How to register your will with ADJD: every step, explained

# ADJD Will Registration: A Step-by-Step Guide for Expats in Abu Dhabi

If you are a non-GCC expat living in Abu Dhabi and you want your assets distributed according to your own wishes rather than UAE intestacy rules, registering a will with the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) is the recognised route. This guide walks through every stage of the process clearly and without legal jargon.

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Before diving into the individual steps, here is the short answer: ADJD will registration involves preparing a bilingual Arabic-English will on the official ADJD template, booking an appointment at the ADJD notarisation counter, attending in person with your documents, and paying a court fee of AED 950 directly to ADJD. The process typically takes one appointment.

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What Is ADJD Will Registration and Who Can Use It

The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department is the government body that oversees notarisation and court services in Abu Dhabi. For non-GCC expatriates, ADJD operates a dedicated will registration service that allows individuals to have a will notarised and recorded within the Abu Dhabi court system. Once registered, the will creates a formal record that the Abu Dhabi courts can rely on when administering your estate.

This service is available to non-GCC expats who are resident in Abu Dhabi or who hold assets in Abu Dhabi. It is not restricted to UAE residents only in all circumstances, but you should verify current eligibility criteria directly with ADJD at adjd.gov.ae before proceeding, as requirements can change.

The legal basis for allowing non-Muslims to opt out of UAE personal status law and choose their home country law for inheritance matters sits within Federal Law No. 28 of 2005 on Personal Status, as amended, and subsequent regulations. You can review the relevant legislation at uaelegislation.gov.ae. This statutory framework is what gives the ADJD will its legal standing in Abu Dhabi courts.

It is worth being clear about what ADJD registration does and does not do. It does not automatically transfer assets. It does not replace probate where probate is required. It does not govern assets held outside the UAE. What it does is provide a court-registered document expressing your wishes that Abu Dhabi courts can act on, rather than applying default intestacy rules.

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The Official ADJD Will Template Explained

ADJD prescribes a specific bilingual template for expat wills. The template reference is ADJD-NM0723-07-03. Both Arabic and English text appear in the same document; the Arabic is not a separate translation add-on but is part of the template itself. This matters because the court operates in Arabic, and having the Arabic text already embedded in the correct format reduces the risk of ambiguity during probate proceedings.

The template covers a defined scope of provisions. You can record your chosen executor, your beneficiaries, and how you want specific assets distributed. The template does not support every clause type you might find in a jurisdiction such as England and Wales. It is designed to be workable within the Abu Dhabi court framework.

Because the template is fixed, the preparation task is essentially a structured data-mapping exercise: you supply your personal details, asset details, beneficiary details, and executor details, and those answers populate the template fields correctly. Getting this right matters. An incorrectly completed template can cause delays or complications at the notarisation appointment.

UAE Expat Will is a document-preparation service that maps your answers onto the official ADJD-NM0723-07-03 template. It is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. The output is a completed template ready for you to take to your ADJD appointment. You remain responsible for reviewing the document, verifying that it reflects your intentions, and attending the appointment yourself.

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Step One: Gather Your Documents Before You Start

Arriving at an ADJD appointment without the correct documents means wasting a booking slot and potentially a lengthy wait for the next available appointment. Preparing in advance is straightforward if you work through a checklist.

The documents you are likely to need include the following. Your original passport and a copy. Your UAE residence visa page. Your Emirates ID (original and copy). Details of the assets you wish to cover, such as property title deed numbers, bank account information, or vehicle registration details, depending on what you are including in the will. Full legal names, passport numbers, and contact details for your chosen executor. Full legal names and relationship details for each beneficiary.

If you are registering a will that covers Abu Dhabi real estate, you may need the title deed reference from the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport. Verify the exact document list with ADJD directly at adjd.gov.ae before your appointment, as requirements are updated periodically.

Keep photocopies of everything in a separate folder. You will hand over copies at the counter and retain your originals. Having everything organised in a clear plastic wallet saves time at the counter and reduces the chance of errors when the court officer reviews your application.

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Step Two: Prepare the Will Document on the ADJD Template

This is the stage where most people encounter the most friction. The official ADJD template must be completed accurately, in both English and Arabic, and in the correct format. If you attempt to draft your own document and it does not conform to the template requirements, ADJD will not register it.

You have two broad options. You can instruct a UAE-licensed notary lawyer who is familiar with the ADJD requirements, or you can use a document-preparation service such as UAE Expat Will, which produces the completed bilingual template for a fixed fee. The fee structure is set out in the table below.

Fee Comparison Table

Prices for UAE Expat Will are valid to 30 September 2026. Court fees are paid directly to ADJD and are never collected by UAE Expat Will. Verify current court fees at adjd.gov.ae before your appointment.

Whichever route you choose for document preparation, the document you bring to ADJD must be on the prescribed template. Do not attempt to bring a will drafted in a different format and ask ADJD to adapt it at the counter.

Once you have a completed document, read through it carefully. Check that every name matches the passport spelling exactly. Check that asset descriptions are accurate. Check that your executor is correctly named. Mistakes discovered after registration are more complicated to correct than mistakes caught before the appointment.

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Step Three: Book Your ADJD Appointment

ADJD offers appointment booking online and by phone. The relevant service is the notarisation counter that handles non-Muslim wills. Availability varies, and during busy periods you may need to book several days in advance.

When booking, confirm that you are booking for a non-Muslim expat will registration (sometimes listed under notarisation services for personal status matters). Bring your booking confirmation to the appointment.

If you are registering a couple will as two separate documents (one for each spouse), each person requires their own appointment, or you should confirm with ADJD whether both can be handled in a single joint appointment. Practices can vary, and it is better to confirm in advance than to arrive and find you need two separate bookings.

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Step Four: Attend Your ADJD Appointment

On the day, arrive early. ADJD service centres operate with queuing systems and counter management. Being late for your slot can mean being rescheduled.

At the counter, the ADJD officer will review your documents, check your identity documents against the will, and process the registration. You will be asked to sign the will in front of the officer. This is the formal notarisation step. Both you and the officer sign. The court retains a copy and you receive a certified registered copy of the will.

You will pay the AED 950 court fee directly to ADJD at this stage. Payment methods accepted at ADJD service centres can include cash and card; verify accepted methods at adjd.gov.ae before attending. This fee is a government court fee. It is not collected by UAE Expat Will or any document preparation service.

The appointment itself is typically short, often under thirty minutes, once your documents are in order. Most delays occur when documents are incomplete or when the template has errors that the officer identifies.

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Step Five: Store Your Registered Will Safely

Once you leave the ADJD service centre with your certified registered will, the document needs to be stored somewhere your executor can locate it when needed. A registered will that cannot be found at the time of death creates unnecessary delay and difficulty for the people you are trying to protect.

Practical storage options include a fireproof home safe, a bank safe deposit box, or a secure document storage service. Whatever you choose, make sure your executor knows exactly where the will is and how to access it. You do not need to give your executor a copy of the contents if you prefer privacy, but they must know where the document is held.

Keep a separate note of your ADJD registration reference number. This reference allows courts and your executor to verify registration with ADJD.

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What Happens After Registration: Updates and Amendments

Life changes. You may have another child, acquire new assets, divorce, or wish to change your executor. A registered ADJD will does not update itself. If your circumstances change materially, you should consider whether your existing will still reflects your intentions.

To amend a registered ADJD will, you can either register a codicil (an amendment document) or register an entirely new will that revokes the previous one. Either route involves returning to ADJD, completing paperwork on the relevant template, and paying the applicable court fees. Check the current process and fees for amendments directly with ADJD at adjd.gov.ae.

A practical approach is to review your will whenever a significant life event occurs: a birth, a death in the family, a property purchase or sale, a divorce, or a move to a different country. Setting a calendar reminder to review your will every two years is a reasonable minimum even if nothing major has changed.

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Common Reasons ADJD Appointments Are Delayed or Rejected

Understanding what goes wrong helps you avoid the same problems. The following are the most frequently cited causes of delay or rejection at the ADJD notarisation counter for non-Muslim expat wills.

Name mismatches are the most common issue. If your passport says one spelling of your name and your Emirates ID or the will document says another, the officer cannot confirm identity. Every name in the document must match the passport exactly, including middle names and hyphens.

Using the wrong template or a non-compliant format is the second most common problem. ADJD requires its own prescribed template. A will drafted in a free-form format, even a very thorough one, will not be accepted.

Missing documents cause delays. Arriving without your Emirates ID, or without a copy of a property title deed you intended to include, means you either leave without completing registration or you complete a narrower will than you intended.

Incomplete beneficiary details are another frequent issue. ADJD requires full legal names and sufficient identification details for beneficiaries. Listing a beneficiary as "my son" is not adequate.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does an ADJD registered will cover assets outside Abu Dhabi?

An ADJD registered will is most directly relevant to assets in Abu Dhabi. For assets in other emirates or other countries, different rules and registration processes may apply. You should seek independent legal advice regarding cross-border estate planning. UAE Expat Will does not advise on whether an ADJD will covers any specific asset or jurisdiction.

Can I register a will with ADJD if I live in Dubai?

ADJD is the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department. Dubai has its own will registration service through the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Wills Service. If you live in Dubai, you may wish to consider whether the DIFC service or the ADJD service is more appropriate for your situation. UAE Expat Will does not recommend one court over another or assess individual circumstances. Review both options and consider taking independent legal advice.

How long does ADJD will registration take?

The appointment itself is typically completed in under thirty minutes when documents are in order. Booking availability varies. Allow for the possibility of waiting several days for an available appointment slot during busy periods.

What is the court fee for ADJD will registration?

As of the date of publication, the court fee is AED 950 per will, paid directly to ADJD. This fee is not collected by UAE Expat Will. Verify the current fee at adjd.gov.ae before your appointment, as government fees can change.

Does UAE Expat Will attend the ADJD appointment with me?

No. UAE Expat Will is a document-preparation service. It prepares the completed bilingual ADJD template for you. You attend the ADJD appointment yourself, sign the document in front of the ADJD officer, and pay the court fee directly to ADJD. UAE Expat Will does not file, register, or attend appointments on your behalf.

Is Arabic required in the ADJD will?

Yes. The official ADJD template is bilingual. The Arabic text is built into the template itself and is not a separate translation. When you use UAE Expat Will, the Arabic is included in the document output. You do not need to arrange a separate translation.

What happens if I die without a registered will in Abu Dhabi?

Without a registered will, your estate in Abu Dhabi may be distributed according to UAE intestacy rules, which may not reflect your wishes. The legal position depends on multiple factors including your nationality, religion, and the nature of your assets. For a detailed understanding of the intestacy rules and how they might apply to your estate, you should seek independent legal advice. UAE Expat Will does not assess individual circumstances.

Can I update my ADJD will after registration?

Yes. You can register a codicil or a new will that revokes the existing one. Both require a further ADJD appointment and the payment of applicable court fees. Contact ADJD directly for the current process and fees.

Is UAE Expat Will a law firm?

No. UAE Expat Will is a document-preparation service. It maps your answers onto the official ADJD-NM0723-07-03 template and produces a completed bilingual document for you to take to your ADJD appointment. It does not provide legal advice, legal consultation, or representation.

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A Note on 2025 and 2026 Regulatory Developments

UAE inheritance and personal status law has seen ongoing development. Federal Law No. 41 of 2024 introduced further amendments relevant to non-Muslim expats. You can review the current text of applicable legislation at uaelegislation.gov.ae. If you are unsure how recent legislative changes affect your planning, seek independent legal advice from a UAE-licensed practitioner. This guide reflects publicly available information and does not constitute legal advice on current or future regulatory changes.

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Summary: The ADJD Will Registration Process at a Glance