Frequently asked questions

Non-GCC nationals aged 21 or over with assets or family in the UAE. If you hold a GCC passport the civil will framework does not apply to you, and we will point you to a partner law firm for Sharia-compliant planning rather than sell you something that will not work.

Our fee is shown in full on the pricing page. A single will is one payment, and when a couple do theirs together the second will costs less than the first. The court then charges its own registration fee, currently AED 950 per will, which you pay directly to the court. We never touch that money, which also means we cannot mark it up. You also pay the MoJ translator's fee, quoted per document and paid directly to the translator.

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The court sets the pace here, not us. Recent waits from submission to a notarisation appointment have been running into months, and the queue moves around. Your part takes about twenty minutes. The rest is the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD)'s contribution, and the checklist keeps you moving through each stage rather than wondering what happens next.

No. Your will follows the ADJD civil will format, in English and Arabic. We do not give legal advice and we do not act on your behalf. If your situation is genuinely complicated, such as business shareholdings or contested family circumstances, we will say so and refer you to a partner law firm.

Your UAE assets and guardianship of your children may be decided under local default rules rather than your wishes, and bank accounts can be frozen while matters are resolved. A registered will lets you decide who inherits and who cares for your children.

Yes. Joint wills are not permitted here, so a couples session produces two individual wills in one sitting. You enter shared people like guardians once, and we cross-check both wills for the kind of mismatch that is awkward to discover later, such as each of you naming a different guardian for the same children.

Your executor collects your assets, pays your debts and distributes what is left. Choose an adult you trust, usually a spouse, plus one or two substitutes in case they cannot act. You cannot name yourself.

Your will follows the ADJD civil will format, in English and Arabic.

No. Your will follows the ADJD civil will format, in English and Arabic. We generate a separate private Asset Inventory for your executor, which is the document that actually needs the account numbers.

Yes. Correcting a detail about someone already named, such as a misspelt guardian or a wrong passport number, is free, always. Substantive changes, such as a new child or a different executor, are included with annual membership. Either way, an updated will only takes effect once you re-register it with the court, and that court fee is yours.

Your information sits behind row-level security, encrypted in transit and at rest, with documents stored privately behind expiring links. We never email your will, because it has your passport and Emirates ID inside it. You can download or delete everything from your account at any time. Full detail is in our Privacy Policy.

Yes. Sign in, open Account, and choose Delete my account and data. It permanently removes your login, your profile, the people you named, your wills and answers, and any documents you stored with us. It cannot be undone, so download your will first if you want to keep a copy. We keep a bare record that an order was paid, with nothing personal attached, because the law requires us to keep financial records. Card details never reach us; our payment provider holds those under its own rules.

No, and that is deliberate. You submit your own application through the official court channel, which keeps your costs down and the will unambiguously yours. Our step-by-step checklist walks you through every screen, with email reminders as you go, and we stay with you until it is stamped.

No. Your will follows the ADJD civil will format, in English and Arabic. DIFC and ADGM have their own documents and requirements. An ADGM will, for example, must be certified by a legal translator licensed by the UAE Ministry of Justice, which is a service we do not provide. If you specifically need DIFC or ADGM, email us at hello@uaeexpatwill.com and we will point you to someone who can help, and let you know if we start offering it ourselves.

Yes. ADJD only accepts a will signed by you, with your full signature on every page, at the bottom centre. Your signature must match the one on your Emirates ID if you are a UAE resident, or on your passport if you are not. Sign after the MoJ-licensed translator has stamped the will, since the stamped document is the one the court receives. The easiest way is UAE Pass, which is free: on your computer, go to the UAE Pass website, choose Sign Document, upload the stamped will and sign every page. Your UAE Pass account must be verified. Or print the stamped will, sign every page in pen and scan it back into a single PDF. Couples each sign their own will. Before you start your ADJD case, have your signed will, a valid passport showing your signature and your Emirates ID front and back ready, each as a PDF under 2MB.

Yes. ADJD registers civil wills for expats who aren't UAE nationals, regardless of religion. Registering a will is separate from how it is applied later: family circumstances, nationality and where your assets are can still affect succession. If your situation is complex, we can refer you to a partner lawyer.