Wills
Naming a Guardian for Your Children in a UAE Will
For most parents this is the real reason to register a will, and it is the part people put off longest because it means thinking about something nobody wants to think about. It also takes about ten minutes to decide.
What a guardianship clause actually does
It records who you want to look after your children if you cannot, in a document a UAE court recognises. Without it the decision is made without your input, by people applying general rules to a family they do not know.
The interim guardian is the one people forget
A permanent guardian may be a relative in another country, and appointing them takes time. An interim guardian is somebody already here who can step in immediately - the days between are exactly when a child needs somebody with clear authority.
Name both. It is the single most useful thing a guardianship clause does.
Choosing somebody
Ask them first, which sounds obvious and is skipped surprisingly often. Think about where they live, whether they could stay in the UAE, and whether they would be able to take on the cost - which is what the rest of the will is for.
It is also worth naming a reserve, in case the first choice cannot act when the time comes.
Which register to put it in
Any of the UAE routes can carry a guardianship clause. Which register you use is decided by your eligibility and by where your assets are - see DIFC vs Abu Dhabi wills for that comparison, or the overview if you are starting from scratch.
What we need from you
The guardian's full name, their passport copy and how to reach them, and the same for the interim guardian. If they live abroad, their address in that country. That is it - the drafting is ours.
If you want to talk it through before deciding, ask us. It is a normal thing to be unsure about.