Arbitration Law · Federal Law 6 of 2018
Article 7
Chapter Two: Arbitration Agreement > Writing of the Arbitration Agreement
English translation
1. The Arbitration Agreement shall be in writing; otherwise it shall be null and void.
2. The Arbitration Agreement shall be deemed to have met the writing requirement in the following cases: a. If it is included in an instrument signed by the parties or in the letters or other means of written communications between the parties, or made by an email in accordance with the regulations in force in the State governing the electronic transactions; b. If reference is made in a written contract to provisions of a model contract, an international agreement, or any other document that includes an arbitration clause and the said reference is clear in treating such clause as an integral part of the contract; c. If an agreement to resort to arbitration is reached while the dispute is being heard by a competent court, the court shall render its ruling to confirm the arbitration agreement, to grant the litigants the right to initiate the arbitration proceedings at the specific place and time and under the clauses governing the same, and to dismiss the action; and d. If it is included in the written submissions exchanged between the parties during the arbitral proceedings or it is acknowledged before the court, where one of the parties requests to refer the dispute to arbitration and the other party does not object to the same in its reply.
Official translation, as published by the portal.
Official Arabic text
.1 يجب أن يكون اتفاق التحكيم مكتوباً وإلا كان باطلاً.
.2 يعد الاتفاق على التحكيم مستوفياً لشرط الكتابة في الحالات الآتية: أ. إذا تضمنه محرر وقعه الأطراف أو ورد فيما تبادلوه من رسائل أو غيرها من وسائل الاتصال المكتوبة أو تم بموجب رسالة إلكترونية وفقاً للقواعد النافذة في الدولة بشأن المعاملات الإلكترونية. ب. إذا أُحيل في عقد ثابت بالكتابة إلى أحكام عقد نموذجي أو اتفاقية دولية أو أية وثيقة أخرى تتضمن شرط تحكيم وكانت الإحالة واضحة في اعتبار هذا الشرط جزءاً من العقد. ج. إذا تم الاتفاق على التحكيم أثناء نظر النزاع من قبل المحكمة المختصة بنظره، تصدر المحكمة حكمها بإثبات اتفاق التحكيم ويترك للخصوم مباشرة إجراءات التحكيم في المكان والوقت الذي يتم تحديده وبالشروط التي تحكمه، والقضاء باعتبار الدعوى كأن لم تكن. د. إذا ورد في المذكرات الخطية المتبادلة بين الأطراف أثناء إجراءات التحكيم أو الإقرار به أمام القضاء، والتي يطلب فيها أحد الأطراف إحالة النزاع إلى التحكيم ولا يعترض على ذلك الطرف الآخر في معرض دفاعه.
What it means when you sign
This article requires an arbitration agreement to be in writing, otherwise it is null and void. It then lists cases in which the writing requirement is treated as met. These are: where the agreement is in an instrument signed by the parties, in letters or other written communications between them, or in an email in line with the electronic transactions rules in force in the State; where a written contract refers clearly to a model contract, an international agreement or another document containing an arbitration clause and treats that clause as part of the contract; where the parties agree to arbitration while a competent court is hearing the dispute, in which case the court records the agreement and dismisses the action; and where the agreement appears in written submissions exchanged during arbitral proceedings, or is acknowledged before the court, and the other side does not object.
When you are about to sign a contract, this article means that an arbitration clause must be in writing, and that a clear reference to another document containing one may count. Check the dispute clause and any documents it incorporates.
In Fahm reports this article usually sits under: Jurisdiction and enforceability
Related articles
- Article 4Cited in Fahm reportsThis article sets out who can make an arbitration agreement and on what.
- Article 11Cited in Fahm reportsThis article sets out how the arbitral tribunal is selected.
- Article 28Cited in Fahm reportsThis article is about where and how arbitration takes place.
- Article 53Cited in Fahm reportsThis article says an arbitral award can be objected to only by an action for annulment before the court, or while the court considers a request to confirm the award.