EUR
enInheritance rules in the UAE
It should be noted at once that inheritance procedures are different for UAE citizens and expats. If the deceased is a UAE citizen, then according to the principles of Sharia law, the property will be inherited by his closest male relative, and the wife and children will be allocated a share. For expats, however, the law applies, according to which all the property of the deceased is distributed according to the will made by him. Of course, it is necessary to take care of the will at the time of purchasing real estate in the country, and the following points should be taken into account:
- only a lawyer with a resident visa is authorized to draw up a will
- when drawing up a will, only the property that is located in the UAE is specified
- The will must be translated into Arabic and notarized in the consulate of the country of which the testator is a citizen.
- after verification in the court and land department of the UAE, the will is considered legalized.
- The last step is to register the will at the Wills & Probate Registry, WPR, and the testator must personally sign the registration act.
- If the will is not made in the UAE, it will need to be stamped at the Consulate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country where the testator is a citizen, as well as stamps at the UAE Embassy. The will is then translated into Arabic and the translation is notarized at the UAE Embassy.
Important! If there is an open mortgage, it is necessary to open an offshore account in advance, as after the death of the testator his accounts will be blocked, but the obligation to make payments will remain.
