Registering a will in Abu Dhabi through ADJD
Abu Dhabi’s Civil Family Court publishes how a Civil Will is registered: submit the application and a copy of the will to the ADJD Civil Wills Section, then — after review and approval — attend an online appointment before the notary so the notarised will can be entered in the Will registry. ADJD publishes a standardised bilingual template and two registry fees (AED 950 regular / AED 2,500 special). Those registry figures are separate from The Deedbox professional fee on the ADJD Will service page.
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The published registration sequence
ADJD’s Civil Family Court page is blunt about the order of work: drafting alone is not enough. It states that for a Civil Will "to be recognised as legally valid, it must be ‘registered’", and that you do this by "submitting the relevant application and a copy of the Will to the ADJD Civil Wills Section".
Its published Civil Marriage Law Q&A (First Edition 2023) fills in the operational middle of that journey in ADJD’s own words:
- The person making the will, or their legal representative, submits the application through the ADJD website.
- The application is reviewed; when approved, an appointment is set for the person making the will to attend online before the notary.
- The notarised will is then registered in the Will registry.
Source: ADJD Civil Family Court; ADJD Civil Marriage Law Q&A (First Edition 2023)
The bilingual template ADJD publishes
ADJD states that "Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court has prepared a standardised Will template in both English and Arabic which you can use to help you prepare your Will". The same Civil Family Court cluster publishes downloadable Last Will and Testament and Civil Will Revocation forms, and the forms page points applicants to Interactive Case Registration (ICR) to submit.
That matters before you commission drafting elsewhere: the registry already publishes a shape it expects. Fitting a finished document to that shape after the fact is slower than starting from it. The Deedbox ADJD Will service page is where preparation and case coordination sit; this guide stays on what the authority publishes about registration itself.
Fee hygiene: two numbers, never one
ADJD now publishes registry fees on the Civil Family Court page: "The fee for regular will register is 950 AED and for special will registering 2500 AED." Those amounts are paid to ADJD. The page does not define what makes a registration "special", and this guide does not invent a definition.
Separately, The Deedbox charges a professional fee to prepare the document and coordinate the case. That figure is published on the ADJD Will service page and is never added into the registry fee on this page. The fees guide collects authority figures side by side for the same reason.
| Fee | Published amount | Paid to / for |
|---|---|---|
| ADJD registry — regular will registration | AED 950 | Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (authority fee) |
| ADJD registry — special will registration | AED 2,500 | Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (authority fee; “special” not defined on the page) |
| The Deedbox professional fee (ADJD Will) | AED 1,499 | Document preparation and case coordination — not a registry fee |
Who ADJD says may register
On religion, the Civil Family Court page states: "If you are not a UAE citizen, then, regardless of your religion, you may register a Will with Abu Dhabi Civil Wills Office." That is ADJD’s published sentence, not a paraphrase of DIFC’s eligibility rules and not a legal opinion about every estate.
What that page still does not publish: a witness rule, a language requirement for the online notary appointment, executor eligibility, or an age/residency condition beyond the non-UAE-citizen sentence above. Absence of a published condition is not permission to invent one from another registry.
What this page deliberately leaves blank
Being explicit about gaps is more useful than a confident-sounding summary:
- What “special will registering” covers beyond the AED 2,500 figure — not defined on the page reviewed.
- Witness requirements, including how many and who is excluded.
- Language requirements at the online notary appointment.
- Executor eligibility.
- Any promise that a foreign court will give effect to an ADJD-registered will.
How this sits against the other routes
DIFC Courts publishes eligibility conditions, six will types with coverage limits, a fee for each, witness rules and probate mechanics. Dubai Courts confirms a non-Muslim will-certification service, but the retrieved detail page still leaves eligibility, documents, procedure and fee fields unpopulated. ADJD now publishes a registration path, a bilingual template and two registry fee amounts — and still leaves witness, language and “special” undefined.
That is a difference in what is published, not a ranking. Our comparison guide sets the three routes side by side; the fees guide keeps authority figures in one place. The federal personal-status portal names no registry and does not pick a winner among them.
Source: The Official Portal of the UAE Government, personal status for non-Muslims
Next step if the Abu Dhabi route is yours
If you already know ADJD is the registry you want, go to the ADJD Will service page for preparation, professional fee and how The Deedbox coordinates the case. If you are still choosing between DIFC, Dubai Courts and ADJD, start with the comparison guide. If you only need the authority numbers, use the fees guide.
For questions only ADJD can answer on the day you apply — including whether your case is “regular” or “special” — ADJD publishes Civil Wills contact at wills.non-muslim@adjd.gov.ae. Procedures and fees change; the department’s own page is the version that counts.
Questions
Do I have to attend in person in Abu Dhabi?
ADJD’s published Q&A states that after approval "an appointment will be set for the person making the Will to attend online before the notary". The Civil Family Court page itself stresses registration with the Civil Wills Section. Confirm the appointment mode ADJD offers for your application on the day you book.
What does ADJD charge to register a will?
The Civil Family Court page publishes AED 950 for regular will registration and AED 2,500 for special will registration. It does not define “special”. Those are ADJD registry fees, separate from The Deedbox professional fee.
Is there a standard form?
Yes. ADJD states it has prepared a standardised Will template in English and Arabic, and publishes Last Will and Testament and Civil Will Revocation downloads on its Civil Family Court forms pages.
Can a Muslim register an ADJD Civil Will?
ADJD states: "If you are not a UAE citizen, then, regardless of your religion, you may register a Will with Abu Dhabi Civil Wills Office." That is the authority’s published sentence. Whether that route is right for a particular estate is a legal question this page does not answer.
Where do I start with The Deedbox?
The ADJD Will service page is the commercial page for preparation and case coordination. This guide only reports ADJD’s published registration facts. Use the wills comparison guide if you are still choosing a registry.
What this page does not do
- This page reports what ADJD publishes about Civil Will registration. Quoting ADJD’s “recognised as legally valid” wording is not a Deedbox statement that a particular will is valid, enforceable, or right for your circumstances.
- “Special” will registration is published as a fee tier only. We do not invent what it covers.
- An older ADJD “Wills for non-Muslims” FAQ URL recorded in our source registry now returns 404. Live claims on this page cite the Civil Family Court cluster verified on 22 September 2026 (S-40).
- Procedures and fees change without notice. ADJD’s own page is the version that counts.
- The Deedbox is not a law firm and not a notary office.