Inheritance in Pakistan when the heirs live in the UAE.
For sons, daughters and widows in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah or Ajman who need a parent’s house, land, plot or bank account in Pakistan transferred — or whose share is being kept from them.
Short answer. When all heirs agree, a succession certificate or letter of administration is issued through NADRA’s Succession Facilitation Units, and heirs abroad verify biometrically through the Pak ID app. If anyone objects, the case goes to court under the Succession Act, 1925. Land is then mutated into the heirs’ names.
KBL & Associates, Lahore · Updated 23 October 2026 · Pakistani law only. We are Pakistani advocates and do not advise on the law of the UAE.
What matters when you work from the UAE.
A death in UAE
If the death happened in the UAE, the death certificate must be made usable in Pakistan first: a UAE document needs local attestation, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Pakistani mission. Order the right certified copy before anything else.
Sisters abroad, brothers at home
Depriving a woman of her inheritance by deceit or coercion is an offence under section 498-A of the Pakistan Penal Code. Sisters abroad can pursue their share through an attorney, with a civil suit for declaration and partition alongside.
Gulf savings are a separate estate
Bank balances, end-of-service benefits or property in the UAE follow local procedure. Pakistani property follows Pakistani succession. Run both, and tell each adviser about the other.
How the file runs from the UAE.
You stay at work. We appear in Lahore on your power of attorney; a court can still ask for you by video link at a particular stage.
Records first
Death registration, and a current Family Registration Certificate from NADRA listing every legal heir. Missing or wrong family records cause most rejections.
One applicant, biometrics from UAE
The heirs authorise one person in Pakistan — a sibling or your attorney. Heirs in the UAE verify through NADRA’s Pak ID app.
Certificate or court
If all heirs agree, a succession certificate or letter of administration through NADRA’s Succession Facilitation Unit after the objection period. If anyone objects, the Succession Act, 1925 route in court.
Transfer each asset
Land by inheritance mutation at the Arazi Record Centre; society plots on the society file; bank accounts and shares by presenting the certificate.
A typical file from UAE.
A father who worked in Dubai for thirty years dies at home in Faisalabad. He owned a house and a society plot. Two sons work in the UAE; the widow and a daughter live in Faisalabad.
The daughter is appointed applicant. The sons give biometric verification through the Pak ID app from their accommodation. NADRA’s Succession Facilitation Unit issues the certificate after the objection period, the house is mutated at the Arazi Record Centre, and the plot is transferred on the society file. Neither son uses a day of leave.
Illustrative example, not a client file. Timelines depend on the court, the district and the other side.
Document route from the UAE.
The single most expensive mistake overseas clients make is paying for the wrong signing route.
- No apostille from the UAE. The UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so a UAE notary plus apostille is not an option for Pakistan.
- NADRA online power of attorney. For CNIC, NICOP and POC holders at poa.nadra.gov.pk: biometrics for you and two witnesses, online payment, and an online interview with the mission you select. No visit.
- In person at a mission. The Embassy of Pakistan, Abu Dhabi, or the Consulate General in Dubai. The route for anyone without a Pakistani identity document.
- Documents issued by a UAE authority — a death certificate, a court document — are attested locally, then by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then by the Pakistani mission, before a Pakistani office accepts them.
What we will ask for
- Death certificate, and proof the death is recorded where Pakistan requires it.
- NADRA Family Registration Certificate (FRC).
- CNIC, NICOP or POC of every heir.
- A list of what was owned in Pakistan: land, houses, society plots, bank accounts, vehicles, shares.
- Any will, gift deed or bank nomination.
Time difference with Lahore.
- Lahore is 1 hour ahead of the UAE all year. Neither country changes its clocks.
- A 10:00 AM hearing in Lahore is 9:00 AM in Dubai, so the day’s update usually reaches you before lunch.
- Our office day, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM in Lahore, is 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM in Dubai — most of your working day overlaps.
- WhatsApp is read Monday to Saturday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Pakistan time. Fees are quoted in writing before any work starts.
Questions from UAE.
Largely, yes. One heir or an attorney starts the application in Pakistan, and heirs abroad give biometric verification through NADRA’s Pak ID app.
A certified death certificate made usable in Pakistan — a UAE document needs local attestation, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Pakistani mission — and the death recorded with NADRA so the Family Registration Certificate is current.
A complaint under section 498-A of the Pakistan Penal Code, a complaint to the Punjab Ombudsperson for women’s property rights, and a civil suit for declaration and partition can all be pursued through an attorney.
For a Muslim, Pakistani law limits a will to one-third of the estate, and not to an heir, unless the other heirs consent after death. The rest passes by fixed Islamic shares.
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