Abu Dhabi Judicial Department ADJD Civil Will Registration

The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department's will registry for non-Muslims: a fully digital process (portal upload, online payment, video notarization) that registers bilingual English/Arabic civil wills at AED 950 for a single will or AED 1,900 for mirror wills, with complex structures up to about AED 3,000. Under Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2022 on Civil Personal Status for non-Muslims, ADJD-registered wills carry effect across the emirates, letting non-Muslim residents direct their UAE assets and appoint guardians instead of the statutory default for non-Muslims (50% to spouse, 50% equally among children, with sons and daughters receiving identical shares). It is the low-cost alternative to the DIFC Wills Service.

ADJD's registry made civil wills a commodity: AED 950, a video call, done in days, valid across the emirates. For most non-Muslim expatriates it has quietly become the sensible default, with DIFC reserved for complex or high-value estates that want common-law probate machinery. For the Muslim majority this product's fine print is the real lesson: the civil track's equal-shares, spouse-first defaults do not apply to Muslim estates, which follow faraid, making the wasiyya third, guardianship nominations and beneficiary designations the actionable checklist. Any UAE estate plan, Muslim or not, that leaves bank signatories and takaful beneficiaries unreviewed is unfinished regardless of which registry holds the will.