Guide

Dubai Courts guides: guide

# Dubai Courts will registration: what to prepare and how the appointment works

Dubai Courts will registration is the process of signing your will before the Dubai Courts notary so that it is attested and kept on record in Dubai. Most of the work happens before the appointment: deciding what the will says, listing your UAE assets, naming executors and guardians, and preparing the Arabic text the notary works from. The notary's power to attest wills made by non-Muslims comes from Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013, Article 20. This is the route people mean when they search for non-Muslim wills registration in Dubai.

![Hands holding a card over a payment terminal](https://notarypublicindubai.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/fees-hero.webp)

At a glance

* A will registered at Dubai Courts is signed before the notary, who checks your identity, your capacity and your consent, and reads the content out to you, as notaries must under Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022, Article 7.
* Arabic is the language the Dubai notary attests in. For a will drafted in English, a certified translator writes the Arabic, and you sign the two texts together (Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013, Article 27).
* Who may register a will at Dubai Courts, and which law then applies to it, depends on your circumstances.
* The DIFC Courts runs its own, separate arrangements. It is a different route with its own rules.
* Our service for a will starts from AED 4,000. The court's registration fee is paid on top.

NotaryPublicInDubai.com prepares will files for the Dubai Courts route: we organise the information, have the will drafted where you need drafting help, prepare the Arabic, and book the appointment. This page walks through the preparation and the appointment in order, and lists the questions to settle before you book.

In this guide

* What registration does, and what it does not
* Before you book: the information the will needs
* Language: the Arabic text
* The registration, step by step
* Updating or cancelling a registered will
* Cost
* How we help

![Person taking a printed page from an office printer](https://notarypublicindubai.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/fees-inline1.webp)

## What registration does, and what it does not

Registration puts the signed will on record, so your family does not have to prove later that the document is yours and that you signed it freely. The notary's checks at the appointment are that proof.

Registration does not make the contents right. If the will leaves out an asset, names an executor who cannot act, or asks for something the applicable law does not allow, the stamp does not fix it. That is why the preparation below matters more than the appointment. If your estate is complex, with property in several countries, a company, or family members who may object, take legal advice on the contents before you register.

Checklist

## Before you book: the information the will needs

Gather these before anyone starts drafting. Missing details are the usual reason a will appointment is moved.

**About you**

Before you book: the information the will needs

* Full name exactly as in your passport, nationality, and Emirates ID if you are a resident.
* Marital status, and the full names of your spouse and children as in their passports.

**About your UAE assets**

* Property: the title deed details for each unit in Dubai or elsewhere in the UAE.
* Bank accounts: the bank and account type. Many people list the bank without the account number and describe the account instead.
* Vehicles, shares in UAE companies, and valuable personal items you want to leave to a named person.

**About the people in the will**

* Beneficiaries: who receives what, with full names and ID details.
* Executor: the person who carries out the will, and a substitute in case they cannot.
* Guardian for children under 18, and a substitute, if you have minor children in the UAE.
* Witnesses, if the route needs them.

![Man in a suit about to sign a document](https://notarypublicindubai.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/power-of-attorney-hero.webp)

## Language: the Arabic text

The notary attests the will in Arabic. If your will is written in English, a certified translator prepares the Arabic, and you sign both versions. Wills use words that do not always have a simple Arabic match, such as "residuary estate" or "per stirpes", so the translation needs a legal translator who knows how UAE courts read those terms. Our [legal translation guide](https://notarypublicindubai.com/dubai-courts/legal-translation/) explains who does this and how we check it.

If you do not read Arabic well, the notary reads the content out and, where needed, an interpreter from the Ministry's Interpreter Register explains it in your language (Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022, Article 8). Mention your first language at the booking stage so that this can be planned.

Step by step

## The registration, step by step

![Two people checking the lines of a document before signing](https://notarypublicindubai.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/power-of-attorney-inline1.webp)

### Information and choices.

You give us the details listed above and your decisions on who receives what.

### Drafting.

The will is drafted in English, or in the language you choose, and checked against your passports and title deeds.

**Arabic translation** by a legal translator registered with the UAE Ministry of Justice, then a line by line check.

**Your approval** of both versions.

**Booking the appointment** at Dubai Courts.

### The appointment.

You attend with your original passport and Emirates ID. The notary confirms who you are, that you understand the will and that you sign it freely, reads it out, and attests it.

### After registration.

You receive the attested will.

In short

## Updating or cancelling a registered will

Life changes: a child is born, a property is sold, a marriage ends. A will that no longer matches your life can cause more trouble than no will. The usual way to change a registered will is to register a new one that revokes the old. Will revocation and drafting in the UAE go together: we prepare the new will, its Arabic text and the booking in the same way as the first. Keep your list of assets current so that an update is quick.

Fees

## Cost

| Item | Amount |
| --- | --- |
| Our service: will file, drafting support, Arabic and booking | From AED 4,000 |
| Legal translation | From AED 50 per page |
| Federal fee for notarising a translation included in an instrument | AED 50 per page |

All service prices are starting prices and are negotiable. Government fees are paid on top, at cost, exactly as the authority charges them. We confirm your final price before you pay.

The Dubai Courts registration fee is a government fee and is paid on top. Other notary fees are on our [fees page](https://notarypublicindubai.com/pricing/).

![Person signing a printed document at a wooden desk](https://notarypublicindubai.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/power-of-attorney_price-hero.webp)

How we help

## How we help

We turn your notes into a will file the notary can work from: every name matched to a passport, every property matched to a title deed, the Arabic prepared and checked, and the appointment booked. We tell you what to bring and what the notary will ask. You decide what the will says and you sign it; the notary attests it. For how the Dubai Courts notary works more generally, see our [Dubai Courts notary guide](https://notarypublicindubai.com/dubai-courts/).

Questions

## Questions about will registration at Dubai Courts

### Is a will notary the same as will registration?

A notary attests the signature and records the will. "Will notary" and "Dubai Courts will registration" are two names people use for the same appointment on the Dubai Courts route.

### Can I register a will written in my home country?

A will made abroad follows the rules of the place it was made. If you want a Dubai will for your UAE assets, it is usually prepared here.

### Do I need a lawyer to register a will?

The notary does not require you to have a lawyer. For a simple estate, careful preparation is enough for many people. For a complex estate, legal advice on the contents is sensible.

### Can a couple make wills together?

Each person signs their own will. Couples often make matching wills that mirror each other, but they are two separate documents and two sets of choices.

### Is a last will and testament registered at Dubai Courts valid outside the UAE?

That depends on the law of the other country. A UAE notarised document can be attested by MOFAIC for use abroad, but each country decides whether it accepts a foreign will.

![Checklist with the first box ticked in red](https://notarypublicindubai.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/dubai-courts-inline1.webp)

Next step

## Start your will file

Call or WhatsApp +971 52 947 5935, or email support@notarypublicindubai.com with your name and a short list of your UAE assets. We send you the full checklist and your price. Our office is in Business Bay, Dubai. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (Dubai time).

Dubai Courts guides

## Related guides

[View all guides](https://notarypublicindubai.com/blog/?cluster=dubai-courts)

* Dubai Courts guides [Wafi Mall notary public](https://notarypublicindubai.com/2025/08/23/public-notary-wafi-mall/) Going to the public notary at Wafi Mall or another Dubai Courts centre? What each visit is for, what to bring, timings, and how to prepare your document.
* Dubai Courts guides [Dubai Court contact number](https://notarypublicindubai.com/2025/07/17/dubai-court-customer-care/) How to reach Dubai Courts: the official contact number, toll free helpline, email, live chat and service centres, which to use and what to have ready.
* Dubai Courts guides [Power of attorney through Dubai Courts online](https://notarypublicindubai.com/e-notary-in-dubai/) Getting a power of attorney through Dubai Courts online or the MOJ enotary system: which route fits, how the video session works, and what we prepare.

### Sources for this page

* Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022 on the regulation of the notary profession, Articles 7 and 8: [https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1563](https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1563)
* Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013 concerning Notaries Public in the Emirate of Dubai, Article 27: [https://dlp.dubai.gov.ae/Legislation%20Reference/2013/Law%20No.%20(4)%20of%202013%20Concerning%20Notaries%20Public%20in%20the%20Emirate%20of%20Dubai.html](https://dlp.dubai.gov.ae/Legislation%20Reference/2013/Law%20No.%20(4%29%20of%202013%20Concerning%20Notaries%20Public%20in%20the%20Emirate%20of%20Dubai.html)
* Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024 on notary fees, item 11: [https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491](https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491)
* MOFAIC attestation service: [https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/services/attestation](https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/services/attestation)

---

Source: https://notarypublicindubai.com/dubai-courts/will-registration/