Will is a legal declaration of disposition of Assets made by a person during his life but intended to take effect after his death.
In the unfortunate event of an expatriate’s death, the authorities in UAE will freeze all his assets. The authorities will release the assets only upon receipt of the Sharia court’s order identifying the legal heirs and apportioning the assets as per the Sharia. Generally the UAE courts adhere to the Sharia law in respect of the distribution of assets of even a non-Muslim UAE expat, where he or she dies without a Will in place. The procedure is tiresome and time consuming. The legal heirs would be required to obtain necessary documents from the deceased’s home country as to their relationship with the deceased and get the same translated and attested by the embassy. Ultimately the assets may not be distributed among the persons and the way the deceased intended to distribute the same. Leaving a duly written and registered Will may be the only possible way to expect your wishes to be respected with regard to your assets in the UAE.
Dubai Government has formed a Wills & Probate Registry, under the Dubai International Financial Centre’s (DIFC) Dispute Resolution Authority. The Wills & Probate Registry Rules permit all Non-Muslim expatriates with assets in Dubai to register Wills. Advantages of DIFC Will include:
Non application of Sharia Law of inheritance for Non-Muslim expats
Right to choose your legatee/beneficiaries
Testator can appoint Guardian of his choice for minor children.
In our firm, we have competent Lawyers who are licensed Wills Draftsmen registered with the DIFC Wills Probate Registry. They will ensure, accurate drafting of Wills making sure that it precisely reflects the testator’s wishes, as to how his assets are to be managed and distributed after his life. Our Licensed Lawyers carry out Prompt registration of the Will with the DIFC Wills & Probate Registry, duly following all formalities.
The best benefit of having an estate planning in place is peace of mind, knowing you have a properly prepared plan in place – one that contains your wishes/instructions that will benefit your family or others or institutions you like to provide for after you are no more.
Our lawyers are specialized in providing necessary legal advice and support in estate planning and probate proceedings for our clients.
