Terminal Illness & End-of-Life Administration in United Arab Emirates: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Coordinate specialist palliative care, home healthcare, and hospital oncology units

   Begin with the treating oncology or specialist medical team at the hospital to arrange an integrated symptom-management and palliative care plan. In the UAE, specialist palliative and home healthcare services are regulated at the emirate and federal levels:

   • In Abu Dhabi, the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DOH) regulates inpatient hospice and palliative medicine as well as licensed home healthcare providers that deliver multidisciplinary pain and symptom management at home, integrated through the Malaffi health information exchange [1].
   • In Dubai, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) licenses hospital oncology centres and certified home healthcare facilities authorized to provide home-based palliative nursing, physician visits, controlled analgesic protocols, and home medical equipment [2].
   • In the Northern Emirates, tertiary hospitals under the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) coordinate oncology and supportive inpatient care.

   Ask the hospital case manager or treating specialist to submit a prior-authorization request to the person's health insurer (such as Thiqa or Daman in Abu Dhabi, or a DHA-compliant insurer in Dubai) to confirm coverage limits for inpatient palliative beds, home nursing visits, and specialist medical equipment [1][2].

2. 2

   Document the care plan, informed consent, and federal medical liability rules

   The UAE does not operate a standalone statutory living-will registry for broad advance refusals of life-sustaining treatment in the same manner as some Western jurisdictions. Instead, clinical care and resuscitation rules are governed by UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 4 of 2016 on Medical Liability (and its Executive Regulations under Cabinet Resolution No. 40 of 2019, as amended), published on the official UAE Legislation portal [3]. Under this federal framework, every medical intervention requires the informed consent of the patient (or their legal representative if capacity is lost), and physicians must document the treatment plan and explain expected outcomes and risks in the medical record [3].

   Under UAE medical liability rules, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and life-sustaining measures remain the clinical default unless the specific statutory criteria for withholding or withdrawing resuscitation (such as confirmed brain death or terminal, irreversible cessation of vital functions certified by at least three specialist physicians including the treating consultant) are met in accordance with federal health regulations [3]. While your family member has full capacity, they should meet with their treating consultant to record their symptom-management preferences, designate the primary family spokesperson in the hospital file, and obtain a written clinical summary and emergency care plan to keep at home for ambulance or emergency staff [1][2][3].

3. 3

   Execute notarized Powers of Attorney and bank mandates while full capacity exists

   To allow a trusted representative to manage property, residency or visa administration, utility contracts, and financial affairs in the UAE, your family member must execute a formal Power of Attorney (POA) while they retain full mental capacity. In the UAE, a Power of Attorney must be drafted in Arabic (or bilingual Arabic-English) and notarized before an official UAE Notary Public, such as through the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) e-Notary portal or Dubai Courts Notary Public [4]. Verification and signing can be completed online via video conference using UAE PASS, or in person [4].

   Keep two practical rules in mind when preparing Powers of Attorney in the UAE:

   • UAE retail banks rarely accept a generic Power of Attorney unless it contains explicit banking clauses naming the account powers, and many banks require the account holder to sign the bank's own internal mandate form in person while capacity is intact.
   • If a Power of Attorney is executed outside the UAE for use within the country, it must be notarized and legalized in the country of origin, attested by the UAE Embassy abroad, attested in the UAE by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), and translated into Arabic by a Ministry of Justice certified legal translator [4][5].
4. 4

   Access statutory leave provisions and health insurance catastrophic coverage

   Under the UAE Federal Labour Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021), documented on The Official Portal of the UAE Government, private-sector employees who have completed their probation period are entitled to up to 90 days of sick leave per year of service (the first 15 days at full pay, the next 30 days at half pay, and the remaining 45 days unpaid), supported by an official medical report [6]. While the private-sector labour law does not create a separate long-term paid caregiver leave for looking after an ill adult relative, employees can request paid annual leave or mutually agreed unpaid leave from their employer, and statutory paid bereavement (compassionate) leave of 5 days for the death of a spouse or 3 days for the death of a parent, child, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild applies following a death [6].

   Public-sector employees and UAE nationals working for federal or emirate government entities may have access to additional escort or patient-accompaniment leave under local human-resources laws when accompanying a family member for approved hospital treatment. At the same time, review the person's health insurance policy and any group life or critical-illness policy held through their employer to check whether a terminal-illness or permanent-disability benefit can be claimed early.

5. 5

   Organize wills, workplace end-of-service benefits, bank account rules, and estate courts

   In the UAE, individual and joint bank accounts, real estate, and local assets are frozen immediately once a bank or authority is notified of an account holder's death, and any lifetime Power of Attorney automatically expires upon death. Preparing the succession route while your family member has full capacity is therefore critical:

   • Registering a Will: Without a registered will, estate distribution and guardianship of minor children in the UAE may be subject to default statutory or Sharia-based inheritance procedures. Non-Muslim residents and asset holders can register a civil or common-law will in advance through the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department Civil Family Court (which registers civil wills for non-Muslims covering assets across the UAE) or through the DIFC Courts Wills Service in Dubai (which registers common-law English-language wills and handles probate for non-Muslims) [7][8]. Muslim residents may register wills in accordance with UAE personal status law before the Personal Status Court in their emirate.
   • Employment end-of-service gratuity and workplace insurance: Under UAE labour rules explained on The Official Portal of the UAE Government, an expatriate employee with at least one year of continuous service accrues statutory end-of-service gratuity (21 days' basic wage per year for the first five years and 30 days' basic wage per year thereafter), which the employer must settle within 14 days of contract termination or to the designated beneficiaries/heirs upon death [6]. Check whether the person has updated their beneficiary nomination form with their employer, free-zone authority, or workplace savings scheme (such as DEWS in DIFC).
   • Vital documents and funeral wishes: Gather the person's original passport, Emirates ID, marriage certificate, children's birth certificates (all attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where issued abroad), property title deeds, and insurance policies, and record whether the family will arrange local burial or cremation in the UAE or international repatriation to a home country [5].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Scope of Practice for Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physicians and Home Care Standards — Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DOH)
2. [2]
   Standards for Home Healthcare Services and Oncology/Palliative Care — Dubai Health Authority (DHA)
3. [3]
   Federal Decree-Law No. 4 of 2016 Concerning Medical Liability — UAE Legislation (uaelegislation.gov.ae)
4. [4]
   Notary Public and Power of Attorney Services Guide — Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD)
5. [5]
   Attestation of Official Documents and Powers of Attorney — UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)
6. [6]
   Leaves and End-of-Service Benefits in the Private Sector (UAE Labour Law) — The Official Portal of the UAE Government (u.ae)
7. [7]
   Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court - Civil Wills and Inheritance Services — Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD)
8. [8]
   DIFC Courts Wills Service and Probate for Non-Muslims — DIFC Courts