How to deal with a death in the UAE

Coping with the death of a loved one is the hardest thing that many of us will ever have to go through. In the UAE, the process is quite lengthy, and unfortunately, when you are stressed and sad and trying to deal with a tough situation, this is probably not the best time to learn what is involved.

I am not an expert, and this series of requirements and costs is based on internet research, and discussions with some people who have gone through the process themselves. Please take it as guide, and I make no guarantees of the authenticity of this information. It may be partially wrong, or woefully incomplete. In either case, please leave feedback so that I can make the necessary changes – this may help someone in a bad situation.

Please keep in mind that the rules pertaining to inheritance as applied in the UAE further complicates matters. Upon notification of the death of any person, banks and financial institutions are required to freeze the assets of that person. Even assets held jointly are frozen until they can be distributed in accordance to Islamic Law, as decide by the courts. As a result, the family of the deceased may find hardships in the form of cash flow problems along with the need to cope with the loss they have suffered. Some experts have suggested that surviving members of the family should withdraw funds from bank accounts early to avoid this painful and embarrassing situation, with the clear understanding that those funds would need to be made whole should the ruling of the Courts of Inheritance so dictate.

Of course, application of Islamic Laws of Inheritance is not imposed in the case of non-Muslim expatriates, provided they have a registered Will in their home country. That Will would then be administered from their home country, and dealt with accordingly.

I will not get in to the details of Islamic inheritance law here, mainly because it is an extremely complex field, and you need expert financial and legal advice to better understand these matters. I will leave you with a prayer that you never have to deal with these very difficult matters, but if you do, I hope you find the below checklist to be helpful. 

After all, to Him we belong, and to Him we shall return.

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Omar is in transition, moving from the UAE to Pakistan. He researched this a while ago, at the request of a dear friend. He hopes you will never need to make use of the information above.