Federal Law No. 6/2018 on Arbitration applies to the following:

• any arbitration conducted in the United Arab Emirates, unless the parties have agreed that the law of another state should apply, provided that this does not conflict with public order and morality of the United Arab Emirates;

• any international commercial arbitration conducted abroad, if the parties have chosen the law of the United Arab Emirates to govern their dispute; and

• any arbitration arising from a dispute in respect of a legal relationship (regardless of whether it is contractual) governed by the law of the United Arab Emirates, save as excepted by special provision.

Federal Law No. 6/2018 does not set out the specific requirements a claimant will need to comply with when commencing an arbitration, which instead will be set out in the rules promulgated by the institution designated by the parties (to administer the proceedings) in their arbitration agreement.

The most prominent domestically-based arbitration centres in the United Arab Emirates are the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC) and the Abu Dhabi Commercial Conciliation and Arbitration Centre (ADCCAC).