Planning for Your Digital Legacy in the UAE: A Legal Guide

In today’s connected world, our digital lives leave behind more than just memories; they leave behind data. From social media profiles and cryptocurrency wallets to cloud-stored files and business accounts, our digital presence can linger long after we’re gone. For UAE residents, particularly those managing assets across multiple jurisdictions, ensuring that this digital footprint is accounted for in estate planning is not only a matter of practicality but also of legal foresight.

While physical property is clearly addressed under inheritance laws, digital data remains a grey area, often handled inconsistently across platforms and rarely addressed in traditional wills. The result? Families left in the dark, accounts left unmanaged, and data vulnerable to erasure or misuse.

This guide explores how UAE residents can proactively plan their digital legacy under the country’s legal framework, ensuring compliance, clarity, and compassion in every click.

Understanding Digital Legacies in the UAE

In the UAE, what happens to your estate (including your digital assets) depends on your personal circumstances.

Muslim Residents

By default, your estate will be distributed under Sharia law, including any digital assets that are legally recognised (such as crypto holdings or online businesses). However, social media profiles, cloud-stored data, and email access aren’t always treated as “property” in the traditional sense, and most platforms won’t act on requests without additional documentation or legal orders.

Non-Muslim Residents

You have the option to register a will under:

• Dubai Courts (for assets in Dubai),

• Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD), or

• DIFC Wills Service Centre, which operates under a common law system.

Of the three, the DIFC currently offers the most flexible and internationally relevant framework for digital assets. In 2024, it introduced the Digital Assets Law, which for the first time in the UAE:

• Defines what digital assets actually are (including tokens, data, and rights to online accounts),

• Provides rules on how they can be transferred, accessed, or inherited, and

• Recognises digital assets as a new form of property under DIFC law.

• This law is beneficial for anyone with online income streams, cryptocurrency, or digital business assets. However, it doesn’t automatically override the policies of the platforms themselves, which still serve as gatekeepers when it comes to access.

Can You Include Digital Accounts in a Will?

You can name digital assets in your will. You can list accounts, appoint someone to manage or close them, and leave instructions for what you’d like done with your data. But there’s a catch: just because your will says something doesn’t mean the platform is legally bound to follow it.

Most platforms are governed by the laws of the country where they’re headquartered, usually the United States. That means even if your UAE-registered will names a digital executor, a company like Apple or Meta might still deny them access unless you’ve set up the right tools inside the platform.

In other words, your will matters, but platform policies still come first.

That’s why digital estate planning isn’t just about writing a will; it’s about combining your legal documents with the settings and tools available on each platform. We’ll walk you through those shortly.

If you’re a non-Muslim and you’ve registered a will through DIFC or ADJD, you can include clauses that cover:

• Cryptocurrency wallets and exchanges,

• NFTs or tokenised assets,

• Cloud-stored business materials or IP,

• Instructions for account deletion or transfer (social media, email, etc.),

• Appointing a specific digital executor separate from your main one.

You can also mention specific login tools, like naming a password manager or vault you’ve used to store credentials.

But again, this is only enforceable if the company holding your data recognises the authority of your will, which isn’t always the case unless you’ve pre-set legacy tools with them.

What Can You do Today

Even if you haven’t written a will yet, there’s a lot you can do right now to make sure your digital life is easier to manage for you and for whoever might need to deal with it later.

Here’s where to start:

1) Use the Built-In Tools on Major Platforms

Many platforms now offer settings that let you decide what happens after you’re gone. You just have to dig into your account settings and switch them on.

• Google – Set up the Inactive Account Manager to decide when your account should be considered inactive and who should be notified. You can even give them access to selected data (Drive, Gmail, Photos, etc.).

• Apple – Add a Legacy Contact via your iPhone settings. This gives someone access to your Apple ID data after you pass, including photos, notes, and iCloud files.

• Facebook & Instagram – You can choose to delete your account after death or appoint a legacy contact who can manage a memorialised version. Find it under Settings > Memorialisation (Facebook) or via Account Centre (Instagram).

• LinkedIn – No pre-settings, but your family or legal rep can request deletion or memorialisation through a form.

• Other platforms – Most don’t make it easy, which is why storing your access info (see next step) matters.

2) Store Access Details Somewhere Secure

A major reason families can’t manage digital accounts is simple: no one knows the passwords.

You don’t have to write them all on paper. Instead:

• Use a password manager (like 1Password, Bitwarden, or Dashlane),

• Store master access instructions in a place someone you trust can find, or

• Leave guidance with your lawyer or as part of your registered will (especially if using DIFC or ADJD).

Don’t forget backup codes, 2FA apps, and any encryption keys, especially for crypto wallets or cloud storage.

3) Make a Digital Assets Inventory

Create a private list of:

• Important accounts and platforms you use

• Whether you want them deleted, preserved, or transferred

• Where they’re backed up (if at all)

• Which ones have financial value

Platform Policies: Who Actually Controls Your Accounts?

Let’s be clear: even with a registered will in the UAE, most global tech platforms won’t simply hand over access to your digital accounts unless you took action while alive. That’s because these platforms follow their own policies (often based on U.S. or European law), and they’re not always aligned with DIFC rulings or court orders from UAE courts.

So while your legal documents are essential, what matters just as much (sometimes more) is what settings you’ve activated within each platform.

Here’s a breakdown of how the most popular platforms handle user accounts after death and what you can do now to make sure they follow your wishes later.

Facebook

Facebook, one of the pioneers in recognising the reality of user deaths, offers relevant safeguards and tools in such circumstances. Family members have the option to request the memorization or deletion of an account. Memorised accounts remain on the platform, prefixed with “Remembering” before the user’s name. Notably, Facebook prohibits anyone from logging in to memorised accounts, and these profiles are removed from the “people you may know” section. In contrast, deletion permanently removes the profile from the platform.

Users also have the autonomy to take matters into their own hands by navigating to Settings > Memorization. This feature allows users to request the deletion of their account upon their passing or appoint a legacy contact responsible for managing tribute posts, responding to friend requests, and updating the profile and cover photos.

For more information, please click here.

Instagram

Similar to Facebook, Instagram allows users to memorialise or delete their accounts. Memorialised accounts retain the user’s content but prevent any further modifications. They are also excluded from the “people you may know” and “explore” sections of the platform.

Users also have the option to manually specify what happens to their account in Settings > Account Centre > Personal details > Account ownership and control > Legacy contact.

Learn more by clicking here.

X (formerly Twitter)

Unlike Meta’s platforms above, X lacks the feature of memorising accounts. Currently, the platform only offers requests for the deletion of deceased user accounts. The deletion process involves various documents, including the user’s death certificate and the submitter’s ID. Notably, X stands out with its ability to also submit the removal of medically incapacitated users (power of attorney is required in these cases).

Learn more by clicking here.

TikTok

TikTok, the most unique platform on this list, seems more preoccupied with its time-consuming algorithm than with what happens after a user has literally no time left before the platform consumes them. TikTok lacks a formal policy for deceased users. The best chance a deceased person’s family members have is to contact the support team. It’s worth noting that TikTok deactivates accounts after ‘extended periods’ of non-use.

Learn more about inactive TikTok accounts by clicking here.

LinkedIn

While LinkedIn does not allow users to appoint a legacy manager, it has a clear process for handling a user’s passing. This process is divided into two options:

• Authorised persons who act on behalf of a deceased user’s behalf can request the account to be closed with the proof of appropriate documentation.

• Unauthorised persons can report a member as deceased, leading to the memorisation of the profile. The “In remembrance” label appears on the profile as shown in the example below.

  
  

Learn more by clicking here.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp lacks a formal policy regarding deceased users. In reality, this leaves account management to the person who owns the registered phone number (whether it’s inherited as part of the estate or resold by the telecom company to a new user). Fortunately, WhatsApp accounts are automatically deleted after 120 days of inactivity, simplifying the process to an extent. Alternatively, the next bet of the loved ones is to contact the support team.

Snapchat

Snapchat explicitly prohibits any access to a deceased user’s account. Only the user with access to the verified registered account’s email can make access or deletion requests. Snapchat accounts are also automatically deleted after a prolonged period of inactivity on the platform.

Google

Google offers account deletion or data access options based on the Inactive Account Manager settings selected by the user. If no preferences were set, the immediate family members of the deceased user can request deletion or access to Google. Please note, however, that access is granted only under specific circumstances after a thorough review of Google.

Requests can be submitted by clicking here.

Apple

Apple offers one of the most comprehensive and robust mechanisms for handling deceased users on this list. Users can easily set up an account on iPhones, iPads, and Macs by following the guide provided here. If there’s no legacy account, the deceased’s legal representatives can request the deletion of the Apple Account. Furthermore, Apple is committed to granting access to the account with a court order from various jurisdictions, including the US and countries like France, Germany, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.

Learn more by clicking here.

Control Starts Now

Estate planning isn’t just about transferring property; it’s about transferring clarity. And when it comes to digital assets, clarity is rare unless you create it yourself.

In the UAE, the legal landscape is catching up. The DIFC’s Digital Assets Law has laid a strong foundation, and registered wills through DIFC or ADJD provide tools to name, protect, and pass on your digital property. But laws alone won’t grant your loved ones access to your Instagram, your crypto, or your business emails. That part? That’s still your responsibility.

So if you take one thing from this guide, let it be this:

Don’t wait. Use the tools platforms already give you. Record your wishes. Store your access information securely. And if your estate is complex or your digital life forms a significant part of your identity or income, consult a legal advisor who understands both the law and the technology.

At Novulex, we help UAE residents plan smart, modern estates that reflect their actual lives, not just the ones on paper. If you need guidance on including digital assets in your legal planning, we’re here to help.

Because your digital life deserves just as much care as everything else you leave behind.