Enacted 17 December 2015 under Article 6(1) of Abu Dhabi Law No. 4 of 2013, the Regulations constitute the ADGM Court of First Instance and Court of Appeal, define their jurisdiction (extended in 2023 to Al Reem Island), govern judicial appointments, civil evidence and the enforcement of judgments and orders; amended most recently on 17 October 2025.
The ADGM Courts Regulations constitute the ADGM Courts and set out their jurisdiction, powers, rules of evidence, enforcement machinery and judicial appointments. The Board of Directors of ADGM enacted them on 17 December 2015 under Article 6(1) of Abu Dhabi Law No. 4 of 2013; they came into force on publication and displaced any inconsistent law previously in force in the zone, with acts before that date judged under Abu Dhabi law (section 230). The copy read is the consolidation of 17 October 2025, with amendments footnoted from 19 April 2017 to that date.
Section 1 establishes the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance under Articles 10(3) and 13 of the ADGM Founding Law. The Court of First Instance is a superior court of record exercising the jurisdiction conferred by Articles 13(7) and (8) of the Founding Law, by ADGM enactments and by any written agreement of the parties to submit a dispute to it, and may hear claims against necessary or proper parties and connected claims against the same defendant (section 16). Section 4A, inserted in 2023, extends that exclusive jurisdiction from Al Maryah Island to Al Reem Island with effect from 24 April 2023. The Courts have no criminal jurisdiction (section 5) and no one may be imprisoned in ADGM for a debt (section 6), but a person who dishonestly transfers or conceals property to defeat creditors faces a fine of up to level 8 or 10% of the property's value, whichever is greater (section 7). Judgment debts carry interest (section 8).
The Court of Appeal has exclusive jurisdiction over appeals from the Court of First Instance (section 13), except that Small Claims Division judgments go only to the Commercial and Civil Division and short-term residential lease judgments are not appealable (section 15). A Court of Appeal panel is three judges and a first-instance court one judge (sections 27 and 29). Part 4 gives the Court of First Instance powers over interim payments, pre-action disclosure, interest, injunctions, receivers, foreclosure and attachment of debts.
Part 5 governs evidence and contempt. Part 6 covers procedure and enforcement, including charging orders, taking control of goods and attachment of earnings. Chapter 10 requires the Courts to recognise and enforce judgments of the Abu Dhabi courts, of other emirates' courts under memoranda of understanding and of foreign countries under applicable treaties (sections 168 to 170); the Chief Justice may designate other foreign courts as recognised courts where reciprocity is assured, and their money judgments are registered if final and conclusive, excluding taxes and penalties (sections 171 and 172); arbitral awards enforceable as judgments where made are treated the same way (section 180). Part 8 provides for the Board to appoint the Chief Justice, Registrar and judges (section 195), and Part 9 regulates rights of audience, notaries and conditional fee, damages-based and litigation funding agreements.
Every person, company, foundation and public body in ADGM, including Al Reem Island since 24 April 2023, that sues or is sued in the ADGM Courts; parties who contractually submit disputes to those Courts; judgment creditors and debtors seeking or resisting enforcement; lawyers appearing before the Courts; and the judges, Registrar and officers of the Courts.
| Section 1 | Establishes the Courts under Articles 10(3) and 13 of the ADGM Founding Law, consisting of the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance with the jurisdiction conferred by the Founding Law, Part 2 of the Regulations and other ADGM enactments. |
| Section 4A | Extends the exclusive jurisdiction of the Court of First Instance under Article 13(7) of the Founding Law from Al Maryah Island to include Al Reem Island, with effect from 24 April 2023. |
| Sections 5–8 | The Courts have no criminal jurisdiction; no one may be arrested or imprisoned in ADGM for a money default; dishonestly transferring or concealing property to defeat creditors is a contravention punishable by a fine up to level 8 or 10% of the property's value, whichever is greater; judgment debts carry interest. |
| Sections 13–15 | The Court of Appeal has exclusive jurisdiction over appeals from the Court of First Instance, but Small Claims Division judgments are appealed only to the Commercial and Civil Division and short-term residential lease judgments of the Real Property Division carry no appeal. |
| Section 16 | The Court of First Instance is a superior court of record with the jurisdiction conferred by Articles 13(7) and (8) of the Founding Law, Abu Dhabi laws, ADGM enactments and any written request of the parties, extending to necessary or proper parties and connected claims; it sits as a single judge. |
| Sections 27–31 | A Court of Appeal is duly constituted with three judges and a Court of First Instance with one; the Chief Justice may vary minimum numbers with the Board's agreement, and the Board may create or alter Divisions by rules on the Chief Justice's recommendation. |
| Sections 34–45 | The Court of First Instance may order interim payments, pre-action and non-party disclosure, interest on debts and damages, injunctions and receivers, relief against forfeiture, foreclosure, writs of possession, execution of instruments by a nominee and attachment of debts. |
| Sections 168–170 | The Courts must recognise and enforce judgments of the Abu Dhabi judicial authorities and may conclude memoranda with other emirates' courts for reciprocal enforcement; where the UAE has a treaty with a foreign country the Courts comply with it and enforce that country's judgments accordingly. |
| Sections 171–172 | The Chief Justice may designate the courts of a non-treaty foreign country as recognised courts where substantial reciprocity is assured; their judgments for a sum of money, other than taxes or penalties, are registered if final and conclusive and given after the designation. |
| Section 180 | Chapter 10 applies to arbitral awards that have become enforceable as judgments in the place where they were made, so recognised awards are registered and enforced like recognised judgments. |
| Section 195 | The Board appoints the Chief Justice, effective 15 days after notifying the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department without objection, and fills vacancies in the offices of Registrar and judge on the Chief Justice's nomination. |
| Section 230 | Citation, application to the whole of ADGM, commencement on publication, no retrospective effect, and the ceasing of any inconsistent prior law; acts before commencement are judged under Abu Dhabi law. |
The Courts impose no criminal penalties (section 5), but a person who dishonestly makes a gift, transfer or charge of property, or conceals or removes property within two months before an unsatisfied judgment, is liable to a fine of up to level 8 on the standard fines scale or 10% of the value of the property concerned, whichever is greater (section 7). Part 5 Chapter 7 gives the Courts contempt powers, and Part 6 provides the enforcement remedies of charging orders, taking control of goods, attachment of earnings and third-party debt orders.
When we draft shareholders' agreements, share pledges and facility documents for clients' ADGM SPVs we usually give the ADGM Courts jurisdiction, and section 16 is what makes that clause effective, since the Court takes the parties' written submission as a source of jurisdiction. The Al Reem extension matters for clients whose offices or property sit on that island. For enforcement planning we rely on Chapter 10: an Abu Dhabi court judgment runs in ADGM, a Dubai or DIFC judgment runs under the memoranda, and a foreign money judgment or arbitral award is registered under sections 171 to 180 before execution. We explain to lenders that there is no imprisonment for debt in ADGM but that the Courts have charging orders, receivers and attachment of debts. Court filings are handled through ADGM-registered counsel we instruct for the client.
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