The UAE and GCC: Life Insurance, Sharia Succession and the Forced Heirship Problem
The UAE imposes no inheritance tax, no estate duty, and no capital gains tax on death. The estate planning problem in the Gulf is not tax — it is who receives the assets. For the approximately 88.5% of the UAE population who are non-citizen expatriates, and for Muslim citizens subject to Sharia succession rules, life insurance is one of the most powerful tools available. Getting the structure right requires understanding what Sharia inheritance law actually mandates, and how DIFC, ADGM, and offshore structures interact with it. GLOBAL ESTATE PLANNING SERIESOverview — The Global LandscapePart 2 — EU Civil Law: France, Germany, Spain and BelgiumPart 3 — The UAE and GCC: Succession Without Estate Tax (You are here)Part 4 — Japan