Estate Planning
The financial life you built in the UAE is more complex than most UK estate planners have ever dealt with. We have.
Before the services — if you want to understand why estate planning matters for UAE returnees at a deeper level, read: Your Estate. Your Legacy.
Most UK estate planners have straightforward clients. A property. A pension. A savings account. A Will.
Returning UAE expats are not straightforward clients. They have pension arrangements across multiple jurisdictions — a QROPS, perhaps a UAE end-of-service gratuity, possibly a UK defined benefit scheme from before they left. They have property in both countries. They have investment portfolios built in tax-free environments that now need to be restructured for UK tax efficiency. They have business interests. They have family members in different countries.
And from April 2027 they have a new and significant tax exposure — unspent pension assets falling within the IHT estate for the first time — that most standard Will reviews will not adequately address.
Specialist estate planning is not a premium extra for returning UAE expats. It is a necessity.
What We Cover
A Will written before you left the UK may not reflect the assets you have built, the family that has grown or the legal changes that have occurred since. We coordinate introductions to qualified estate planning professionals who review or draft Wills reflecting your current position — including cross-border assets, pension nominations and business interests.
Without an LPA your family has no legal authority to act on your behalf if you lose capacity — even a spouse cannot access joint accounts or make medical decisions without one. We coordinate introductions to qualified professionals who prepare both types of LPA — property and financial affairs, and health and welfare — and handle registration.
The April 2027 pension IHT changes create significant new exposure for returning UAE expats with large pension pots. We help organise information about pension assets, property, investments and business interests and introduce qualified tax professionals who assess your IHT position and advise directly.
Your pension death nominations determine who receives your pension on death and how. Many people set these years ago and have never reviewed them. Given the April 2027 changes these nominations may need to be completely reconsidered. We coordinate pension nomination questions in the context of your overall estate plan and introduce an independent, appropriately authorised UK financial adviser who assesses them and advises you directly.
For estates above the IHT threshold, trust structures can provide significant tax efficiency and asset protection. We introduce qualified legal, tax and appropriately authorised financial professionals to assess whether a trust is appropriate, and coordinate the conversations and documentation.
If you have assets in the UAE — property, investment accounts, end-of-service gratuity entitlements — these require specific attention in your UK estate plan. We coordinate the cross-border elements of your estate to ensure nothing falls through the gap between jurisdictions.
The Process
We map your complete estate — every asset, every liability, every pension, every property, every business interest — across all jurisdictions. This gives us the complete picture from which all planning flows.
We identify the gaps between your current arrangements and where they need to be — missing LPAs, outdated Wills, unreviewed pension nominations, IHT exposure, cross-border vulnerabilities.
We coordinate the questions and introduce qualified or appropriately authorised professionals who make any recommendations directly. We help organise the agreed next steps, sequence and disclosed costs.
We coordinate the implementation of your estate plan — working with solicitors, pension providers and investment platforms as required. We then review the plan annually to ensure it remains current as your circumstances and the law evolve.
The Window
From 6 April 2027 unspent pension assets will be included in the taxable estate for inheritance tax purposes for the first time. For returning UAE expats with significant pension assets this represents a material and quantifiable increase in the tax their families will pay.
The strategies available to address this exposure today are different from — and significantly broader than — the strategies available after April 2027. The window is open. It will not stay open.
This service is designed specifically for British professionals who have lived and worked in the UAE and are returning to the UK — or who are planning their return and want to ensure their estate is structured correctly before they land.
It is also available to UAE-based British nationals who want to begin the estate planning process while still offshore — particularly in light of the April 2027 changes which will affect their estate regardless of where they are resident when they take effect.
International Estate & Succession
Returning to the UK is often only one part of a wider estate, succession and cross-border financial position.
Explore IFA EstateOne conversation. Your complete position. No obligation.
Book a Free ConsultationSee also: Our fiduciary model · Your Estate. Your Legacy.