DIFC Property Will: Scope, Limits and Registration
A DIFC Property Will is a will registered with the DIFC Courts Wills Service that deals with real estate only. The DIFC Courts describe it as a will “specific to their real estate property only”. Nothing else you own passes under it — not bank accounts, not shares, not vehicles, and not guardianship of children.
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Article contents14 sections
- What a DIFC Property Will Is
- The Five-Property Limit
- What a Property Will Does Not Cover
- Ownership Evidence and How the Will Is Prepared
- What Happens When You Buy Another Property
- Who Can Register One
- Property Will or Full Will?
- Registration and Fees
- How This Differs From Property Notarisation at the Land Department
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Where We Can Help
- Official Sources Reviewed — 20 August 2026
- Legal Disclaimer
- Related pages
What a DIFC Property Will Is
That narrowness is the point. If your UAE estate is one apartment or a couple of villas and nothing complicated sits behind them, a Property Will is the proportionate instrument. If it is anything more, it is the wrong one.
The Five-Property Limit
The defining constraint is numerical. A DIFC Property Will can cover up to five real-estate properties, or a share in up to five properties, situated in the UAE. A sixth property cannot simply be added to the same will.
A share counts as a property for this purpose, so joint ownership of five units uses the allowance in the same way sole ownership of five would. Owners with larger or growing portfolios should assume from the outset that a Full Will is the more durable route.
What a Property Will Does Not Cover
- Any non-real-estate asset. Bank accounts, investments, company shareholdings, vehicles and personal property fall outside it entirely.
- Guardianship of minor children. That requires a Guardianship Will, or a Full Will if you want assets and guardians in one instrument.
- Property outside the UAE. The DIFC scope is UAE-situated real estate; foreign property is governed by the law of the country where it sits.
An estate plan that assumes a Property Will catches everything is the single most common misunderstanding we see with this instrument. Anything it does not name is dealt with by whatever other arrangements exist — or, if there are none, by the default position that applies to your estate.
Ownership Evidence and How the Will Is Prepared
A Property Will is prepared through the DIFC Wills Service online template rather than drafted freehand. Supporting information includes identity documents and evidence of ownership — title deeds or, for off-plan units, the Oqood registration, as applicable to the property concerned.
Because the will is asset-specific, the property has to be identified accurately. A mismatch between the way a property is described in the will and the way it appears on the title record is a straightforward cause of difficulty later, and it is worth checking the documents against each other before registration rather than afterwards.
What Happens When You Buy Another Property
This is the practical trap with an asset-specific will, and it catches people who registered years ago and moved on. DIFC guidance is that if a testator later acquires another property that should be covered, the existing Property Will must be modified and a new version registered. The new purchase is not swept in automatically.
The DIFC Courts publish a modification fee for this. Anyone who buys and sells UAE property regularly should factor that ongoing maintenance into the decision between a Property Will and a Full Will, rather than treating registration as a one-off task.
Who Can Register One
Eligibility follows the general DIFC Courts Wills Service conditions rather than anything specific to property.
- You are not Muslim and have never been a Muslim.
- You are at least 18 years of age.
- You own assets in the UAE — which, for this will type, means the UAE real estate you intend to cover.
UAE residency is not required. The DIFC Courts state that you do not need to be a resident of the UAE to register a DIFC Courts Will, which is why this route is often relevant to overseas buyers of Dubai property who have no other connection to the country.
Property Will or Full Will?
The decision usually comes down to three questions: how many properties, whether anything other than property needs to pass, and whether children are involved.
- Property Will — up to five UAE properties, nothing else in the estate needs covering, no guardianship required.
- Full Will — more than one category of asset, or more than five properties, or you want guardianship provisions in the same document.
Our DIFC wills service page sets out how we assist with each type, and the DIFC Full Will guide explains the broader alternative in detail.
Registration and Fees
The DIFC Courts publish separate fees for a Single Property Will and for Mirror Property Wills, and a further fee for modifying a registered will. These sit apart from any professional fee for advice or document review.
Check the current amounts before budgeting. Fees are revised from time to time, so the authoritative figures are those on the DIFC Courts fees page rather than any figure quoted on a third-party site, including this one.
How This Differs From Property Notarisation at the Land Department
A DIFC Property Will is registered with the DIFC Courts Wills Service and takes effect on death. It is a different thing from the notarised property instruments used during your lifetime — a sale, gift or mortgage power of attorney prepared for the Dubai Land Department, for example, is notarised under the federal notarial framework and operates while you are alive.
People sometimes assume one substitutes for the other. It does not. If your need is to authorise someone to deal with a property now, that is property notarisation; if it is to say who inherits it later, that is a will. Many owners need both, at different times and through different authorities.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many properties can a DIFC Property Will cover?
Up to five UAE properties, or a share in up to five. A share counts towards the limit in the same way as sole ownership.
Does a Property Will cover my bank account or company shares?
No. It is limited to real estate. Other assets need a different DIFC will type, most commonly a Full Will.
I bought another apartment after registering. Is it covered?
Not automatically. DIFC guidance requires the existing Property Will to be modified and a new version registered, and a modification fee applies.
Do I have to live in the UAE?
No. UAE residency is not a requirement for registering a DIFC Courts Will, though you do need UAE assets — here, the property itself.
Can I appoint guardians for my children in a Property Will?
No. A Property Will deals only with real estate. Guardianship requires a Guardianship Will, or a Full Will covering both.
Where We Can Help
We review UAE property holdings against the DIFC will types and prepare the supporting documentation, and we handle the separate notarial work — property powers of attorney, declarations and attestation — that often sits alongside an estate plan. Send us a short outline of what you own and where, and we will set out the likely route before anything is registered. Our contact page explains how to send a document for review.
Official Sources Reviewed — 20 August 2026
- UAE Legislation Portal — Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022 and related legislation: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1563/related-legislations
- Cabinet Resolution No. 16 of 2024 — Executive Regulations: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2322
- Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024 — Federal Notary Fees: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491
- DIFC Courts Wills Service and current fees (where relevant): https://www.difccourts.ae/about/fees
- DIFC Courts Wills FAQs (where relevant): https://www.difccourts.ae/about/faq/wills-faq
- ADGM Courts Notary Public and Wills Office (where relevant): https://www.adgm.com/adgm-courts/notary-public/
- ADGM Courts Notary Public Fees (where relevant): https://www.adgm.com/adgm-courts/notary-public/
Legal Disclaimer
This article provides general legal information and is not legal advice for a specific matter. Requirements vary by facts, document, Emirate, free zone, court, registry, asset, religion/personal-status position, receiving institution and country. Official fees, eligibility rules and service channels can change. No approval, notarisation, registration, probate result, enforcement, completion time or legal outcome is guaranteed. Current requirements should be verified with the competent authority before execution or filing. For interpretation and application of UAE legislation, the official Arabic text prevails where applicable.
