Most overseas buyers focus entirely on the purchase — financing, freehold status, transfer fees. Very few think about what happens to that property if something happens to them. It's an uncomfortable question, but the legal reality makes it worth ten minutes of attention.
What happens without a registered will
Without a valid, registered will covering your UAE assets, your property doesn't automatically pass to whoever you'd expect. It falls under UAE statutory succession rules by default, and the court process to resolve this can take significantly longer — and produce a different outcome — than most foreign owners assume.
What a DIFC Will actually does
The DIFC Wills Service Centre (DIFC WSC), established in 2014, is the UAE's only common-law will registry — designed specifically for non-Muslim residents and property owners. It lets you specify exactly who inherits your UAE property, appoint guardians for minor children, and have that will recognised and executed through the DIFC Courts rather than defaulting to statutory intestacy rules.
Since rules were expanded in 2019, DIFC Wills can cover assets anywhere across all seven emirates, not just Dubai.
Current costs (2026)
| Will type | Registration fee |
|---|---|
| Full Estate Will (all UAE assets + guardianship) | USD 1,400 |
| Single-category will (e.g. Real Property Will only) | USD 840 |
| Optional annual maintenance/review service | USD 200 / year |
These are DIFC WSC government registration fees only — legal drafting fees from your own solicitor are separate and additional.
The 2023 legal change worth knowing about
Since 1 February 2023, Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2022 on Civil Personal Status changed the default rules for non-Muslims dying without a will — moving away from automatic Sharia-based distribution toward a civil framework (broadly: 50% to a surviving spouse, remainder split equally among children). This is a genuine improvement over the old default — but it's still a court-administered statutory process, not a substitute for actually specifying your own wishes through a registered will.
If your property is mortgaged
Worth flagging directly: if your UAE property carries a mortgage, the bank can generally demand full repayment before any transfer to heirs proceeds. Life insurance covering the outstanding mortgage balance is commonly recommended alongside a will, specifically to prevent this becoming a forced-sale situation for your family.