Expat parents with young children

You must have heard it from everyone by now: “It is very important to make your Will.”

And you know that it’s true that you need to have a Will. It is also very likely that whilst living in Dubai or Abu Dhabi you have heard a few horror stories about Sharia law and how it can affect expat inheritance. But who REALLY talks about the things you need to think about when planning for your children’s futures if you’re not there to look after them. Your friends can’t really tell you what you should do to make a Will, or how local Dubai UAE law really works or how to go about deciding on Guardians and Will Trusts, e.g. do I need a Discretionary Trust?

Advice from a trusted Wills expert

You are probably here because you have questions about writing or updating your Will – those other services online, or from the bookshop may seem a bit… well, not ‘enough’.

While you could use one of the many DIY Will options, there is a chance that unless you get it absolutely right, a DIY Will could create more problems than it solves.

Every Will from Dubai Expatriate Wills is drafted by a real person – a legal expert who knows the right questions to ask and has the experience to know how to make the right Will for your unique family circumstances.

Who will care for your children if you die?

Most parents don’t realise that when there is no surviving parent Social Services will take responsibility for the children until a court decides what is to happen to them, unless they appointed Guardians of their children in a Will. Naming a guardian is the best way to guarantee that your children will be looked after by the people that you want. See Guardians: Fast Facts

Think of your Will as a kind of insurance

It might help you to think of writing your Will as a kind of ‘insurance’ that will protect your family’s assets and safeguard the care of your children should the unthinkable occur. It is an ‘investment’ that outlines how you want to distribute your estate to your loved ones and who you would like to care for your children if you are no longer able to. Living abroad in Dubai is only going to make the process even harder than normal if you don’t have the right Will.

My children are too young to inherit, what should I do?

You can set up a Children’s Trust that would let you to “hold” that part of their inheritance until they are of an age that you wish them to inherit. Usually, the inheritance ages for such Trusts is set at 21 or 25 years of age. Many parents think that 18 is too young.