DIFC Wills Registration & Probate Fees Guide
A practical 2026 guide to DIFC Courts Wills, registration costs, asset coverage, guardianship, remote registration, probate and later Will changes.
This guide uses the current DIFC Courts Wills Service fee schedule and current Wills Service guidance. It is general legal information, not a substitute for advice on a particular estate.
What a DIFC Courts Will actually does
The DIFC Courts Wills Service allows eligible non-Muslim individuals to register Wills dealing with specified UAE assets and, where applicable, guardianship of minor children. The DIFC Courts Wills Service works with the DIFC Courts in relation to Probate Orders and Guardianship Orders after the testator dies.
A DIFC Will should not be described simply as a way to “avoid Sharia law” in every circumstance. The more accurate proposition is that an eligible person can use the DIFC Wills Service to make testamentary arrangements under its governing rules, subject to eligibility, scope, enforceability and UAE public-policy requirements.
The choice of Will matters because the Property, Business Owners, Financial Assets and Digital Assets templates have specific scope limits. A Full Will is designed for broader estate planning.
DIFC Will Fee Calculator
Select the Will type and whether you are registering one Will or two reciprocal Mirror Wills. The calculator uses the current DIFC Courts registration and booking fees.
Covers all movable and immovable property within the scope of the DIFC Courts Wills Service. Guardianship provisions for qualifying minor children can also be included.
Booking fee included within this registration amount:AED 1,000
The booking fee is deductible from the registration fee but can become non-refundable when the appointment is cancelled or repeatedly/responsibly rescheduled under the fee rules.
International Money Transfer & FX Rates
Sending funds for tuition, rent, or immigration fees? Retail banks sneak 2.5%–4% into exchange rates. Check today's real mid-market rate first.
Selected registration cost
| Single Will | AED 10,000 |
| Mirror Wills | AED 15,000 |
| Current booking fee | AED 1,000 |
Important extra costs
| Grant of Probate | USD 1,500 |
| Will modification | AED 550 / Will |
| Legal drafting | Separate |
Current DIFC Courts Will types and fees
Mirror Wills are two reciprocal Wills registered for a married couple at the same time. The current fee schedule provides separate Single and Mirror fees for each Will type.
| Will type | Form | Single | Mirror | Main scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Will | Form 1 | AED 10,000 | AED 15,000 | Covers all movable and immovable property within the scope of the DIFC Courts Wills Service. Guardianship provisions for qualifying minor children can also be included. |
| Guardianship Will | Form 2 | AED 5,000 | AED 7,500 | Covers appointment of guardians for minor children. DIFC Courts provides for interim and permanent guardian appointments subject to the applicable rules. |
| Property Will | Form 3 | AED 7,500 | AED 10,000 | Covers shares in up to five real-estate properties within the UAE. |
| Business Owners Will | Form 4 | AED 5,000 | AED 7,500 | Covers shares in up to five different UAE free-zone or UAE onshore companies that meet the DIFC Courts requirements. |
| Financial Assets Will | Form 5 | AED 5,000 | AED 7,500 | Covers up to ten qualifying UAE bank or brokerage accounts, subject to the DIFC Courts rules for account type, institution regulation and beneficial ownership. |
| Digital Assets Will | Form 6 | AED 5,000 | AED 7,500 | Covers digital assets under the DIFC Courts Digital Assets Will service. The current DIFC Courts wallet supports specified digital assets and uses a non-custodial wallet structure. |
Who can register?
Asset and family connection
DIFC Courts' current FAQ states that an eligible person must own assets in the UAE and/or have minor children residing with them in the UAE.
Guardianship provisions in a Full or Guardianship Will have an additional geographical limitation: the DIFC Courts FAQ states that the minor children must be residents of Dubai or Ras Al Khaimah at the time of probate for those guardianship provisions to apply.
This is why a Will designed solely around children should be assessed separately from an estate Will dealing with UAE assets.
Which Will should you choose?
Full Will
People with multiple asset categories, complex estates, or a need for a broader Will rather than separate template Wills.
Guardianship Will
Parents whose main purpose is formal guardianship planning rather than asset distribution.
Property Will
Eligible persons whose Will requirement is limited to qualifying UAE real-estate holdings.
Business Owners Will
Business owners who want a Will limited to qualifying UAE company shareholdings.
Financial Assets Will
People whose relevant estate assets are qualifying UAE bank or brokerage accounts.
Digital Assets Will
Eligible persons who specifically need testamentary planning for qualifying digital assets.
Full Will
DIFC Courts describes the Full Will as covering all movable and immovable property within the scope of the Wills Service. The current Full Will service also allows guardianship provisions for qualifying minor children.
- Single: AED 10,000.
- Mirror Wills: AED 15,000.
- Can be used where multiple asset categories need to be addressed together.
- Guardianship provisions can be included subject to the applicable Rules and public-policy requirements.
Template Wills
DIFC Courts provides online template facilities for specific asset categories. These can be more economical where the estate fits neatly inside a template's scope.
- Property Will: up to five UAE real-estate properties.
- Business Owners Will: up to five qualifying UAE company shareholdings.
- Financial Assets Will: up to ten qualifying UAE bank or brokerage accounts.
- Digital Assets Will: digital assets within the current DIFC Digital Assets Will framework.
Property, business and financial-asset limits
Property Will
The current DIFC service covers shares in up to five UAE real-estate properties. If the estate has multiple other asset categories, the Full Will may be more suitable.
Business Owners Will
The current service covers up to five shareholdings in UAE free-zone or UAE onshore companies that satisfy the service requirements.
Financial Assets Will
The current service covers up to ten qualifying UAE bank or brokerage accounts, subject to the institution, account, beneficial-ownership and asset rules.
Digital Assets Will
DIFC Courts now offers a Digital Assets Will as Form 6. The current Courts service describes its own non-custodial wallet and identifies the digital assets that its wallet currently supports.
The Will-registration fee is AED 5,000 for a Single Will and AED 7,500 for Mirror Wills. Digital-asset estate planning can involve technical custody, wallet-access and succession issues, so the current Courts guidance and specialist legal advice should be considered before registration.
Current DIFC Courts wallet support
The current DIFC Courts Digital Assets Will page identifies support for Ethereum Classic (ETH), Bitcoin (BTC), Matic, USD Coin (USDC), Tether (USDT), Hedera (HBAR) and Hedera Token Service (HTS), with additional NFT support described as future functionality.
Remote registration and Virtual Registry
DIFC Courts introduced video-conferencing registration through the Virtual Registry and has documented its use for people living overseas. The process can connect the testator and required witnesses through video with a compliance officer in Dubai.
Remote access is a registration facility, not a relaxation of the substantive Will requirements. The Will still needs to comply with the DIFC Wills and Probate Registry Rules and the applicable witnessing and compliance procedures.
Drafting and legal advice
DIFC Courts strongly recommends considering legal advice when preparing a Will. The Courts publishes a list of lawyers who meet its minimum standards for drafting DIFC Courts Wills.
A complex Full Will is not the same as an online template Will. The choice between drafting the Will yourself and using an approved draftsman depends on the complexity of the estate and the applicant's needs.
Probate after death
Registration of a Will and obtaining Probate are separate stages. DIFC Courts explains that the Wills Service works with the Courts in connection with Probate Orders and Guardianship Orders for estates of people who die with a registered Will.
Death of the testator
The registered Will becomes relevant to the estate administration process.
Probate application
The current DIFC Courts fee to apply for a Grant of Probate is USD 1,500.
Court order and administration
The Court can issue the applicable Probate or Guardianship Order and deal with objections or further applications under the Rules.
Changes, withdrawal and additional costs
Modify a Will
The current modification fee is AED 550 per Will.
For Mirror Wills, the AED 550 fee applies separately to each Will.
Withdraw a Will
DIFC Courts currently states that there is no fee for withdrawing a Will.
Legal drafting
Lawyer or Will-draftsman fees are separate from the DIFC Courts registration fee.
Optional planning-cost view
The figure below is not a quote. It simply illustrates how separate DIFC Courts charges can stack over the life of an estate plan.
Original registration
AED 10,000
Current selected Will registration fee.
AED 550
Modification fee when selected. For Mirror Wills the estimate uses AED 1,100 because each of the two Wills is charged AED 550.
AED 0
Illustrative AED conversion of the current USD 1,500 probate application fee. DIFC Courts charges the probate fee in USD.
Guardianship planning
A Guardianship Will can be used when the primary concern is appointing guardians for minor children. DIFC Courts states that eligible parents can appoint interim and permanent guardians and offers both Single and Mirror Guardianship Will options.
| Guardianship Will | Registration fee | Booking fee |
|---|---|---|
| Single | AED 5,000 | AED 500 |
| Mirror | AED 7,500 | AED 750 |
Registration and appointment process
Confirm eligibility
Confirm the non-Muslim, age and asset/child requirements.
Select Will type
Choose Full, Guardianship, Property, Business Owners, Financial Assets or Digital Assets according to the estate.
Draft and check
Use the appropriate template or consider an approved Will draftsman for a more complex Will.
Register
Book the registration appointment and complete the current DIFC Courts compliance and witnessing process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Official DIFC Courts Wills resources
Specialist Will services
Key 2026 fee reference
| Service | Current fee |
|---|---|
| Full Will — Single | AED 10,000 |
| Full Will — Mirror | AED 15,000 |
| Guardianship — Single | AED 5,000 |
| Guardianship — Mirror | AED 7,500 |
| Property — Single | AED 7,500 |
| Property — Mirror | AED 10,000 |
| Business Owners — Single | AED 5,000 |
| Financial Assets — Single | AED 5,000 |
| Digital Assets — Single | AED 5,000 |
| Grant of Probate application | USD 1,500 |
| Will modification | AED 550 per Will |
Current DIFC Courts information states that Will registration fees are paid directly to the Wills Service, are not subject to 5% VAT, and are separate from any legal-practitioner fees.
Fees, appointment procedures and service requirements can change. Check the live DIFC Courts Wills Service and Fee Schedule before booking or relying on a quoted amount.