Registering a will in Abu Dhabi through ADJD
The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department publishes a five-step process for registering a non-Muslim will: apply through the website, wait for the department to check the application, receive an SMS approving it or asking for changes, pay the fees, and then book an appointment to notarise the will by video call. ADJD also states that assets outside the UAE can be bequeathed. It does not publish a fee amount, a language requirement or a witness rule, and this page does not supply them.
The five steps, as ADJD publishes them
The department sets the procedure out in order, and it is short enough to quote rather than paraphrase:
- "The application is submitted via the website."
- "The employee in charge checks the application."
- "An SMS message is sent to the court user informing him of the approval or the need to modify the application."
- "The court user pays the fees."
- "The court user books an appointment to notarise the will via video call."
Source: Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, Wills for non-Muslims
The video-call step is the distinctive one
Notarisation happens on a video call rather than across a counter. That is published as the normal route, not as a concession, and it is the single fact that most changes how the Abu Dhabi option feels compared with attending in person.
It also sets the order of events: fees are paid before the notarisation appointment is booked, not after. An application that is approved but unpaid does not reach the call.
Assets held outside the UAE
Asked directly whether property abroad can be included, ADJD answers: "Yes, money and property outside the country can be bequeathed."
That is a statement about what the will may cover, which is not the same as a statement about what another country will do with it. Whether a foreign bank or land registry gives effect to an ADJD-registered will is a question of that jurisdiction’s law, and neither ADJD nor this page answers it.
Source: Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, Wills for non-Muslims
There is a form, at a named office
ADJD confirms that "there is a form for writing a will at the Office of Non-Muslims Wills". So the department provides the drafting shape as well as the registration, which is worth knowing before commissioning a document that then has to be fitted to it.
Source: Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, Wills for non-Muslims
What ADJD does not publish on that page
Being explicit about this is more useful than a confident-sounding summary, because these are exactly the things people need before they start:
- The fee. The page refers to paying "the fees" and names no figure.
- Any language requirement - whether the will must be in Arabic, English, or both.
- Witness requirements, including how many and who is excluded.
- Executor eligibility.
- Any age or residency condition on the person making the will.
Source: Recorded as an open question in our source registry rather than filled in
How this sits against the other routes
DIFC Courts publishes considerably more about its own service - eligibility conditions, six will types with coverage limits, a fee for each, witness rules and what happens at probate. That is a difference in what is published, not proof that one registry is better run than another.
Our comparison guide sets the three routes side by side, including why the Dubai Courts column there is deliberately empty.
Questions
Do I have to attend in person in Abu Dhabi?
ADJD publishes notarisation "via video call" as the final step, following an application submitted through its website. It does not describe an in-person alternative on that page.
What does ADJD charge to register a will?
The department refers to paying "the fees" but publishes no amount on its non-Muslim wills page. We do not quote a figure we have not read from the authority.
Can an ADJD will cover assets outside the UAE?
ADJD states: "Yes, money and property outside the country can be bequeathed." Whether another country gives effect to it is a separate question that the page does not address.
Does the will have to be in Arabic?
ADJD does not publish a language requirement on that page, so we do not state one either way. Ask the Office of Non-Muslims Wills before you have anything drafted or translated.
Is there a standard form?
Yes. ADJD states "there is a form for writing a will at the Office of Non-Muslims Wills".
What this page does not do
- This page reports the procedure ADJD publishes. It is not a statement that a will registered this way is valid, enforceable, or right for your circumstances.
- Several conditions a reader would reasonably want - fee, language, witnesses, executor - are not published on that page, and are deliberately left blank here rather than filled from another source.
- Procedures and fees change without notice. The department’s own page is the version that counts.
- The Deedbox is not a law firm and not a notary office.