A Shift in Legal Capacity: How the UAE’s Latest Reform Reshapes Wills, Guardianship and POAs

The UAE entered 2026 with a fundamental legal shift: individuals are now legally recognized as adults at 18 rather than 21 for civil purposes. The reform, enacted through a federal legislative amendment, changes the point at which a person can make binding decisions over inheritance, guardianship, and legal representation under applicable civil and personal status laws.

Though widely framed as a modernization measure, the change has immediate consequences for Wills in UAE, guardianship arrangements, and powers of attorney.

Why Age of Majority Matters

In legal terms, the age of majority is not determined by years alone. It is about legal capacity. Capacity determines who can sign, appoint, revoke, authorise, and make decisions without supervision or consent. Until now, this threshold was commonly treated as 21 years for many civil and personal status matters. The new law brings it down to 18 years, recognizing young adults as fully competent legal actors for these purposes three years earlier than before. This alignment with international norms is more than just symbolic. It alters who can plan, delegate, and protect their interests, as well as when they can do it.

Earlier Capacity and Clearer Outcomes for Estate Planning

From an estate-planning perspective, the reform removes a long-standing grey area.

Previously, individuals under 21 often faced practical limitations around executing Wills or participating meaningfully in estate structures, particularly at the level of notarization, registration, or court acceptance. With the legal age of majority now recognized at 18, many of those barriers are lifted.

Individuals above 18 who own assets and have property and business interests can now engage in Will planning at an earlier stage, rather than waiting for a legal milestone.

Families too are directly affected by the change. Guardianship clauses in Wills are typically framed to govern the care and custody of minor children. By lowering the age at which a person is no longer considered a minor, the law enhances clarity around when guardianship ends and independent legal capacity begins.

For expatriate families in particular, this provides a more predictable transition point, something courts and administrators tend to value when interpreting Wills.

The Reform’s Impacts on Guardianship

Guardianship has always required careful handling in the UAE, especially where non-Muslim families are concerned and where civil-personal-status frameworks apply. The revised age of majority now shortens the legal period during which guardianship applies under the law. Individuals who reach 18 are no longer treated as minors requiring custodial oversight under personal status considerations designed for children.

This matters in two ways. First, it reduces the duration during which court involvement may be required. Second, it brings guardianship provisions in Wills into closer alignment with how families actually function, where independence often begins well before the age of 21.
The result is not reduced protection but a clearer legal boundary that leaves less scope for dispute or interpretation.

Powers of Attorney and Legal Autonomy

Perhaps the most immediately felt impact of the reform relates to powers of attorney. Under the earlier framework, individuals under 21 frequently encountered procedural or institutional hurdles when attempting to grant POAs, even where they earned property or had legitimate reasons to appoint a representative. That limitation is now removed.

With the legal age of majority now recognized at 18 years, individuals can independently execute:

• General powers of attorney
• Special powers of attorney
• Property powers of attorney for leasing, sales, or management

These are subject to applicable authority requirements and proper notarization.

In a jurisdiction like the UAE, where property ownership, overseas education, and cross-border employment are common among younger residents, this is a significant shift. An 18 or 19-year-old property owner no longer needs to rely on parental authority or interim arrangements to manage their affairs. They can appoint, delegate, and revoke representation in their own names, in accordance with prevailing regulatory and transactional requirements.

A Reform that Reflects Economic Reality

The UAE’s legislative evolution has consistently tracked changes in how people live, invest, and plan their futures. Lowering the legal age of majority acknowledges that financial independence, asset ownership, and cross-border mobility increasingly occur well before 21. By adjusting the legal age, the law makes it easier for people’s real-life experiences to match legal rules, which is an important goal of today’s legal systems.

Adapting to a Shifting Legal Landscape

Legal certainty is rarely achieved by standing still. It is achieved by adjusting in step with the law. At Legal Inz, we help individuals and families navigate reforms like these with clarity and precision, ensuring that Wills, guardianship provisions, and powers of attorney are drafted in line with current law, appropriately structured for relevant authorities, and aligned with long-term intentions. Staying aligned with the law today is the most effective way to avoid uncertainty tomorrow.