UAE Civil Procedure Code — articles 1–100

1. The provisions of this Code shall apply to all legal proceedings that have yet to be adjudicated on, as well as all procedures that have yet to be implemented, prior to the date of entry into force of this Code, with …

No application or plea shall be admitted insofar as the filing party thereof has no existing lawful interest in respect thereof. However, the potential interest shall be legally sufficient for the application or plea to …

1. Legal proceeding for revocation of administrative decisions shall not be admitted after sixty [60] days from the date of publishing the underlying administrative decision, or the date of serving the same upon the inte…

1. Where this Code prescribes a mandatory time limit for taking any action that is conducted by service of process, the time limit shall only be observed if either the application is submitted or the service of process i…

1. Arabic shall be the official language of courts, and the Court shall hear the statements of the non-Arabic-speaking litigants, witnesses and others through an interpreter after the latter takes the oath according to t…

1. The service of process shall be conducted upon the request of the litigant, or based on an order of the competent court or a decision of the Case Management Office, either by the process server or by the means prescri…

1. Any service of process shall be conducted, or any Execution procedure shall be initiated by the process server or the Execution Bailiff, between seven in the morning [07:00 am] and nine in the afternoon [09:00 pm], an…

1. The process to be served shall include the following details: a.The Plaintiff's name, surname, occupation or profession, domicile, mobile phone number, fax number, email, or its elected domicile and place of residence…

1. The Defendant shall be served by any of the following means: a. Audio or video recorded call, SMS to mobile phone, smart applications, email, fax, other modern means of communication or by any other means to be agreed…

Unless otherwise provided for in any other legislative instrument, a copy of the process shall be served as follows: 1.For the ministries, federal and local government bodies, public authorities and public institutions o…

The service of process shall be deemed effective as follows: 1.As of the date of service according to the provisions of Articles [9] and [10] of this Code, or the date on which the Defendant refuses to receive the same; …

1. If the law prescribes a time limit in days, months or years for appearance or for the occurrence of a particular procedure, neither the day of service nor the date of occurrence of the incident regarded by the law as …

1. The procedure shall be invalid if such invalidity is explicitly provided for in the law, or if the underlying procedure involves any essential defect or shortcoming due to which the purpose of the procedure cannot be …

Except for the cases where the invalidity is relating to the public order: 1.Invalidity may only be invoked by the party in whose favor the same is established by the law. 2.Invalidity may not be invoked by the party cau…

The invalid procedure may be rectified even after being invoked, provided that such rectification takes place within the time limit prescribed by law for the underlying procedure to be performed. If there is no time limi…

If the procedure is invalid but satisfies the elements of any other procedure, the latter shall be deemed valid as being the procedure whose elements are satisfied. If the procedure is partially invalid, only the invalid…

The transcript of court hearing shall be deemed an official deed in respect of its content, and shall be drawn up by a clerk who, together with the judge, shall sign the transcript in a paper or electronic format.; other…

he process server, clerks or other judicial assistants shall not get involved in any activity that falls within the scope of their jobs in respect of the legal proceedings relating to them or their spouses, blood relativ…

Except for actions in-rem relating to real property abroad, the Courts shall have the jurisdiction to hear and adjudicate on the legal proceedings instituted against national citizens as well as foreigners having a place…

The Courts shall have the jurisdiction over the foreigner who has no place of residence or domicile in the State in the following cases: 1.If the foreigner has an elected domicile in the State; 2.If the legal proceeding …

The Courts shall have the jurisdiction to adjudicate on the preliminary matters and interlocutory applications associated with the main case falling within their jurisdiction, as well as every motion or application relat…

If the Defendant fails to appear and the Court has no jurisdiction over the case according to the foregoing Articles, the Court shall, sua sponte, decide that it lacks the jurisdiction.

Any agreement that goes against the Articles of this Chapter shall be null and void.

1. The Courts of First Instance have the jurisdictions to hear all claims, disputes and proceedings of first instance, except for those excluded under a special provision. 2. Abu Dhabi Federal Court of First Instance sha…

Notwithstanding the provisions of the text of the forgoing Article, each Emirate may form committees to be vested with the exclusive authority to hear the disputes in relation to lease agreements between the Landlord and…

The Courts of Appeal shall have the jurisdiction to hear and adjudicate on the appeals filed therewith against the appealable judgments, decisions and orders rendered by the Courts of First Instance, as described in this…

1. A judge of the Court of First Instance shall be designated at the seat of the Court to render a judgment on a temporary basis without prejudice to the substance of the right involved on the urgent matters where the pa…

The courts of summary jurisdiction shall be exclusively authorized to impose receivership on any movable property, immovable property or a set of properties in respect of which there is a dispute or if the right connecte…

1.The First Instance Tribunals comprising a single judge shall hear the following cases: a.First instance cases, regardless of their value. b.Judgments rendered by the First Instance Tribunal shall be conclusive if the v…

1. Based on a decision of the Chairman of the Federal Judicial Council or the Head of the Local Judicial Body – within the areas of their respective competence - certain cases may be assigned to one or more tribunals of …

1. The Chairman of the Federal Judicial Council or the Head of the Local Judicial Body, within the areas of their respective competence, shall issue regulatory decisions on the following matters: a.The controls for assig…

1. By way of exception to the provisions of Chapters Two and Four of Section Twelve of Book One of this Law and the provisions of the Mediation and Conciliation Law, the President of the Federal Judicial Council or the H…

1. The court, within the territorial jurisdiction of which the Defendant's domicile is located, shall have the jurisdiction over the case, unless the law provides otherwise. If the Defendant has no domicile in the State,…

1. Jurisdiction on actions in-rem involving real property and the legal proceedings for possession shall be vested in the court, within the territorial jurisdiction of which the property or any part thereof is located if…

Jurisdiction over the cases relating to companies or associations existing or undergoing liquidation or private establishments, shall be vested in the court within the territorial jurisdiction of which the headquarters o…

The jurisdiction over estate-related proceedings filed before division by the creditor of the estate or by any heirs against other heirs shall be vested in the court within the territorial jurisdiction of which the perma…

1. Jurisdiction over bankruptcy-related cases shall be vested in the court within the territorial jurisdiction of which the business place of the bankrupt is located. If there are several business places of the bankrupt,…

Jurisdiction over the proceedings relating to supplies, contracting projects, property rents, wages of employees, craftsmen and daily workers shall be vested in the court within the territorial jurisdiction of which the …

Jurisdiction over the proceedings relating to insurance claims shall be vested in the court within the territorial jurisdiction of which the beneficiary's domicile or the insured property is located.

1. For the cases involving a claim to take an interim or summary measure, the jurisdiction shall be vested in the competent court of first instance within the territorial jurisdiction of which the Defendant's domicile is…

The court that hears the main case shall have the jurisdiction to decide on the interlocutory applications. However, for the legal proceedings involving the claim for compensation, the Defendant may object to the court's…

If the Defendant has no domicile or place of residence in the State, and it is not possible to designate the competent court in accordance with the aforementioned provisions, the jurisdiction shall be vested in the court…

For the obligations in respect of their performance an elected domicile has been chosen in advance, the jurisdiction shall be vested in the court within the territorial jurisdiction of which the Defendant's domicile or t…

1. The case shall be instituted before the Court at the request of the Plaintiff, through filing a statement of claims with the Case Management Office, or through filing the same in an electronic or paper format accordin…

1. An office, to be known as the "Case Management Office", shall be established at the seat of the competent court. 2. The Case Management Office shall be made up of one head and a sufficient number of court employees, b…

1. The time limit for appearance before the Case Management Office or the competent court shall be ten [10] business days. Whenever necessary, this time limit may be shortened up to three [3] business days. 2. The time l…

1. After the fees are collected, the Case Management Office shall have the case registered in the relevant record, whether electronically or in a paper format, indicating the date of registration and the Plaintiff's know…

1. Other than the cases of using remote communication technology or electronic registration, the Plaintiff shall, upon registering its statement of claim, file as many photocopies thereof as the number of Defendants in a…

1. Other than the cases of using means and remote communication, the Case Management Office shall, not later than the day following the date of registration of the statement of claims, deliver a copy thereof, along with …

1. The value of the case shall be determined on the filing day thereof. Under all circumstances, the determination shall be based on the closing arguments of the litigants. In addition, the determination of case value sh…

1. If the value is not mentioned in cash but can be determined in cash, the value shall be determined by the court. 2. If the claim is an amount of money in a currency other than the UAE Currency, the value of the case s…

1. Without prejudice to the Legal Profession Law, the litigants shall, on the day scheduled for the case to be hard before the Case Management Office or before the Court, as the case may be, appear either in person or th…

1. If neither the Plaintiff nor the Defendant appears, the court shall decide on the case - if judicable; otherwise, it shall decide a nonsuit. If [30] thirty days have passed and neither litigant has submitted an applic…

1. The legal proceeding shall be deemed in presence of the Defendant if the latter appears in person or is represented by an attorney, if a power of attorney is issued on his behalf before the Case Management Office or a…

Without prejudice to the provisions of Article [56.1] of this Code, in the event that the duly-served Defendant fails to appear before the court, the latter shall render a judgment on the case, and such a judgment shall …

1. In the event of absence of the Defendant and where it has been revealed to the court or the Cases Management Office that the service of the statement of claim sustained nullity, then it shall adjourn the case to an up…

1. A duly-served litigant shall follow up on the adjournments, hearing dates and proceedings of the same, and the judgments and decisions of the court, the supervising judge and the case management office, as the case ma…

1. The court shall permit attorneys to act on behalf of the original litigants pursuant to the provisions of the Law. 2. A delegated attorney shall furnish a power of attorney to act on behalf of its client. 3. A power o…

1.The litigant's issuance of a power of attorney shall render the domicile of its attorney as the elected domicile of the litigant itself in respect of serving the papers required for the progress of the case in the liti…

The legal representation shall authorize the attorney to perform the procedures and actions required for initiating, following up on, and defending any case, as well as taking the precautionary measures until a judgment …

1.All acts performed by the attorney at a court hearing in the presence of the client shall be deemed as acts performed by the client in person, unless the same is refuted by the client at the same hearing. 2.In the abse…

No judge, Attorney General, member of the public prosecution, or a court employee may act as attorney on behalf any litigant for appearance or pleading purpose, whether verbally or in writing, even if the case is brought…

The Public Prosecution may institute legal proceedings in the events prescribed by the law, and, in such cases, the public prosecution shall have the same rights of the litigants.

With the exception of summary proceedings, the public prosecution shall intervene in the following instances, failing which, the court judgment shall be null and void: 1.The legal proceedings which the public prosecution…

With the exception of summary proceedings, the public prosecution may intervene in the following instances: 1.In case of lack of jurisdiction due to the denial of jurisdiction of the judiciary body; 2.[Preventive] Compos…

The court may, regardless of the status-quo of the case, order referral of the case file, electronically or in hard copies, to the public prosecution where such a case involves an issue of the public order or community m…

1.The Public prosecution shall be deemed duly represented in a case whenever it has been served a notice on the same or whenever it has submitted a memorandum of opinion thereon, and in such instance, the presence of the…

Under all circumstances wherein the Law requires the intervention of public prosecution, the Cases Management Office at the court shall serve a notice upon the public prosecution not later than 3 [three] business days fr…

At its request, the public prosecution shall be granted at least 7 [seven] business days to submit a memorandum of opinion, and such a time limit shall commence on the date on which the case file has been served upon the…

The public prosecution may intervene in the case notwithstanding the status-quo of the same prior to the close of pleadings.

In all cases wherein the public prosecution is an intervenor, the litigants involved may neither, following the public prosecution's submission of its opinion and claims, request verbal pleadings nor submit any further s…

The Public prosecution may appeal any judgment in the events which the Law permits or required intervention by the Public Prosecution, in the event that the judgment violates any public order rule or where the law stipul…

Pleadings shall take place at the first court hearing. Where a Plaintiff or a Defendant submits, at the first hearing, an Exhibit which it could have submitted during the time limit prescribed under Article [48.2] of thi…

1.The court or the supervising judge may order a fine of not less than AED 1,000 [one thousand UAE Dirhams] and not more than AED 10,000 [ten thousand UAE Dirhams] against any defaulting employee of the court or against …

The order of penalty issued pursuant to the provisions of Articles [73] and [74] of this Code may be enforced by the court or the supervising judge, as the case may be, and such enforcement shall take place pursuant to t…

1.The court may permit the litigants, during the hearing of the case, to submit documents, pleas or new evidence, to amend their existing claims, or to submit interlocutory applications which they could not submit to the…

The court may offer amicable settlement to the litigants, and may, to that end, order the personal appearance of such parties. Amicable settlement shall take place and enforced pursuant to the procedures, rules and effec…

1.The court may not adjourn a case more than once for the same reason which is attributable to either of the litigants, unless the same is caused by an emergency following referral to court trial, e.g. demise or incapaci…

With the exception of personal status cases and legacy cases, pleadings shall be conducted in open court unless otherwise stipulated by the applicable laws of the State or unless the court decides, either sua sponte or u…

1.Litigants shall be summoned and called by the bailiff as on the date specified for the hearing of the case. 2.The Plaintiff shall have the right to speak first in the case, unless the Defendant admits the facts describ…

The litigants may require the court, regardless of the litigation stage of the case, to order that their agreement be recorded in the transcript of the court hearing, as long as the same does not go against the applicabl…

1.The order and management of the court hearing shall be vested in the presiding judge, who may, to that end, dismiss from the hearing any person jeopardizing the order of the court, but if such a person does not comply,…

The court may, sua sponte, order removal of the inappropriate or obscene phrases or expressions which infract the public order or community morals from any paper of the documents of pleadings or submissions.

The presiding judge of the hearing shall order that a report be drawn up on each crime which occurs during the hearing and that investigation be conducted into the same, and thereafter he shall order referral of the rele…

In the event that a crime of assault has been committed against the Bench or any member of the Bench or any of the court employee, perjury or any crime which is punishable by the law during the court hearings, the court …

1.The plea to the territorial jurisdiction, the plea for referral of a case to another court on the basis that the latter is hearing the same dispute or for correlation purposes, the plea to invalidity which is not assoc…

The plea to the territorial or subject-matter jurisdiction of the Court may be furnished at any stage of litigation, and the court shall decide on the same sua sponte.

Subject to Article [33.5] of this Code, where the litigants have agreed to plead before a court other than the one before which the case has been filed, the court may order that the case be referred to the court on which…

In the event that the same dispute is brought before two courts, the plea of referral shall be furnished to the latest court before which the dispute has been filed so as to issue a judgment thereon.

The plea of referral on the basis of correlation may be furnished before either of the two courts, and the court to which the case has been referred shall hear the same.

1.Whenever the court orders referral in the foregoing instances, it may determine for the litigants the hearing on which they shall be present before the court to which the case has been referred, and that the Cases Mana…

The invalidity of service of statements of claim and summons which results from an error involving the service process, the details of the court or the date of the hearing, shall cease to exist when the served Defendant …

1.The motion to dismiss a case may be furnished at any stage of litigation. 2.Where the court is convinced that the motion to dismiss the case on the grounds of denial of the Defendant's locus standi is well-founded, it …

The motion to dismiss a case on the grounds of res judicata doctrine may be furnished at any stage of litigation, and shall be decided on by the court sua sponte.

The court shall decide on the pleas and motions on a case-by-case basis, unless it orders joinder of the same to the subject-matter of the case, and in such instance, the court shall indicate its decision on the pleas an…

The litigant may bring into an ongoing legal proceeding any Third Party who could have been validly sued upon instituting the same. The Defendant may, if it claims that it has a right associated with the right under cons…

Each interested party may intervene in an ongoing legal proceeding alongside either litigant, or may seek in its own favor a judgment that grants a claim relating to the ongoing legal proceeding, pursuant to the standard…

1.The court may, sua sponte, order that any Third Party be brought into an ongoing legal proceeding, as deemed appropriate for the proper administration of justice or revelation of truth. In which case, the court shall d…

1.The Plaintiff or the Defendant may submit any interlocutory applications that are associated with the original claim in a manner which renders the simultaneous examination of both of them beneficial to justice. 2.Such …

The Plaintiff may submit any interlocutory applications which: 1.Introduce correction of the original claim or amendment of its subject-matter so as to address circumstances which have occurred or been revealed after the…