Guide · updated 31.07.2026 · 13 min read · Lucent Legal team

How to File a Court Case in the UAE: Where to Start

Filing a civil case in Dubai for the first time feels like it should require a full-time lawyer and local know-how you don't have. In reality, a civil case in Dubai courts runs on a fairly formal, predictable track: defined steps, known fees, and clear deadlines — they're just rarely laid out in one place for expats. Below is a step-by-step walkthrough: where to start, which venue depends on the amount you're claiming, what needs Arabic translation, what it costs, and when you can realistically skip a lawyer. If someone else filed against you — a bank chasing an overdue loan, for instance — this isn't the guide you need; see what to do if a bank sued you instead.

Step 1: pre-litigation notice — write one, or go straight to court?

The law doesn't always require a formal notice before a court will accept a claim. In practice, though, a written legal notice — demanding payment or performance by a specific date — is the standard first move almost every lawyer in Dubai takes, and it's not just a formality:

1. It puts the amount and the substance of the claim on record officially, before any proceedings start.
2. It shows the court you acted in good faith — that you gave the other side a chance to resolve things without litigation.
3. It often solves the problem outright: once people get a formal letter from a lawyer, they frequently find the money or come to the table.

If your dispute is specifically a private debt — with detail on evidence (WhatsApp threads, bank transfers) and the fast-track Payment Order procedure — see our dedicated guide on how to recover a debt from a person in the UAE.

Step 2: where to file — it depends on the amount and the type of dispute

There's no single "just go to court" entry point in Dubai — the route depends on the claim amount and category.

• Up to AED 500,000, general civil/commercial dispute. A prior stage at the Centre for Amicable Settlement of Disputes (CASD) is usually mandatory — filing directly with the court, skipping the Centre, can get the case rejected for lack of jurisdiction. If settlement fails, the case moves forward — often under the simplified Small Claims and Disputes Tribunal procedure.
• Above AED 500,000. The claim goes straight to the Court of First Instance under ordinary procedure, with no mandatory CASD stage.
• Labour disputes (unpaid salary, unfair dismissal) don't follow this civil track at all — they go through MOHRE and the labour court, with different procedures and deadlines; see labour disputes in the UAE.
• Rental disputes in Dubai are handled by a separate body, the Rental Disputes Centre, with its own deadlines and a shorter appeal window (15 days) — not the general civil court.

If you're not sure which body your dispute belongs to, that's the first thing to confirm before preparing anything — filing in the wrong venue means rejection and lost time, not just a paperwork hiccup.

Step 3: documents — and the mandatory Arabic translation

The official language of UAE court proceedings is Arabic, and this isn't a minor technicality.

• Any foreign-language document — a contract, correspondence, a bank statement, a power of attorney, a certificate — needs an Arabic translation from a translator certified by the UAE Ministry of Justice. Courts generally won't accept a DIY translation or one from an unaccredited translator.
• Documents issued outside the UAE (foreign powers of attorney, court judgments, certificates) usually need legalisation first — apostille or consular attestation — before they can be translated into Arabic.
• The basic filing package: the statement of claim itself (setting out the dispute and the amount or remedy sought), a copy of the claimant's ID, evidence (contracts, correspondence, payment records) in original and translated, and a power of attorney if a lawyer is filing on your behalf.

Get the translation started early — a certified translation of a sizeable document package can take several days, and it's an often-underestimated chunk of the timeline.

Step 4: the fee — how much you'll pay

The court fee in Dubai scales with the claim amount rather than being fixed.

These rates come from Law No. 21 of 2015 on Dubai Judicial Fees, as amended by Law No. 2 of 2019. Some legal write-ups mention a rate closer to 4% for a few narrow categories of claims (certain declaratory claims, for example) — if your case is non-standard, confirm the exact rate with a lawyer or the fee calculator on dc.gov.ae rather than assuming the general 6% rule applies.

Step 5: how the filing actually happens, and what comes next

Filing today runs mostly online, through the Dubai Courts portal/app:

1. Register and verify your identity in the system (Emirates ID or equivalent).
2. Select the case type and name the parties to the dispute.
3. Upload the statement of claim and all attachments — translated, where required.
4. Pay the fee online.
5. Get a case number assigned.

After filing, the court notifies the defendant — according to various sources, typically within around 10 days of the case being registered, either electronically or through a bailiff. From there it's hearings, an expert appointment if the case needs one to assess damages or technical questions, and eventually a judgment.

Timelines: how long a decision actually takes

It's more honest to give a range here than a single number:

• Simplified procedure (Small Claims Tribunal, claims up to AED 500,000, once CASD settlement has failed) — roughly 60 days to a decision, according to several legal sources.
• Ordinary procedure in the Court of First Instance — anywhere from a few months to a year and a half, depending on the complexity of the case, whether the defendant contests it on the merits, and whether a court expert is needed.
• An appeal, if the losing side files one, adds further time — it's a separate round of proceedings, not an automatic continuation.

Sources vary on the exact first-instance timelines — get a lawyer who has actually seen your file to give you a realistic estimate for your case.

Appeal

If you're unhappy with the Court of First Instance's ruling, the general rule gives you 30 days from notification of the judgment to appeal to the Dubai Court of Appeal. That's the standard for ordinary civil proceedings — specialised bodies run their own clocks: the Rental Disputes Centre, for instance, gives a shorter window, around 15 days. If your dispute runs through a specialised body rather than the general civil court, confirm the deadline that applies there specifically — the general 30-day rule doesn't always carry over.

Do you need a lawyer — and when can you realistically skip one

• In the Small Claims and Disputes Tribunal (claims up to AED 500,000, after the CASD stage), an individual or a company representative is legally allowed to represent themselves without a licensed lawyer. For a straightforward, well-documented dispute over a modest amount, this is a genuinely realistic option.
• In ordinary Court of First Instance proceedings and above, representation and signing procedural documents almost always requires a UAE-licensed advocate (Ministry of Justice licence) — a foreign lawyer without that licence can't run the case in court on their own.
• A lawyer becomes close to essential when: the amount is significant, the defendant contests the claim on the merits with counter-evidence, the case needs urgent precautionary measures (account freeze, travel ban), or documents need legalisation and translation on a tight timeline with no room for wording errors.

We don't promise a case will end in your favour or that the court will grant the claim in full — the outcome always depends on the quality of the evidence, the defendant's conduct, and the specific judge's assessment. But a structured approach — notice, correct venue, a complete translated document package, the fee paid on time — gives you real, checkable odds, not a lottery ticket.

This material is for information only and is not legal advice. UAE law changes — a lawyer will assess how it applies to your situation.