DIFC Wills

Expatriate estates are complex simply due to the fact that different legal jurisdictions are involved. For non-Muslims, the range of DIFC Wills provides families with greater certainty and lower administration costs in difficult circumstances.

In many ways, DIFC Wills are similar to a life insurance policy. They provide security for your family in the event of your death should you die whilst resident in the UAE or holding assets here. In most cases, they are not a replacement for a will drawn up under the law of your home country, just as using a will drawn up under the law of your home country is not usually the best solution for assets within the UAE.

Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Wills have been available since 2015. They provide non-Muslim expatriates with the ability to distribute their assets within the Emirates of Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah according to their wishes. As of 30th June 2019, DIFC Courts announced they will accept DIFC Wills covering assets outside of these jurisdictions with the caveat that legal advice is received on the validity of these arrangements. Further, parents of young children can appoint guardians for their children whilst they are living in the UAE.

What Type of DIFC Wills Exist?

There are currently 5 different DIFC Wills available:

Guardianship Will provides direction to the courts on who the deceased wanted to look after any children they had parental responsibility for on their death. This can also include arrangements for temporary carers whilst the legal guardians travel to Dubai. For more details about the Guardianship Will including registration costs, click here.

Property Will also known as Real Estate Will, provides non-Muslim owners of property in the Emirates of Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah with the ability to gift their interest in any real estate they own according to their wishes. This means the distribution does not have to be bound by local law or Sharia principles. For more details about the Property Will including registration costs, click here.

Business Owners Will provides owners of onshore and offshore companies with the ability to gift their interest in these businesses to the person/people of their choice. This can be particularly important where the business has employees and ongoing commitments to suppliers and customers. For more details about the Business Owners Will including registration costs, click here.

Financial Assets Will is the latest addition to the DIFC suite of Wills. In UAE, joint accounts are frozen on the death of one party. There is no automatic right of access to the money by the survivor. The DIFC Financial Assets WIll provides beneficiaries with faster access to bank accounts etc held in UAE. For more details about the Financial Assets Will including registration costs, click here.

Full Will covers all of the above Wills. For more details about the Full Will including registration costs, click here.

What are the Advantages of DIFC Wills?

DIFC is a common-law jurisdiction. The Wills provide non-Muslim expatriates with greater certainty of what will happen to their assets and children in the event of their death. English is the language of the court, rather than Arabic which applies to the Dubai Courts. The probate, the process of distributing assets, is generally quicker and therefore cheaper in most cases.

What are the Disadvantages of DIFC Wills?

The arrival of DIFC Wills is a positive development for non-Muslims.

The aspect which is most widely reported is the cost of registration. Costs of up to AED15,000 in DIFC registration fees on top of the services of a draftsman has made these Will prohibitively expensive for many expatriates. However, compared to the value of property owned in the country it is less than most investors pay to the Land Department to register their ownership of the property. It is also considerably less than the cost of attempting to use a home country will via the local courts for financial and business assets.

The exclusion of Muslims, even where they are not UAE nationals, from DIFC Wills has limited the effect of this initiative.

On 30th June 2019, DIFC announced that assets covered within a DIFC Will would no longer be restricted to Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah. This enables assets within the wider UAE and potentially global assets to be included within a DIFC Will. However, DIFC recommends seeking independent legal advice before using this option. On the same day, DIFC Wills Service announced they would no longer store physical copies of Wills. The electronic copy will be treated as the original with the hard copy handed to the owner of the Will or shredded.

How Do I Write A DIFC Will?

DIFC Wills can be prepared directly with the DIFC Wills Service using one of the templates provided, although no advice is given. To book an appointment register here. Alternatively, you can consult one of the list of draftsmen on the DIFC website. or Contact us for more information.

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CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

“We knew we needed to get Wills in place, as we have young children, but didn't really know where to start. Our mortgage broker recommended Stuart to us and we are so glad she did! Stuart is extremely knowledgable and professional. He took all of the hard work out of the process for us and guided us every step of the way. I would HIGHLY recommend him and Great British Wills to other expats living in Dubai.”

Henry Jakins, Dubai

“My wife and I worked with Stuart to sort out our new wills. We were happy with the advice, Stuart is knowledgeable, flexible and very patient!”

Jonathan Kidd, Dubai

“My Will was prepared several years ago and needed updating and a friend recommended Stuart at Great British Wills. Stuart specializes on this area and hence very knowledgeable on the subject. He clearly explains everything and provides good professional advise. I am very happy to recommend Great British Wills to other expats living in Dubai.”

Paul Gyles, Dubai

“We contact Stuart to enquire about establishing a Will for our Estate and more importantly to discuss Guardianship of our two young children (especially as we are currently living in UAE) in the event anything was to happen to both my wife & I. As we were not sure on what route to take, talking with Great British Wills, enabled us to understand all the options available and to ensure we made the right decisions for our circumstances. This is a quite complicated and also a sensitive subject to explore and resolve and Great British Wills we’re both sensitive to our needs and professional in explaining all potential options to us to enable the right decision to be made! Further the patience shown as we took a long time to make our decisions was very much appreciated. We would definately recommend Great British Wills to anyone looking for guardianship and Wills.”

Steve Rickards, Dubai

“I had not prepared a Will before. I was concerned about what was involved and making tricky decisions. However, Stuart was able to explain the options available in a clear way so that I could make an informed decision. It was easier and quicker than I had thought now I have a Will and feel more secure about the future for my family if the worst should happen. It was a very easy process and I am so happy I did it. I have also spoken to Stuart about financial planning. He has the same straightforward and transparent approach to this side of his work too which has helped me make some important decisions for my future. He also brings nice biscuits to every meeting too! Hats off to Stuart!”

Lucy Bradley, Dubai

“Stuart came highly recommended by several people on a popular expat chat forum. We utilised his service to arrange our wills in Dubai. From start to finish we received professional yet very personable service from Stuart. He talked us through everything, step by step, explaining all of the what's, why's and wherefores. The service provided by Stuart throughout the delicate process was exemplary and I would have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending him.”

Mark Forrester, Dubai

“Stuart has been an excellent advisor during the process of building our Will. In what can be a difficult process, he was able to empathise and advise us in a way that was perfect for us as people and suited to our circumstances. Wills can be very complicated in UAE. Stuart has immense knowledge and will help you to navigate this, so you end up with a product that is truly individual and perfectly suited to you. Thanks Stuart.”

Michael Irvine, Dubai

“We had Wills in place, but they were out of date, I called a Solicitor firm, but they didn't do UK Wills, however they kindly gave me Stuarts contact details. We set an appointment and with Stuarts professional guidance we got our new Wills in place. We then made a further appointment to discuss our Finances. Stuart explained everything in clear, plain language and not baffled us with finance jargon, he brought to our attention several points that we were not aware of, he is very thorough and has given us some excellent yet simple advice on saving for the future. We are very happy with his service and would highly recommend him.”

Jeremy Coulbeck, Dubai

WHAT HAPPENS IF I DO NOT HAVE A WILL?

In England & Wales, where no Will exists the deceased will be treated as having died ‘intestate’. For assets in the UK, married couples with children have a right to all of their deceased spouse’s personal effects as well as the statutory legacy sum (up to £322,000 from 26th July 2023). If the estate is worth more than the statutory legacy sum, 50% of the excess is passed to the surviving spouse and the remaining 50% is distributed equally between the deceased’s children. This can cause problems. For instance, where the main asset is the matrimonial home and one of the children wants their inheritance causing the property to be sold.

Where there are assets in UAE and there is no Will the situation is complex for expatriates, multiple factors such as family structure, type of asset, and the religion of the deceased are taken into consideration when the courts decide how to distribute the deceased’s assets. Recent changes in federal legislation have sought to improve clarity for non-Muslims and time will tell how each Emirate adopts the federal law.