Expatriate residents in the UAE are addressing estate planning at earlier stages of life, prompted by property purchases, parenthood and business formation rather than the approach of old age, according to a consumer trends report from Just Wills Legal Consultants.
The firm currently receives between 100 and 150 individual enquiries per month. Around 30 per cent to 40 per cent of those convert into completed Wills over time, and Just Wills recorded a 20 per cent increase in conversion rates over the past year.
The company attributes this not just to broader awareness but to a change in the quality of enquiries: residents are arriving with more specific questions and a clearer intention to proceed.
Residents aged 45–54 still account for the largest share of enquiries, but the fastest-growing group over the past year is the 35–44 cohort. That shift reflects a wider pattern: as more expatriates buy homes, raise children and launch businesses in the UAE, estate planning is entering their financial lives earlier.
Parents and property owners make up the core client base. Around 60% of clients have children, and a similar proportion own property in the UAE. About half cite guardianship as a primary reason for drafting a Will, with concerns extending well beyond inheritance to include who would care for their children, how that guardianship would work in practice, and how the wealth left behind would be managed.
“For many expatriate families, the UAE is no longer a temporary chapter. It is where they own a home, hold savings, raise children and build businesses. The question is not simply who receives an asset, but how the wealth and responsibilities a person leaves behind can continue to support their family. This is why we are seeing residents act earlier and approach estate planning with much clearer intentions,” Sameer Marria, Managing Director of Just Wills Legal Consultants said in a statement.
The report also notes that the composition of family wealth is growing more complex. Alongside property, savings and bank accounts, estate-planning discussions are increasingly covering investment portfolios, business interests, cryptocurrency and other digital assets. For business owners, the concern often extends to continuity, including who would take control and how the company’s value would be preserved if the founder died.
Several misconceptions continue to delay action. Common ones include the belief that assets will automatically pass to a spouse, that an overseas Will covers UAE-based assets without complication, or that naming someone as a nominee makes them the final beneficiary.
The association of Wills with old age or substantial wealth also persists, even among residents who already hold property, savings, children and business interests that require planning.
Consumer conversations, the report suggests, are becoming more substantive. Rather than asking only whether a Will is necessary, residents are increasingly seeking guidance on how guardianship, property, investments and international assets can be structured together as a single coordinated plan.
