UAE introduces changes to inheritance law

On 7 November 2020 the UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has issued a number of presidential decrees amending some articles in the Personal Status Law. Among others, the decree details changes in the laws concerning expatriates’ wills and inheritance. 

The new amendments in the Personal Status Law gives the expatriates living in the UAE the option to choose the law that would be applied to their inheritance in order to ensure the stability of the financial interests of the foreign investors in the country. As thus, the new changes stipulate that the inheritance would be dealt with as per the nationality of the deceased person at the time of his death. As for the general terms of the will and other post-mortem terms, they would be dealt with according to the law of the country specified in the will. If that condition is not specifically mentioned in the Will, the law of the country of nationality of the deceased person at the time of his death will be applied.

For an expatriate’s Will involving their real estate property in the UAE, the UAE laws will be applied.

We shall live and see how these new rules will be applied in practice.