Abstract This paper discusses the approach for a reservoir up design of a multilateral well. In the last two to three years, the industry has seen multilateral wells of varying complexities drilled and completed by operators in diverse areas. This paper presents one approach to the design of a multilateral well conducted by a team comprising of operator's and contractor's personnel. The intent of the authors of this paper is to discuss their approach to the selection of a candidate for a multilateral well, the drilling and the completion design of a multilateral well. The case in point for this paper's discussion is a multilateral well in Beibu Gulf*. The methodology encompasses the full circuit of a well design, beginning with candidate selection, lithology considerations, well engineering, drilling and well profile optimization, fluid considerations, and the final well completion.