DIFC Will — register a UAE Will in English
Prepare a DIFC Courts Will in English, register with the DIFC Courts Wills Service, and keep your copy in your Deedbox vault.
AED 2,499 · Our professional fee · Arabic + English included · Government fees quoted separately
What it is
A DIFC Will is a will registered with the DIFC Courts Wills Service. Non-Muslims use it to record how UAE assets should pass, in English. DIFC Courts publishes eligibility, fees and procedure; you need not be a UAE resident if you own assets here or have minor children living in the UAE.
Who it is for
Non-Muslims aged 18 or over who own assets in the UAE, or have minor children residing with them in the UAE, and want an English-language Will. DIFC Courts states you do not need to be a UAE resident to register one.
When to compare DIFC with other UAE registries
DIFC is one published route, not the only one. This checklist is for comparing published services — it is not advice on which registry is legally right for your estate.
- Compare Dubai Courts when you are weighing the Dubai Courts register under Dubai Law No. 15 of 2017 — jurisdiction follows where you register.
- Compare ADJD when your assets or family life centre on Abu Dhabi, or you want what the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department publishes about bequeathing property outside the country.
- Stay with DIFC when you want the English-language Wills Service that publishes six will types, per-type fees, witness rules and virtual signing.
- If the choice turns on legal effect rather than on published process and fees, that is a question for a lawyer — we will say so rather than guess.
Six DIFC will types — typical use and what we support
DIFC Courts publishes six will types rather than one product. The narrower ones exist because many people do not need a document that covers everything. Typical use below follows the registry's own published scope; it is not a recommendation for your estate.
The Deedbox prepares DIFC Wills online through Start. A guardianship-only Will is published by DIFC Courts; we do not prepare that instrument yet, so we ask you to talk to us first rather than take instructions we cannot fulfil.
| Will type | Typical use (registry scope) | Deedbox |
|---|---|---|
| Full Will | Broader estate; may include assets "within the UAE as well as outside of the UAE" | Online — Start |
| Property Will | Up to five real estate properties "situated in the UAE" | Online — Start |
| Financial Assets Will | Up to ten bank and/or brokerage accounts | Online — Start |
| Business Owners Will | Up to five shareholdings within the UAE | Online — Start |
| Digital Assets Will | Specific to digital assets | Online — Start |
| Guardianship Will | Appointment of guardians of minor children only | Talk first — not prepared online yet |
Source: DIFC Courts Wills Service, scope published on each will type page
How registration works
Three published conditions decide whether your appointment will go smoothly — arrange them before you book rather than after. Full detail sits in our registering a DIFC will guide.
Witnesses: you will need "two (2) Witnesses who are not named as a beneficiary or guardian", each at least 18 and holding valid government-issued photo ID. For a virtual appointment they may be located anywhere in the world.
Language: the service "presently does not accept translators or POA for Will signing appointments", and testators and witnesses "must have a basic grasp of the English language". There is no way to send a representative in your place.
Format: "All Will registration appointments must be scheduled online through the Wills Service portal". The appointment may be held by video conference or in person, is signed electronically in both cases, and "should take approximately 20 minutes".
Source: DIFC Courts, Wills FAQ
From abroad — video signing in three steps
DIFC Courts states you do not need to be a UAE resident to register, and publishes a virtual appointment held by video conference and signed electronically. The practical path looks like this:
- Prepare and approve your bilingual draft with The Deedbox online.
- Book the Wills Service portal appointment as a video conference, with two qualifying witnesses ready (they may be anywhere in the world for a virtual sitting).
- Sign electronically on the call — DIFC Courts states the session should take approximately 20 minutes; your registered Will exists in electronic form only.
What Deedbox provides vs what DIFC publishes
The split matters for both cost and expectation. We prepare the document, check it against the facts you gave us, coordinate signing and registration, and store your copy in the vault. DIFC Courts publishes eligibility, will types, registry fees, witness and language rules, and holds the electronic original on its register.
We coordinate with the registry; we are not the registry and not a notary. Which will type or forum suits a particular estate is a legal question we do not answer.
Fees — always two numbers, never one
There is no honest single price for "a DIFC Will". Our professional fee for preparing and coordinating this Will is shown on this page (currently AED 2,499). DIFC Courts' registration fee is separate, published per will type on its own pages, and paid to the registry.
On the pages we hold, single-will registry fees run from AED 5,000 for the narrowest types to AED 10,000 for a Full Will, with Mirror pair figures published alongside. Modification and cancellation fees are also published by the court. For the full per-type table and other UAE authority figures, use our UAE will and POA fees guide; for appointment cost context, use the registering a DIFC will guide. We confirm your exact total in writing before you pay.
There is no paper original
DIFC Courts states that "The Wills, in their electronic format, are considered to be the original Wills", and that the service "does not register or hold any hard copies". There is no physical will to find in a drawer; what matters is that your executor knows the Will exists and where it was registered — which is why vault storage sits alongside preparation.
Source: DIFC Courts, Wills FAQ
How it works
- You answer the questionnaire in English — we draft in Arabic and English.
- We check the draft against the assets and wishes you have given us.
- You approve the final version online.
- You sign by video call or at the DIFC Wills Service Centre.
- Your copy is stored in your Deedbox, with a reminder to review it when your circumstances change.
What is included
- Bilingual Arabic and English draft prepared by The Deedbox
- A wording check before signing
- Video or in-person signing coordination with the registry appointment
- Coordination of DIFC Courts Wills Service registration
- Lifetime storage of your copy in your Deedbox vault
What is not included
- DIFC Courts' own registration fee — published per will type, paid to the registry, never merged into our price
- Dispute resolution or probate litigation
- Advice on which will type or registry suits your estate, where that turns on legal effect
What this page does not tell you
- The Deedbox prepares and stores Will documentation; it is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.
- Every figure and condition above is quoted from DIFC Courts' own published pages, dated in our source registry and last verified 12 September 2026. Registries change fees without notice, and the registry's own page is the version that counts on the day you register.
- DIFC Courts' consolidated Schedule of Fees is published only as a download and we have not opened it. Every fee here is quoted from the service page it appears on, and any fee not listed here is not one we hold.
- This page describes one registry's published service. Dubai Courts and the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department publish their own conditions, and nothing here is a statement about either.
- Whether a DIFC Will is legally effective over a particular estate, how it interacts with UAE inheritance law, and whether it would be recognised outside the DIFC are legal questions. We do not answer them, and no wording on this page should be read as an answer to them.
Common questions
Can I register a DIFC Will from outside the UAE?
DIFC Courts states "You do not need to be a resident of the UAE to register a DIFC Courts Will", and publishes a virtual appointment held by video conference and signed electronically. Your two witnesses may also be anywhere in the world for a virtual appointment. You would still need to meet the published condition of owning assets in the UAE, or having minor children residing with you here.
Which DIFC will type do I need?
It depends on what you own, and the fee difference is large — "AED 10,000" for a Full Will against "AED 5,000" for each of the narrowest. The published limits are the practical test: five properties for a Property Will, ten accounts for a Financial Assets Will, five shareholdings for a Business Owners Will. Where the choice turns on legal effect rather than on counting assets, that is a question for a lawyer and we will say so rather than guess.
Does a DIFC Will cover property in Abu Dhabi?
DIFC Courts publishes the Property Will as covering up to five real estate properties "situated in the UAE", without listing emirates on the pages we hold. Abu Dhabi property is therefore inside that UAE wording on those pages — but whether a specific title is covered, and whether DIFC is the right register for it, are questions for the registry and, where legal effect matters, for a lawyer. Our comparison guide sets out what each registry publishes side by side.
Does a DIFC Will cover property outside Dubai?
DIFC Courts publishes the Property Will as covering up to five real estate properties "situated in the UAE", and the Full Will as one that "may include assets within the UAE as well as outside of the UAE". We quote that wording rather than invent an emirate list. Whether a specific property is covered is a question for the registry, and where it turns on legal effect, for a lawyer.
Does a DIFC Will expire?
No. A Will is not a power of attorney and has no published validity period — it stands until it is modified, withdrawn or replaced. The three-year cap people have often read about applies to notarised powers of attorney under Abu Dhabi's published guidance, not to wills. We send review reminders because circumstances change, not because the document lapses.
Can I change a DIFC Will later?
Yes. DIFC Courts handles a change by registering a new will, and publishes a modification fee of "AED 550 per Will". Withdrawal from the registry carries a cancellation fee of "AED 1,000 per Will" that "is non-refundable". Both are charged per Will, so a couple amending a Mirror pair pays twice. Our fee for preparing a replacement draft is separate from those registry charges.
Do I need to speak English, and can someone sign for me?
DIFC Courts states that testators and witnesses "must have a basic grasp of the English language", and that the service "presently does not accept translators or POA for Will signing appointments". So no, you cannot send a representative, and a power of attorney will not be accepted for the signing.
Who can be a witness?
DIFC Courts states you need "two (2) Witnesses who are not named as a beneficiary or guardian", each at least 18 with valid government-issued photo ID. The exclusion is the part worth reading twice: someone who inherits under the Will, or who is named to look after your children, cannot witness it.
Is the DIFC fee included in your price?
No, and we will never quote them as one number. Our fee is for preparing and checking the document and coordinating the registration. DIFC Courts' registration fee is published per will type, is paid to the registry, and is quoted to you separately so you can see exactly which part of the cost is ours. See the UAE will and POA fees guide for the per-type registry table.
Before you decide
- Making a UAE will or power of attorney when you are not a resident
- Choosing between the DIFC, Dubai Courts and ADJD wills registries
- Registering a DIFC will: what the appointment involves
- What a UAE will or power of attorney costs
- What happens if you die without a will in Dubai?
- Powers of attorney and wills in Ras Al Khaimah
- Powers of attorney and wills in Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah
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