The following is a practitioner primer of the Family Arrangements Regulations 2023 (the Regulations), with a comparative note on Luxembourg.

Effective 31 January 2023, establishing a Family Office in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) now requires a family-wide minimum net asset value of USD 50 million and full licensing by the Registrar under the Regulations, replacing the Single Family Office Regulations 2011 (SFO Regulations).

The Regulations broaden the framework beyond the single office concept to encompass families, family entities, family structures, family businesses and family offices. Legacy single family offices automatically converted on the commencement date, with one year to comply or face revocation of family office status.

The USD 50 million threshold is tested at fair market value across all family members and structures. For illiquid or layered wealth, practitioners must be prepared to support a defensible valuation. The three-generation limit on the common ancestor and the Registrar's sole discretion to determine family membership mean that complex or blended families should map their eligibility before filing.