Living Will / Advance Medical Directive (UAE)

A Living Will, also known as an Advance Medical Directive, in the United Arab Emirates is a document by which a person of full legal capacity records their preferences for medical treatment in circumstances where they may later become incapacitated and unable to make or communicate decisions. The directive appoints a healthcare proxy — a trusted individual authorised to communicate the principal's wishes to medical professionals — and sets out the principal's preferences regarding life-prolonging treatment, pain management, palliative care, organ donation, and religious or cultural end-of-life rituals.

The UAE does not yet have a standalone statute specifically governing advance medical directives, as some other jurisdictions do. However, such instruments are increasingly recognised in UAE healthcare practice under the general principles of patient autonomy and self-determination in the UAE Civil Code (Federal Law No. 5 of 1985), the patient rights frameworks developed by the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) under Dubai Health Law, and the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (DoH/HAAD). The UAE is also influenced by international medical ethics standards, and major hospitals in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are familiar with the concept of advance directives from the experience of their large expatriate patient populations.

The Living Will / Advance Medical Directive (UAE) is particularly valuable for the UAE's large expatriate community, whose members may come from countries with different medical traditions and whose family members may live overseas. In the absence of a directive, the treating medical team will make decisions in consultation with the nearest available family member or, where no family member is available, in accordance with standard medical protocols and the hospital's ethics committee guidelines. A clear written directive, shared with the healthcare proxy, the treating physician, and the relevant hospital, ensures that the patient's preferences are known and can guide the medical team's decisions.

Religious and cultural considerations are particularly important in the UAE. Islamic medical ethics, which influence healthcare standards in the country even for non-Muslim patients, generally favour preserving life and do not readily recognise the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment. A non-Muslim patient who has specific preferences about the withdrawal of treatment or the withholding of resuscitation should record those preferences clearly and discuss them with their physician and the hospital ethics committee in advance, rather than leaving the decision to be resolved in an emergency. Similarly, specific religious or cultural end-of-life rituals — such as the presence of a chaplain, the preparation of the body, or notifications to the embassy or consulate — should be recorded in the directive.

Organ donation in the UAE is governed by the Human Organs Transplantation Law (Federal Law No. 5 of 1984) and related ministerial regulations of MOHAP, and a preference for or against donation should be clearly recorded. forms-legal.com provides this Advance Directive template as a starting point; users should share the completed document with their healthcare proxy, treating physician, and chosen hospital, and discuss its content with their physician to ensure it is understood and can be given practical effect.

A Living Will / Advance Medical Directive in the United Arab Emirates is needed by any adult who has preferences about their medical treatment in end-of-life situations and wishes to ensure those preferences are known and can guide the medical team when the principal cannot communicate.

The directive is most urgently needed for expatriates living in the UAE whose immediate family members are based overseas. If a UAE-based expatriate becomes incapacitated following an accident, a stroke, or a terminal illness, the hospital may not be able to reach their family quickly, and the medical team must act without the benefit of family input. A directive that names a local healthcare proxy — for example, a UAE-resident friend or colleague — and sets out the principal's preferences gives the hospital and the proxy clear guidance at a critical moment.

The directive is needed when a person has strong preferences about life-prolonging treatment, resuscitation, or the withdrawal of treatment. These preferences may be driven by religious conviction, personal values, or prior experience caring for a seriously ill family member. Without a directive, the medical team and the hospital ethics committee will make decisions based on standard medical protocols and the input of available family, which may not reflect the patient's wishes.

The directive is needed when a person holds strong religious or cultural beliefs that should guide their end-of-life care. For non-Muslims receiving treatment in UAE hospitals, recording preferences regarding religious rites, contact with an embassy or consulate, and repatriation of remains ensures the hospital staff are aware of these needs even if the family is not immediately available.

The directive is also needed for organ donation preferences. UAE law under the Human Organs Transplantation Law (Federal Law No. 5 of 1984) regulates donation, and a clear preference on file with the hospital avoids delay and uncertainty at the time of death.

The directive should be reviewed and updated every three years, or following a significant change in health status, a change in healthcare proxy, or a change in the principal's treatment preferences.

A complete Living Will / Advance Medical Directive for the United Arab Emirates should contain the following elements to ensure that medical professionals, the healthcare proxy, and the hospital's ethics committee can understand and give effect to the principal's wishes.

Principal Identification: The full legal name, Emirates ID or passport number, nationality, residential address, and emirate of residence of the person making the directive. The emirate determines the primary healthcare regulator — the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) for Dubai, the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (DoH/HAAD) for Abu Dhabi, and the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) for other emirates.

Declaration of Legal Capacity: A statement that the principal is of sound mind and full legal capacity at the time of making the directive, consistent with the UAE Civil Code (Federal Law No. 5 of 1985).

Healthcare Proxy: The full name, relationship, phone number, and email of the primary healthcare proxy, and an alternate proxy. The proxy is the person authorised to communicate the principal's wishes to the treating medical team and to make treatment decisions consistent with the directive when the principal cannot. The proxy should be a person who is reliably contactable in an emergency, knows the principal's values, and is capable of communicating with UAE healthcare providers.

Life-Prolonging Treatment Preferences: A clear statement of the principal's preference regarding the provision or withdrawal of life-prolonging treatment in defined circumstances, including the use of artificial ventilation, resuscitation, and feeding tubes.

Pain Management and Palliative Care: A request for adequate pain relief and comfort care, consistent with UAE medical ethics guidelines.

Organ Donation: A statement of consent or non-consent to organ or tissue donation, consistent with the Human Organs Transplantation Law (Federal Law No. 5 of 1984) and MOHAP regulations.

Religious and Cultural Preferences: Specific religious or cultural end-of-life wishes, including the presence of religious staff, preparation of the body, and notifications to family, embassy, or consulate.

Signature and Witnesses: The principal's signature and date, and the signatures of two independent witnesses. forms-legal.com provides this template as a starting point; users should share the document with their physician and the relevant hospital before any emergency.

Completing a Living Will / Advance Medical Directive for the United Arab Emirates requires the principal to think through their medical preferences and to ensure the document is shared with the right people while in full health.

Step one: Enter the principal's details. Record the full legal name as shown on the Emirates ID or passport, Emirates ID or passport number, nationality, residential address, and emirate. The emirate determines the primary healthcare authority — the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) for Dubai residents, the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (DoH/HAAD) for Abu Dhabi residents, and the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) for residents of other emirates.

Step two: Make the declaration of legal capacity. The directive takes effect only if the principal was of sound mind and full legal capacity when signing. A clear declaration at the outset protects the validity of the document.

Step three: Appoint the healthcare proxy. Name a primary proxy with their relationship, phone, and email, and an alternate proxy. Choose people who are reliably reachable in an emergency, understand your values, and are prepared to advocate for your wishes with UAE medical professionals. Inform both proxies of their appointment and ensure they have a copy of the directive.

Step four: Record life-prolonging treatment preferences. Select the option that best reflects your wishes: all available treatment; withdrawal of treatment in defined terminal circumstances; comfort care only; or deference to the proxy in consultation with the physician. This is the most important and the most personal part of the directive. For non-Muslims with strong preferences about the withdrawal of treatment, discussing those preferences with a UAE physician and the hospital's ethics committee in advance of any emergency is strongly recommended.

Step five: Confirm pain management and palliative care preferences.

Step six: Record organ donation preferences under the Human Organs Transplantation Law (Federal Law No. 5 of 1984) and any specific organs if only partial consent is given.

Step seven: Record religious and cultural preferences for end-of-life care and after death.

Step eight: Sign before two witnesses. Distribute signed copies to the healthcare proxy, the treating physician, the chosen UAE hospital, and retain a copy with the Will and estate-planning documents. Review and redate the directive every three years.

A Living Will / Advance Medical Directive in the United Arab Emirates operates in a legal environment that is supportive of patient autonomy in principle, but that lacks the specific statutory framework that many other jurisdictions have enacted.

The UAE Civil Code (Federal Law No. 5 of 1985) provides the general legal basis for a person to record their wishes and to appoint a representative to act on their behalf. The principle of personal autonomy recognised in the Civil Code supports the validity of an advance directive as a legal instrument, even in the absence of a specific statute. UAE courts and hospital ethics committees are increasingly familiar with advance directives, particularly in the context of the large expatriate population.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) is the federal authority responsible for health regulation across most UAE emirates, and its patient rights frameworks affirm the right of a patient to make informed decisions about their treatment. The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) in Dubai and the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (DoH/HAAD) in Abu Dhabi have developed complementary patient rights standards. Major hospitals in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, including many JCI-accredited international hospitals, have ethics committees that consider advance directives in end-of-life care decisions.

Islamic medical ethics play an important role in UAE healthcare practice, including for non-Muslim patients in some contexts. Islamic principles generally favour preserving life and do not readily allow the withdrawal of treatment; a non-Muslim patient with preferences about the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment should discuss those preferences with their physician and the hospital's ethics committee in advance, and should ensure the directive is clearly worded and on file with the hospital.

Organ donation is governed by the Human Organs Transplantation Law (Federal Law No. 5 of 1984) and MOHAP ministerial regulations. An advance directive that clearly records consent or non-consent to donation assists the hospital in making a timely decision consistent with the patient's wishes and the applicable law.

The Personal Status Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2024 is relevant to the extent that the directive addresses guardianship and proxy authority for incapacitated persons; for Muslims, the relevant Personal Status Court has jurisdiction over guardianship and incapacity matters.

Mistakes in preparing or storing a Living Will / Advance Medical Directive in the United Arab Emirates most often result in the document being unavailable at the critical moment or being ineffective in guiding the medical team.

The most serious mistake is keeping the directive entirely private without sharing it with the healthcare proxy, the treating physician, or the hospital. A carefully prepared advance directive that remains in a home file, unknown to the medical team, provides no benefit at all. Distributing signed copies to the healthcare proxy, the treating physician, and the relevant hospital while the principal is in full health is the essential step that gives the directive practical effect.

A second mistake is naming a healthcare proxy who lives overseas and cannot reach the UAE quickly in an emergency. An overseas proxy may be unreachable at a critical moment, leaving the hospital to act without proxy input. Naming a UAE-resident primary proxy and an overseas alternate proxy provides a realistic escalation path.

A third mistake is failing to discuss the directive with the treating physician in advance. UAE hospitals, particularly those in Dubai regulated by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and those in Abu Dhabi under the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (DoH/HAAD), have established ethics committee processes for end-of-life decisions. A physician who is aware of the directive and has discussed it with the patient is far better placed to give it effect than one who encounters it for the first time during an emergency.

A fourth mistake is using vague language for life-prolonging treatment preferences. A directive that says only 'I do not want extraordinary measures' without defining what that means leaves the medical team uncertain. The directive should clearly state which specific interventions — ventilation, resuscitation, tube feeding — the patient consents to or refuses in specified circumstances.

A fifth mistake is failing to update the directive. A directive prepared ten years ago may not reflect the principal's current wishes, health status, or choice of healthcare proxy. Reviewing and redating the directive every three years, and updating it after any significant change in health or circumstances, ensures it remains current and credible.