Why the draft matters more than the registrar’s counter
On the onshore route the will is drafted outside the registry and brought in for attestation and lodgement, so the registrar checks the formalities, not whether the words match what you meant. A strong draft settles four decisions in plain language: who carries out the instructions as executor, who cares for minor children as guardian, who receives what as beneficiary, and how each asset passes on distribution. Leave any of the four vague and the question is left for the court to answer years later, when nobody can ask you what you intended.
Staying inside the one-third bequest limit
For a Muslim testator the draft works within bounds that are fixed before drafting begins. Under the inheritance rules as broadly applied in the UAE, a bequest is generally capped at one third of the estate, and a bequest to a legal heir typically needs the consent of the other heirs — the remainder follows the prescribed shares. Calculating those shares belongs to a specialist in personal Islamic law, and we will not guess at your family’s entitlements; bring the advice you have received and we reflect it faithfully in the text. The honest eligibility point matters just as much: the DIFC Courts Wills Service accepts non-Muslims only, so a Muslim resident who drafts for that route risks paying for work the registrar will reject. This is the onshore path, and we say so before anything is written.
How the draft is prepared
It starts with one conversation about your family, your assets and your wishes, in person or by phone. Bring your passport and Emirates ID, a list of UAE assets with their deeds and statements, the names of your beneficiaries, guardians and executor, and any existing will or marriage contract. We prepare the draft in English and Arabic and walk through it with you line by line, so every clause means what you intend in both languages before anyone signs.
Attestation and registrar lodging
Signing is only half the step. The will is signed with witnesses, then attested and lodged through the registrar, and the authority decides whether the file is complete — our job is to arrive with everything it expects. Where an existing document or marriage contract is in another language, our wills translation service renders it into the form the attesting authority can act on.
Mirror wills, guardians and keeping the record current
Spouses cannot make one joint will on this route, so we prepare two separate wills that mirror each other and lodge each in its own file. Guardians for minor children can be written into the same record, with the clause reviewed alongside the rest of the draft. Wishes change, and when they do the text is edited, signed and lodged again as a fresh document rather than patched in place — worth planning for at the outset. For testators weighing the Sharia framing in more detail, our Muslim wills service sets out what the will can and cannot direct; once a will is lodged, distribution still runs through the formal estate process, and our probate team handles applications through the Dubai Courts when the time comes.
What a careful draft settles
Wishes become exact instructions in two languages, with the four decisions a family would otherwise argue over written down before signing.
Two languages, one meaning
English and Arabic are drafted together and reviewed line by line, so no clause drifts between the versions you sign.
An executor who is named
The person who carries out your instructions is written into the text by name, so the court is never left to infer who should act.
Guardians recorded in the same record
Who cares for minor children is settled in the document and reviewed with the rest of the draft, never added as an afterthought.
Bequests kept within bounds
The one-third cap and the consent rule for bequests to legal heirs shape the draft from the first page, not after the registrar raises them.
When this service is not what you need
Drafting is one step in a longer process. Four situations where a different door is the honest answer.
You need the prescribed shares calculated
That is specialist work in personal Islamic law, not a drafting appointment. Take that advice first, then bring it to us to reflect in the text.
You want the will to redistribute the whole estate
It cannot. Most of the estate follows the prescribed shares whatever the document says, and we will not draft what the court would set aside.
A death has already occurred
Drafting serves a living testator. Once a death has occurred the family needs the estate process, and our probate team handles applications through the Dubai Courts.
Your will belongs on the DIFC register
That service accepts non-Muslims only and expects a different drafting route. A non-Muslim planning for DIFC should start with the DIFC will drafting service instead.
Who starts here
The residents who most often begin with a draft for the onshore Dubai Courts.
Parents of young children
Mothers and fathers who need an executor and guardians fixed in one document, alongside how each child's share passes.
Chat About Your CaseSpouses planning side by side
Couples who want two mirror wills drafted together, consistent on guardians and distribution, each lodged in its own file.
Chat About Your CaseDubai property owners
Owners of flats, villas or plots who want every asset named with its deed behind it and a named beneficiary beside it.
Chat About Your CaseResidents holding a foreign will
Holders of a home-country will who need their UAE wishes redrafted for the onshore register, with the old papers reviewed alongside.
Chat About Your CaseDrafted with support or assembled alone
A generic template gives you blank clauses. What decides the file is whether the four decisions inside it are settled, in both languages, inside the limits.
| Aspect | With SRAG | Alone or from a template |
|---|---|---|
| Route before drafting | We confirm the onshore Dubai Courts path fits you first, since the DIFC register accepts non-Muslims only. | You choose a register yourself and can learn of the exclusion after paying for the work. |
| The four decisions | Executor, guardians, beneficiaries and distribution are each written in plain language, not left implied. | One of the four stays vague and the question reaches the court years later, when nobody can ask you. |
| Sharia bounds | The one-third cap and the heir-consent rule are built into the draft, and we flag what the will cannot direct. | You sign a bequest the court cannot give effect to, or wishes the prescribed shares will override. |
| Languages | Both versions are prepared together and read through with you, clause by clause. | You draft in one language and arrange certified translation afterwards, hoping the sense survives. |
| After the signature | Attestation and lodgement are planned into the file, so you arrive with what the registrar expects. | You assemble the counter's requirements by enquiry and resubmit when a paper is missing. |
Route before drafting
With SRAG
We confirm the onshore Dubai Courts path fits you first, since the DIFC register accepts non-Muslims only.
Alone or from a template
You choose a register yourself and can learn of the exclusion after paying for the work.
The four decisions
With SRAG
Executor, guardians, beneficiaries and distribution are each written in plain language, not left implied.
Alone or from a template
One of the four stays vague and the question reaches the court years later, when nobody can ask you.
Sharia bounds
With SRAG
The one-third cap and the heir-consent rule are built into the draft, and we flag what the will cannot direct.
Alone or from a template
You sign a bequest the court cannot give effect to, or wishes the prescribed shares will override.
Languages
With SRAG
Both versions are prepared together and read through with you, clause by clause.
Alone or from a template
You draft in one language and arrange certified translation afterwards, hoping the sense survives.
After the signature
With SRAG
Attestation and lodgement are planned into the file, so you arrive with what the registrar expects.
Alone or from a template
You assemble the counter's requirements by enquiry and resubmit when a paper is missing.
Why SRAG Wills for Will Draft Preparation
The draft is our work, start to finish. The register receives the file, but the words inside it are ours to get right with you.
The route settled first
We say plainly that DIFC accepts non-Muslims only and that this is the onshore path, before a single clause is written.
Limits stated, not glossed over
The one-third cap, the heir-consent rule, and the share calculation we do not perform are all explained at the first conversation.
Bilingual by default
English and Arabic drafts go through the same line-by-line review, with edits folded into both before signing.
One contact, conversation to lodgement
The advisor who takes your instructions follows the file through signing, attestation and lodgement, reachable on WhatsApp.
How the draft is prepared
Conversation
One discussion about your family, your assets and your wishes, in person or by phone, with the papers you bring laid out.
Drafting
We prepare the will in English and Arabic and read it through with you clause by clause until each line says what you intend.
Signing copy
You receive a clean copy for signing with witnesses, with attestation and lodgement at the registrar prepared from the same file.
Start with a conversation
Tell us about your family, your assets and what you want settled. We prepare the draft from there.
We respond within one business day.
Disclaimer: SRAG Wills is a wills consultancy, not a law firm or government body. Registration is completed with the DIFC Courts Wills Service or ADJD; Muslim wills, and estate and inheritance cases, are filed with the Dubai Courts.