If you are an expat in the UAE who is not a UAE or GCC national, you can register a civil will with the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD), whichever emirate you live in and whatever your religion. The whole process is online. This guide walks through each stage in plain language.
Your will follows the ADJD civil will format, in English and Arabic. The court reviews it, you pay the AED 950 court fee online, and the will is notarised on a video appointment you attend from home. There is no visit to the court.
What ADJD Will Registration Is and Who Can Use It
The ADJD runs the courts and notary services in Abu Dhabi. Its Civil Family Court registers civil wills for expats who are not UAE nationals, regardless of religion. You do not need to live in Abu Dhabi to use it. UAE Expat Will's service is for expats who are not UAE or GCC nationals.
The legal background is Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2022 on Civil Personal Status, in force since 1 February 2023. Under it, non-Muslim foreigners in the UAE are governed by civil rules by default, including civil default shares when there is no will, and they may instead choose the law of their home country. You can read the law at uaelegislation.gov.ae.
A registered will does not transfer assets on its own, and it does not cover assets held outside the UAE. What it does is record your choices with the court: who inherits, who acts as executor, and who looks after your children, instead of leaving those questions to the default rules and the court's discretion.
Your will follows the ADJD civil will format, in English and Arabic.
Your will follows the ADJD civil will format, in English and Arabic. Arabic and English sit side by side in the same document. Your will follows the ADJD civil will format, in English and Arabic. Before submission, an MoJ-licensed legal translator checks and stamps the Arabic.
Your will follows the ADJD civil will format, in English and Arabic. It does not support every clause you might find in a will from England or elsewhere. It is built for the Abu Dhabi court.
Your will follows the ADJD civil will format, in English and Arabic. Your personal, family, asset, beneficiary and executor details go into the right fields, in both languages. Errors here are the main cause of the court coming back with questions.
Your will follows the ADJD civil will format, in English and Arabic. It is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. You review the finished document, sign it and submit it to ADJD yourself.
Step One: Gather Your Documents
You upload everything to your ADJD case, so have clear scans ready before you start.
- Your passport
- Your Emirates ID
- Your UAE residence visa
- Details of the assets you want to cover, such as title deed numbers or bank details
- Full legal names and passport numbers for your executor and any guardian
- Full legal names and relationships for each beneficiary
Save each document as a PDF under 2MB, named so you can tell them apart. If your will covers Abu Dhabi property, the title deed reference is useful to have to hand. Check the current document list at adjd.gov.ae before you submit, as requirements are updated from time to time.
Your will follows the ADJD civil will format, in English and Arabic.
Your will follows the ADJD civil will format, in English and Arabic. ADJD will not register or adapt a will drafted in another format.
There are two broad routes. Your will follows the ADJD civil will format, in English and Arabic.
Fee Comparison Table
| Option | Preparation fee | Court fee (paid direct to ADJD) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAE Expat Will: single will | AED 1,199 | AED 950 | AED 2,149 |
| UAE Expat Will: couple wills | AED 1,799 | AED 950 per will, two wills | AED 3,699 |
| Licensed lawyer | Varies, typically higher | AED 950 per will | Varies |
Court fees are paid directly to ADJD and are never collected by UAE Expat Will. Check the current court fee at adjd.gov.ae, as government fees can change.
When the document is ready, read it through. Every name must match the passport spelling exactly, including middle names and hyphens. Check the asset descriptions and that your executor is named correctly. A mistake caught now costs nothing. A mistake found after registration means registering again.
Step Three: Sign Your Will
ADJD only accepts a will signed by you. Its upload field is labelled "Copy of the Will (signed by the testator)". There are two ways to sign:
- With UAE Pass (recommended, free, about two minutes): on your computer, go to the UAE Pass website and log in. Choose Sign Document, upload the will PDF, and sign it digitally. Save the signed PDF. Your UAE Pass account must be verified, the same one you use to log in to ADJD.
- On paper: print the will, sign it in pen where it asks for the testator's signature, then scan it back into a single PDF.
Couples: each of you signs your own will.
Step Four: Submit Your Case Online
Before you start
- Your signed will
- Passport, Emirates ID and residence visa
- Each file as a PDF under 2MB. ADJD does not list the file types it accepts, and PDFs under 2MB work best.
Steps on the ADJD website
- Log in to adjd.gov.ae with UAE Pass. From the home page, go to Services, then Digital Services.
- Click the "ADR & Court & Enforcment" option, the one with the scales of justice icon. A long list of options opens.
- In the first group of options, click "Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court".
- Click Register new case.
- Click the first option, "Civil Family Court Registration Requests".
- Click Civil Will, tick Civil Will Proof, then click Next further down.
- On the next screen, tick Civil Will Proof again. A small text box appears. Type "Register ADJD Civil Will". Do the same in the text box at the bottom of the screen. You cannot continue with either box empty.
- Check your address and phone number. Most of it is filled in from UAE Pass. Click Next.
- Add your appointee: your executor or a beneficiary. If they do not have an Emirates ID, choose UID and enter their passport number.
- Upload your signed will, passport, Emirates ID and residence visa.
- Sign the case request digitally with UAE Pass. ADJD issues a case number and emails it to you. Keep it for any contact with the court.
Couples submit one case each, one for each will.
Step Five: Court Review, Payment and the Video Appointment
The court reviews your case and contacts you if it has questions. Once it is satisfied, it sends a payment request, and you pay the AED 950 court fee online through your ADJD account.
After payment you book a video appointment and attend it from home. On the call, the notary confirms your identity and that the will is yours. Have your Emirates ID and passport to hand, and use a quiet room and a device with a working camera and microphone.
After the call, the notarised will is issued digitally and you can download it from your ADJD account.
The queue for appointments can run into months, so it is worth starting well before you need the will in place.
Step Six: Store Your Registered Will Safely
Once you have downloaded the notarised will, keep it somewhere your executor can find it. A registered will that nobody can locate causes exactly the delay it was meant to prevent.
Keep a digital copy somewhere secure and a printed copy at home. Tell your executor where both are. Make a separate note of your ADJD case number, which lets your executor and the court trace the registration.
Updating Your Will After Registration
Life changes. A new child, a new property, a divorce or a different choice of executor can all mean your will no longer says what you want. A registered will does not update itself.
To change it, you register a new will that revokes the old one. That means a new online case with ADJD, a new video appointment and the court fee again. Check the current process at adjd.gov.ae.
A sensible habit is to read your will after any major life event, and every couple of years even if nothing has happened.
Common Reasons the Court Comes Back With Questions
Name mismatches. If your passport, Emirates ID and will spell a name differently, the court cannot confirm identity. Every name must match the passport exactly.
Your will follows the ADJD civil will format, in English and Arabic. A free-form will, however thorough, will not be accepted.
Missing or unreadable documents. A blurred scan or a missing Emirates ID sends the case back to you and adds time.
Vague beneficiary details. "My son" is not enough. ADJD needs full legal names and identifying details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to go to the court?
No. You submit your case online, pay online and attend a video appointment from home.
Can I register a will with ADJD if I live in Dubai?
Yes. ADJD civil will registration is open to expats who are not UAE nationals wherever they live in the UAE. Dubai residents can also use the DIFC Wills Service, which is for non-Muslims only and has its own fees and rules. UAE Expat Will does not recommend one registry over another or assess individual circumstances.
Does an ADJD will cover assets outside the UAE?
Generally no. Assets in your home country are usually better dealt with by a will made there. The two wills need to fit together, which is a question for a lawyer in that country.
How long does registration take?
Preparing the document can take an afternoon. After you submit, the court reviews the case, and appointment queues can run into months. Starting early is the only reliable way to shorten the wait.
What is the court fee?
The court fee is AED 950 per will, paid directly to ADJD online after the court has reviewed your documents. UAE Expat Will never collects it. Check the current fee at adjd.gov.ae.
Does UAE Expat Will submit the will or attend the appointment for me?
No. Your will follows the ADJD civil will format, in English and Arabic. You sign it, submit it, pay the court fee and attend the video appointment yourself.
Is Arabic required?
Yes. Your will follows the ADJD civil will format, in English and Arabic. Before you submit it, ADJD needs the Arabic checked and stamped by a legal translator licensed by the UAE Ministry of Justice. We do not provide that translation; the translator quotes per document.
What happens if I die without a registered will?
For non-Muslim expats, UAE civil default rules decide who inherits, unless home-country law has been chosen. The default shares may not match what you would have chosen, and nobody you picked will be in charge of your estate or your children. How the rules apply depends on your family and assets, so independent legal advice is worth taking if your situation is complex.
Is UAE Expat Will a law firm?
No. UAE Expat Will is a document-preparation service. Your will follows the ADJD civil will format, in English and Arabic. It does not give legal advice or act for you.
The Process at a Glance
| Step | Action | Who does it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gather and scan your documents | You |
Your will follows the ADJD civil will format, in English and Arabic. | 3 | Sign the will with UAE Pass or on paper | You | | 4 | Submit your case online through your ADJD account | You | | 5 | Court review, online payment, video appointment | You, with ADJD | | 6 | Download and store the notarised will, tell your executor | You | | 7 | Review the will when your circumstances change | You |
Document Preparation Disclaimer
UAE Expat Will is a document-preparation service, not a law firm. This guide is general information and is not legal advice. Laws, court fees, procedures and eligibility change, so check current requirements with ADJD at adjd.gov.ae, and speak to a UAE-licensed lawyer if you need advice about your own estate.
Start Your ADJD Will
Your will follows the ADJD civil will format, in English and Arabic. A single will is AED 1,199 and couple wills are AED 1,799. The AED 950 court fee per will is paid directly to ADJD.