Non-Muslim individuals who own assets in Dubai can now officially register their English-language wills under internationally recognized common law principles, according to new law by Dubai International Financial Centre.
This legal initiative is being hailed as a landmark in the Gulf press, as the DIFC is the first jurisdiction in the Middle East where a non-Muslim can register a will under common law principles.
The law does not seem to apply to expat Muslims who might not want their will executed under Shariah law.
First proposed in 2014, the law benefits those expats who hold financial and real estate assets in Dubai, but are concerned about uneven treatment of wills by Dubai courts. In theory, UAE law already states that "the law of the nationality of a non-Muslim should apply to the devolution of his or her estate, in practice the Dubai Courts have tended to apply Shariah law at first instance," according to Alastair Glover, a senior associate with Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co, who spoke to The National .
“While the rules are comprehensive, they are also easily accessible to legal professionals in the UAE. The rules also reflect the spirit of UAE laws, which provide non-Muslims the right to choose the way in which their estates are distributed,” said Michael Hwang, head of the Dispute Resolution Authority and the chief justice of the DIFC Courts, in a briefing held at the DIFC.
Registration appointments can be made online here here .