Non-Muslim expats require a will in U.A.E

Death is something we don’t usually think of, but something we should plan for, but rarely do. Friends Provident International (FPI), a financial institution, on Monday released a guide for non-Muslim expatriates on how they can take care of their families in the event of premature death in the UAE.

Titled ‘A matter of life and death’, the guide covers the 14 key issues for expatriates, should the worst happen.

Issues like frozen bank accounts when the account holder dies, leaving a will, and other issues most expatriates are not aware of are addressed to make it easier for families to handle the assets of the deceased.

Having a will for non-Muslim expatriates is important as there is no right of survivorship in the UAE. This means assets are not automatically passed on to the surviving joint owner upon the death of the other unlike in many countries.

When a non-Muslim expatriate dies, in the absence of a will, the courts will automatically apply Sharia to distribute assets.

If there is a will, inheritance will be governed by the person’s national law under the Civil Transactions Law of the UAE. Note that whether a will is present or not, fixed or immovable assets such as property in the UAE are still subject to Sharia.

Marcus Gent, managing director of the Middle East and Africa at FPI, said many expatriates are not aware of the repercussions of a death in the family when living in the UAE.

“While no one likes to think about dying — and indeed no one should spend too much time thinking about it — knowing that you have taken steps to ensure your family is taken care of, even if you’re not around, can be a great source of comfort,” Gent said.

Philip Cernik, chief marketing officer, Middle East and Africa at FPI, said life as an expatriate in the UAE can be fulfilling, but complications can arise when it comes to death unless plans are made accordingly.

This is where the checklist is helpful as it covers such matters as writing a will, how to register a death and how to arrange for the burial, cremation or repatriation of remains.

But writing a will is not for everyone, said attorney Barney Almazar, a licensed legal consultant and partner at Gulf Law.

“The writing of a will should not be seen as morbid, but as a wake-up call for residents who have substantial assets. So obviously, if you have valuables to pass on, write a will,” Almazar told Gulf News.

Almazar said there are many ways to write a will. A lawyer can draft a will for the testator in accordance with his or her country’s national laws, and the testator can have it notarized in his or her embassy and then attested at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the UAE.

Another option is to have it done at the Notary Public of the Dubai Courts for roughly Dh2,250.

For those who prefer wills drawn up in English, another option is available through duly licensed legal consultants registered with the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Wills and Probate Registry.

This may cost between Dh2,500 and Dh5,000 for a single will and from Dh4,000 to Dh10,000 for mirror wills.

With the DIFC will, you no longer need to have everything is translated into Arabic and heard using Sharia. You can simply proceed with your will in English and use the internationally recognised Common Law.

Points non-Muslim expatriates must remember

1) Leave a will.

2) Ensure your children are taken care of.

3) Outline who should inherit your property in your will.

4) Structure your bank accounts carefully.

5) Consider inheritance taxes in your home country.

6) Use a trust or beneficiary nomination for your life insurance.

7) Make sure you nominate beneficiaries for your end of service gratuity.

8) Check whether you qualify for death in service benefits.

9) Think about how your death would impact your dependents’ residency.

10) Think about your digital life.

11) Registering a death in the UAE and repatriation of remains. (Guide is on their website)

12) Burial and cremation. (Guide is on their website)

13) Prepare a checklist of people that need to be informed if you pass away.

14) Make sure you have adequate cover.

Bounced cheque can lead to freeze tenant's account in Dubai

The Rental Disputes Centre (RDC), the judicial arm of the Dubai Land Department (DLD), and the UAE Central Bank have signed an agreement that allows for freezing of the bank account of a tenant if his/her rent cheque bounce.“After the judgment is passed by the RDC, it will be informed to the Central Bank, which will pass the information to the banks. It could also lead to blocking of tenant’s bank account,” a DLD spokesperson said.

“This process will now take two days instead of 60,” the spokesperson added.

In a statement, the DLD said the aim of the MoU, signed by RDC Director Abdulqader Musa Mohammed and UAE Central Bank’s Assistant Governor for Banking Supervision, Saeed Abdullah Al Hamiz, was to create an electronic framework of cooperation to facilitate the implementation of decisions and judgments.

The proposals will speed up procedures and reduce transaction time from six months to two working days following the transition from paper-based to electronic systems. Both parties agreed to establish a platform utilising the UAE Central Bank’s existing Customer Information Request (CIR) system.

As per the agreement, the Central Bank will direct queries submitted by the RDC to enable the efficient execution of judicial committee decisions and judgments. These verdicts will be directly implemented by the banks, which will also provide immediate responses to enquiries.

RDC’s Mohammed said: “This move is consistent with our ongoing efforts to improve upon existing frameworks of cooperation with official bodies, with the aim of improving government procedures and promoting cooperation between all institutions.

“It is expected that this MoU will pave the way towards promoting transparency for all property transactions and procedures, benefiting all parties and guaranteeing the protection of their rights.”

The number of RDC judgments to be implemented for 2016 stands at 2,630, all of which will all now be rapidly implemented by the effective system set in motion as an outcome of this MoU, he added.

UAE Central Bank’s Al Hamiz emphasised the vital role that the RDC plays in supporting the stability of the national markets and in upholding transparency, providing greater peace of mind and ensuring a higher level of security for all parties involved in property contracts.

“The CIR system at the Central Bank has safeguarded stability across many of Dubai’s industry sectors and we are certain that this will also be the case for our cooperation with the RDC and DLD. Our plan will help the emirate’s real estate sector by maintaining the rights of all parties, ensuring justice through the fair and efficient application of the provisions of UAE law,” he said.

Dubai Network, a new social media networking website launched

January 21, 2011 -- Dubai Network, a new social media networking website was launched on January 14. It is the brainchild of W3informatics, an IT solutions company based in UAE.http://www.dubainetwork.com/

If you are tired of all the same old networking sites? Then Dubai Network is the best place to have fun and share ideas. The mission of dubainetwork.com is to connect people through a networking forum, where they can share their thoughts, pictures, videos and blogs.

Dubai Network is a social networking site designed to make your life more socialized and active. It helps you to establish relationships, providing the users the environment of face-to-face interaction with pictures and messages. The users can also start a new relation with the people whom they never met through Dubai Network. It is also a network which revives your school friendship or lost contact.

It is always easy in Dubai Network to find people who share your hobbies and interests, look for friendship, romantic relationship or establish new business contacts. You can also discuss the current events and happenings around the world by joining different groups. It is entirely up to you to decide what kind of people you want to get connected with and share your thoughts or joining a particular community depending on your interest.

Dubai Network, being youth-oriented and platform for healthy chat and sharing of thoughts doesn't encourage posting of unlawful, abusive, threatening, defamatory, vulgar, pornographic, profane or indecent information or material of any kind.

Posting or transmitting of any material containing virus or other harmful components is a strict no no in the website. Downloading any file posted by any other user of a Communication facility if you know, or reasonably ought to know, that the file cannot legally be distributed in such manner is also prohibited.Dubai Network from time to time, monitors or reviews the contents of its Communication Facilities.

If you are spontaneous and have a quick finger, then you could grab an opportunity to become a founder member of this fantabulous website.To join Dubai Network, register for free at dubainetwork.com and you can create your own profile right away. http://www.dubainetwork.com/

Dubai Civil Defense Plans to Enhance Emergency Response and Security with the Avaya Flare™ Experience

Dubai Civil Defense (DCD) has become the first government organization in the region planning to deploy the Avaya Flare™ Experience. The Avaya Flare Experience is an industry-first family of next-generation, real-time enterprise video communications and collaboration products and services that delivers unique collaboration capabilities and an intuitive end-user experience across video, voice and text.

On the sidelines of INTERSEC, the largest exhibition and conference for security and safety in the Middle East, officials from Dubai Civil Defense and Avaya announced plans to deploy Avaya Flare desktop devices at its Dubai headquarters and 15 centers across the emirate of Dubai.

As the government department responsible for protecting human lives and property during fires and other emergency situations, the groundbreaking Avaya Flare Experience can provide DCD with a uniquely compelling multi-modal collaboration experience that enhances the efficiency of its security and response systems by increasing communications and collaboration across DCD’s network. Offering quick and easy access to real-time communications and collaboration tools by eliminating the need to use different interfaces, the Avaya Flare Experience coupled with the Avaya Desktop Video Device will allow DCD branch officials to collaborate with headquarters personnel using desktop video, audio, web conferencing and instant messaging.

“In times of emergency, it is critical to reach out to officials closest to ground-zero. Face-to-face interaction enabled by the Avaya Desktop Video Device will enhance control in crisis situations and eliminate unnecessary travel between centers for briefings and other updates. As Dubai Civil Defense modernizes its communications approach to meet the safety and security needs of the Emirate, the deployment of the Avaya Flare Experience is as strategic as it is crucial,” said Major General Rashid Al Matrooshi – Director of General Department of Dubai Civil Defense. “Avaya is the first communications vendor to provide collaboration capabilities that will enhance our emergency response between the headquarters and centers, speed up inter-branch decision making, and drastically reduce our travel and administration costs.”

“With the Avaya Flare Experience, we can enable DCD with a breakthrough collaboration experience which will dramatically expand communications capabilities in times of crisis as well as enabling better and more cost-effective day-to-day communications across different centers. Streamlining these processes will help DCD to respond to emergencies and make faster decisions. This is the true value of the Avaya Flare Experience,” said Nidal Abou-Ltaif, vice president – Emerging Markets, Avaya.

DCD is planning on deploying the Avaya Desktop Video Device, a cost-effective desktop video collaboration endpoint, at the Dubai Civil Defense headquarters in Al Qusais, Dubai and each of its centers allowing heads of each branch to interact with the headquarters. In addition to HD video, it integrates with social media, calendars and email from a single user interface on a multi-touch device.

In addition to seamlessly integrating with DCD’s existing Avaya emergency response systems, the Avaya Flare Experience can consolidate tools such as a desk phone and video endpoint, to enable ad hoc, person-to-person collaboration for DCD officials. Deployment of the Avaya Flare Experience is planned to begin in the first quarter of 2011.

DCD has partnered with Avaya for over two years, relying on Avaya solutions for communications needs and the reliable and cost-effective management of its IP Telephony and notification systems network operations.