Dying without a Will in UAE! What every Expat ought to know!

Will in UAE for Expats

UAE is a land of dreams for most of the expatriates. We come across from different countries in search of work, happiness, luxuries, holidays, which we get in UAE. In pursuit of our dreams we build our small world here.

We buy Property, Car, Gold, Shares & other movable/immovable assets. We make everything for ourselves & our family.

But have you, ever thought, if you pass away suddenly without making your Will, what will happen to all your luxuries, whether your family & loved ones can enjoy it after you?

We have previously written on 2 occasions about Wills in UAE and Importance of Wills in UAE.

Further reading about Estate Planning and Importance of Wills.

What is a will?

A Will is a legal document written by person when they are alive, which appoints a person to distribute their assets in percentage to their family & friends after they pass away.

What Happens if Expats die without making their WILL in UAE?

• Once you die, within 3 hours all yours bank accounts will be frozen and your family cannot withdraw cash from ATM & bank accounts.
• Family members Visa  and other sponsored visa gets cancelled and they have to exit UAE within 30 days.
• All your assets, property, estate, etc will be distributed as per Sharia  & UAE Laws irrespective of the fact you are a Muslim or non-Muslim, under which chances are majority of your property will not go to your immediate wife/ husband/ kids.
• Your family will not get full property and it will take 6 months for court to distribute it to your family.
• Court will appoint completely unknown person as the executor of your property, who will be in charge of the distribution of the estate.

Why to make your Will in UAE?

• As per Civil Transactional Law of UAE  & Personal Affairs Law (No 28 of 2005), Expats can now distribute property in their wills as per the laws of their Home Country.
• You can distribute your property as per your wish and your family will gets all the share, safely.
• Sharia Law may not be applied to your estate.
• Immediately after the death the executor can approach the court with the WILL and your family will get its share easily without any problems.

We invest so much in Property & other assets, at the same time it is equally important to make Will. At the time of drafting the will, important points to be noted are appointment of executors, beneficiaries, funeral wishes, residual clauses and so on. Once a will is drafted, it has to be made bilingual, then it has to certified by a legal translator & then it has to be notarized in Dubai Notary Public Courts.

Act now! As a small step can secure the future of your loved ones.

We can not reiterate more on the importance of having your Will in UAE.