E - UAE Federal Arbitration Law: Improvements and Uncertainties

In June 2018, the long awaited UAE Federal Arbitration Law (Federal Law No. 6/2018) came into force, repealing the arbitration specific provisions (known as the UAE Arbitration Chapter) which were contained in the UAE Civil Procedure Code (Federal Law No. 11/1992).

Federal Law No. 6/2018 contains a number of new provisions, which have considerably enhanced arbitration proceedings seated in the UAE. Unlike the previous UAE Arbitration Chapter, Federal Law No. 6/2018 is largely based on the UNCITRAL Model Law. It is also divided in six Chapters and contains 61 Articles, which are designed to provide a modern legislative framework for arbitration in the UAE, in line with international best practice. This article considers the key welcome changes which have been introduced by the new Arbitration Law and discusses the remaining grey areas and pitfalls, which have emerged since it came into force.

Scope of Application