UAE wills guide

UAE wills for expat parents: what a will can record for your children and assets

Parents often want clarity about who should care for their children and manage UAE assets if both parents die. A UAE will can record your wishes about UAE assets and, where the selected route allows, guardianship arrangements for minor children, but routes differ, and guardianship or custody outcomes can depend on circumstances and applicable law.

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The short answer

Many expat parents want to record wishes about UAE assets and, where the selected route allows, guardianship arrangements for minor children. Several official UAE will routes can hold that kind of wording. ADGM, for instance, lists estate-only, guardianship-of-minor-children-only, and combined estate-and-guardianship formats.

Two things to know. First, routes are not interchangeable: ADGM, ADJD, DIFC, Dubai Courts and other UAE will routes have different eligibility, scope, process, forms and fees. Second, a will records wishes and appointments. Courts decide custody and guardianship, and your will puts your wishes on the record for them.

What a will records

A will can record your wishes about UAE assets and, where the selected route allows, guardianship arrangements for minor children.

Not a custody guarantee

Guardianship or custody outcomes can depend on circumstances and applicable law. A will records wishes and appointments; courts decide.

Routes differ

ADGM, ADJD, DIFC, Dubai Courts and other UAE will routes have different eligibility, scope, process, forms and fees.

ADGM formats

ADGM lists non-Muslim will options including estate-only, guardianship-of-minor-children-only, and combined estate-and-guardianship formats.

DIFC (comparison only)

DIFC offers a Guardianship Will category; QuickWills UAE currently focuses on ADGM and ADJD document preparation.

Court fees

Court fees are separate from platform fees and paid directly to the court. As checked on 3 August 2026, ADGM listed AED 950 (ADJD) + USD 155 (ADGM Courts).

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Which UAE will routes can include guardianship wishes?

ADGM. ADGM Courts Notary Public offers notarisation and non-Muslim wills services in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD). ADGM provides template categories for estate disposition, guardianship of minor children, and combined estate plus guardianship, and its criteria refer to guardians where applicable. ADGM requires a bilingual Arabic/English will format certified by a UAE Ministry of Justice licensed legal translator. As checked on 3 August 2026, ADGM's page listed an ADJD fee of AED 950 plus an ADGM Courts fee of USD 155 for notarisation of a non-Muslim will. Fees can change, and court fees are paid to the relevant authority, not to QuickWills UAE.

ADJD. ADJD is the Abu Dhabi civil-will route, open to expatriates of any religion. Guardianship is part of its combined official court form. For how the two Abu Dhabi routes differ, see our ADGM vs ADJD comparison.

DIFC (comparison only). DIFC is included here because many parents compare UAE will routes. QuickWills UAE prepares ADGM and ADJD wills. DIFC states criteria including not being Muslim and never having been Muslim, age 21 or over, and UAE assets and/or minor children residing with the person in the UAE. DIFC says its Full Will can include appointment of interim and permanent guardians for minor children residing in Dubai or Ras Al Khaimah, where applicable, and it offers a Guardianship Will for appointment of guardians of minor children only. As checked on 3 August 2026, DIFC listed a Single Guardianship Will at AED 5,000 and Mirror Guardianship Wills at AED 7,500. One process nuance: DIFC's Guardianship Will page states pre-registration checks for that will type are carried out in person, not via the Virtual Registry.

Dubai Courts. DIFC Courts Wills Service is a distinct DIFC Courts route. Do not read DIFC facts as Dubai Courts facts.

Does a will decide who cares for my children?

This is the question underneath every parent's search, so it deserves a plain answer: a will can record your guardianship wishes and appointments under the selected route, but guardianship and custody outcomes can depend on circumstances and applicable law. No document (from any provider, on any route) guarantees a custody outcome.

What recording your wishes does do is put them in a registered, recognised form, prepared around the selected route's published requirements, rather than leaving the question entirely open. Parents who want to understand how a guardianship-only will works can read our guardianship will guide.

What should parents prepare before starting?

Whichever route fits, the preparation work is similar. Gathering these details first makes the guided flow considerably faster.

Mirror wills let both parents align their wishes, such as appointing the same guardians. Platform fees are separate from court, government and notary fees; see QuickWills UAE pricing.

Identity details for both parents

Children's details

Proposed guardians and alternates

Executors

Beneficiaries

UAE asset details

Route-specific supporting information

UAE wills for expat parents FAQs

Does a will guarantee who gets custody of my children?

No. Courts decide custody and guardianship. A will puts your guardianship wishes and appointments on the record for them.

Can I appoint interim and permanent guardians in a UAE will?

Some routes use interim and permanent guardian concepts. DIFC materials, for example, refer to appointing interim and permanent guardians in defined situations. The concepts and their effect are route-specific. In the QuickWills UAE guided form, you can appoint permanent and interim guardians, each with a substitute.

Does a UAE will cover both my children and my UAE assets?

Some UAE will routes allow estate provisions and guardianship wording in one document. ADGM, for example, lists a combined estate-and-guardianship format alongside estate-only and guardianship-only options. Scope depends on the route, your assets, your family circumstances and applicable law.

Are all UAE will routes the same for parents?

No. ADGM, ADJD, DIFC, Dubai Courts and other UAE will routes have different eligibility, scope, process, forms and fees, and their guardianship provisions differ too. DIFC Courts Wills Service is a distinct DIFC Courts route. DIFC facts should not be read as Dubai Courts facts.

Can my spouse and I make matching wills?

Yes. Mirror wills let both parents align their wishes, for example appointing the same guardians. Each parent has their own will. QuickWills UAE supports mirror wills for couples.

How does court registration work?

You sign at the court. QuickWills UAE prepares your wills and gives you the checklist and the appointment steps. Court fees are paid directly to the court.

Record your wishes while the decision is yours to record

QuickWills UAE prepares your ADGM or ADJD will, with Arabic translation included. You sign at the court. We give you the checklist and the appointment steps.

Check which route fits you Read the guardianship will guide