How to Revoke or Cancel Will in UAE: Steps and Documents

How to Revoke or Cancel a Will in the UAE depends on the governing law and the registry holding the record. A formal withdrawal or a valid replacement will may be available, but the requirements differ.

Do not assume an oral statement cancels a registered will. Registration with the same registry is not necessarily the only route under every system.

How to Revoke or Cancel a Will in the UAE under the applicable system

Identify the will’s legal framework and registering authority before choosing the procedure. Different systems apply different revocation rules.

Dubai non-Muslim wills and DIFC wills

Dubai Law No. 15 of 2017 regulates the administration of non-Muslim estates and implementation of their wills in Dubai. DIFC wills also require consideration of the DIFC Courts’ Wills and Probate Registry Rules.

Article 10(1) of the Dubai law requires a testator’s revocation to be registered in the relevant register. Article 10(2) separately addresses registration of a new will conflicting with the original.

For a DIFC will, Rule 10(11) permits written withdrawal through an application to the Registrar. The testator or a legal representative authorized in writing may make the application. Rule 18 addresses other revocation routes.

Federal civil wills for non-Muslims

Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2022 and Cabinet Resolution No. 122 of 2023 govern wills where the federal civil system applies.

Article 29(1) of the resolution requires registration of revocation. Under Article 29(2), registration of a conflicting new will is another ground for the earlier will to lapse. Merely making a newer will should not be treated as automatically canceling an earlier registered will.

Abu Dhabi local civil wills

Abu Dhabi has a separate local civil wills system under Law No. 14 of 2021, as amended, and its registration procedures. Check which system governs the ADJD will before applying federal cancellation rules.

Use ADJD’s civil will cancellation service and prescribed form under the applicable local procedures. Confirm replacement and cancellation steps with ADJD. Do not assume the federal rule alone governs a local civil will.

Wills governed by the 2024 Personal Status Law

Article 177 of Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2024 allows amendment or revocation of all or part of a will. Words or conduct showing that intention may establish revocation, subject to the applicable legal requirements.

If the will was formally documented before the competent authority, amendment or revocation must follow the same method. Under Article 180, making another will does not itself revoke the earlier one unless revocation is expressly stated.

For related differences between inheritance systems, see UAE inheritance law for expats.

Choose withdrawal or a replacement will

The route depends on the applicable rules and the intended scope of cancellation. Decide whether the whole will or only particular provisions should be revoked.

Under DIFC Rule 18, a later validly executed will may revoke an earlier will expressly or by implication. Court confirmation is required unless the later will is validly executed and registered under the DIFC Rules.

Rule 18 also permits a written revocation declaration executed as required by the testator’s law. Revocation through that route requires court confirmation. Do not assume a replacement registered elsewhere satisfies the DIFC exception to court confirmation.

For broader preparation issues, see mistakes to avoid when making a UAE will.

Keep the documents and confirmation of revocation

Confirm the registry’s exact requirements. Records that may be needed or useful include:

Under DIFC Rule 10(12), a will is treated as revoked when the Registry receives a duly made withdrawal application. The Registrar confirms this in writing.

Article 29(1) of Cabinet Resolution No. 122 of 2023 requires registered revocation under the federal civil system. It does not prescribe the same DIFC confirmation procedure or require deletion of the historical record.

Where the will includes arrangements affecting minors, consider protecting children’s inheritance when reviewing the remaining estate plan.

Check the effect of marriage or divorce

Marriage under the DIFC Rules

Rule 19(1) generally revokes a will on marriage, subject to Rules 19(2) and 19(3). Exceptions include a will or disposition intended to survive an anticipated marriage.

Rule 19(3) also addresses the effect on other dispositions where only a particular disposition was intended to survive. Those other dispositions take effect unless the will shows an intention that marriage should revoke them.

A separate exception concerns powers of appointment under Rule 19(2). The exercise survives marriage unless, without the appointment, the property would pass to the testator’s executors.

Divorce under the DIFC Rules

Under Rule 19(4), divorce or annulment by a competent court affects specified appointments and gifts to the former spouse. Unless the will shows a contrary intention, those provisions operate as if the former spouse died on that date.

Other UAE wills

Do not apply the DIFC marriage and divorce rules to every UAE will. Article 29 lists several grounds for lapse under the federal civil system, including registered revocation.

For a will governed by the 2024 law, follow Article 177. Check the governing law and the will’s wording before deciding how a change in marital status affects it.