What is the cheapest way to create a will?

On published registration fees alone, the lowest figure found for this guide is the AED 950 regular civil will at ADJD, and the lowest DIFC Courts option for real estate is the AED 7,500 single Property Will. Fee is only one factor. A Property Will covers real estate only, so an owner with a UAE bank account as well should compare it with the Full Will and with the Financial Assets Will, which covers up to ten accounts held at UAE branches.

Common mistakes

• Treating a will as permanent. Rule 19 of the DIFC Wills and Probate Registry Rules (30 June 2019 version) says a will is revoked by the testator's marriage, subject to exceptions in the same rule.
• Mixing up residency and inheritance. None of the will and inheritance sources read for this guide mentions visa status. Residence routes such as the UAE Golden Visa for property investors are covered in a separate guide.
• Drafting alone to save a fee. The DIFC Courts warn that a will that misses the minimum requirements would be unenforceable.

This guide is not legal advice. Have your will drafted and reviewed by a licensed legal professional.