Dubai Law No. 2 of 2025 · Dubai
Consolidates the DIFC Courts' constitution and jurisdiction into one Dubai law: Court of Appeal, Courts of First Instance and Small Claims Tribunal, exclusive jurisdiction over DIFC bodies and establishments, opt-in jurisdiction by express written agreement, an Enforcement Judge and enforcement of foreign judgments and awards. Supersedes DIFC Law No. 10 of 2004 and Dubai Law No. 12 of 2004.
Dubai Law No. 2 of 2025 Concerning Dubai International Financial Centre Courts, issued by the Ruler of Dubai on 3 March 2025, consolidates the constitution, jurisdiction and enforcement powers of the DIFC Courts into a single Dubai law. Article 43 provides that it supersedes DIFC Law No. 10 of 2004 and Dubai Law No. 12 of 2004, while regulations made under them continue until replaced, and Article 44 brings it into effect from the day after publication in the Official Gazette. The Courts operate in English (Article 7) and issue judgments in the name of the Ruler (Article 9).
Article 14 is the jurisdiction clause. The Courts have exclusive jurisdiction over civil, commercial and employment claims by or against DIFC Bodies or DIFC Establishments; claims arising from contracts concluded or performed wholly or partly in the DIFC; claims from transactions connected with DIFC entities' activities in the DIFC; claims relating to DIFC trust instruments and non-Muslim wills registered with the Courts; ratification of arbitral awards; arbitration-related claims where the seat is the DIFC or the parties so agree; and anything else conferred by DIFC laws, Dubai legislation or treaties. Article 14(B) preserves the opt-in: the Courts may hear any civil or commercial claim where the parties expressly agree in writing, before or after the dispute, in specific, clear and express terms. Article 15 adds interim and precautionary measures, including disclosure of a defendant's identity or assets.
Article 16 fixes three tiers: the Court of Appeal, sitting in circuits of three judges (five in exceptional cases) whose judgments are final (Articles 17 and 18); the Courts of First Instance, organised as specialised courts of single judges with jurisdiction over insolvency, judicial review of DIFC Bodies' decisions and injunctions (Article 19); and the Small Claims Tribunal (Articles 20 and 21). Article 23 requires the Courts to apply DIFC laws unless the parties expressly chose another law.
Enforcement is handled by an Enforcement Judge (Article 31) who enforces DIFC judgments and ratified awards inside the DIFC and judgments of foreign and local courts, including the Dubai Courts, against DIFC entities. Where assets lie outside the DIFC, Article 32 requires the Enforcement Judge to seek the assistance of the Dubai Courts' Enforcement Judge on a final judgment, an official Arabic translation, the executory formula, a deputisation letter and payment of Dubai Courts fees; the Dubai Courts may not review the merits. Article 35 makes contempt, including failing to comply with a judgment, punishable by a fine under the Rules of the Courts. The Law is in force.
The DIFC Courts and their judges and officers; DIFC Bodies, DIFC Establishments and DFSA-licensed establishments and their counterparties and employees; parties to contracts performed in the DIFC or who opt into DIFC Courts jurisdiction in writing; settlors, trustees and beneficiaries of DIFC trusts; registrants of non-Muslim wills; and parties enforcing judgments or arbitral awards in or from the DIFC.
English official text in 44 articles. Open the full text or jump to a provision:
| Article 3 | The Law applies to the DIFC Courts established under Dubai Law No. 12 of 2004, which continue in existence under the new framework. |
| Articles 7–9 | English is the official language of the Courts; hearings are public and evidence may be given by video link or other electronic means; judgments are rendered and enforced in the name of the Ruler and may carry interest from the date of judgment at the rate fixed by the Rules of the Courts or a lower rate. |
| Article 14(A) | The Courts have exclusive jurisdiction over civil, commercial and employment claims involving DIFC Bodies or DIFC Establishments, contracts concluded or performed wholly or partly in the DIFC, transactions connected with DIFC entities' activities, DIFC trust instruments and registered non-Muslim wills, ratification of arbitral awards and arbitration seated or conducted in the DIFC. |
| Article 14(B)–(C) | Any parties may confer jurisdiction on the Courts by an express written agreement, before or after the dispute, made in specific, clear and express terms; the Courts may decline a claim where the parties chose another court in writing or another court has given a final judgment enforceable in the DIFC. |
| Article 15 | The Courts may grant interim and precautionary measures in claims within their jurisdiction, order disclosure of the true identity of a defendant or of a party's assets, and grant precautionary measures within the DIFC in support of proceedings or arbitration brought outside it. |
| Articles 16–18 | The Courts comprise the Court of Appeal, the Courts of First Instance including specialised courts, and the Small Claims Tribunal; the Court of Appeal sits in circuits of three judges, five in exceptional cases, hears appeals and interpretation requests, and its judgments are final and cannot be appealed. |
| Article 19 | The Courts of First Instance consist of specialised courts of single judges with jurisdiction over insolvency claims, judicial review of statutory decisions of DIFC Bodies and their committees, injunctions and appeals from the Small Claims Tribunal. |
| Articles 20–21 | The Small Claims Tribunal hears claims of the value and type the Chief Justice determines; its judgments may be appealed to the Courts of First Instance only on a question of law, miscarriage of justice, procedural fairness or a matter provided for in DIFC laws, and the resulting judgment is final. |
| Article 23 | The Courts apply DIFC laws and regulations to proceedings before them, except where those laws provide otherwise or the parties have expressly agreed that another law governs their dispute. |
| Article 31 | The Enforcement Judge enforces final DIFC judgments where the subject matter is in the DIFC, judgments of foreign and local courts including the Dubai Courts against DIFC Bodies and Establishments, ratified arbitral awards, interim orders and registered non-Muslim wills, and may not review the merits of a writ issued by another body. |
| Article 32 | To enforce a DIFC judgment against assets outside the DIFC, the Enforcement Judge seeks the assistance of the Dubai Courts' Enforcement Judge on a final and executory judgment with an official Arabic translation, the executory formula, an official deputisation letter and payment of Dubai Courts enforcement fees; the Dubai Courts apply the Civil Procedure Code but may not review the merits. |
| Articles 43–44 | The Law supersedes DIFC Law No. 10 of 2004 and Dubai Law No. 12 of 2004, repeals any contradicting provision elsewhere, keeps regulations and resolutions made under the superseded laws in force until replaced, and takes effect from the day after publication in the Official Gazette. |
Article 35 makes it contempt, punishable by a fine prescribed by the DIFC Courts under the Rules of the Courts and in addition to any other legal penalty, to wilfully insult a judge, officer, witness, expert or lawyer, interrupt or misbehave in proceedings, submit fraudulent evidence, damage Court property or fail to comply with or decline to act on a judgment, decision or order of the Courts. Judgment sums may carry interest from the date of judgment at the rate fixed by the Rules of the Courts (Article 9(C)).
This is now the statute behind every DIFC Courts jurisdiction clause we draft. Shareholder agreements, loans and service contracts for clients' DIFC entities fall within the exclusive jurisdiction in Article 14(A) because a DIFC Establishment is a party, and for contracts between non-DIFC parties who want the Courts anyway we use an opt-in clause tracking the Article 14(B) wording, specific, clear and express, and cite this Law rather than the repealed 2004 Judicial Authority Law that older precedents still reference. Clients holding DIFC property through a company and families with DIFC-registered non-Muslim wills are told that disputes over those instruments sit with the DIFC Courts under Article 14(A)(4). When a client needs to collect on a DIFC judgment against a counterparty's onshore assets, we walk them through the Article 32 route: final judgment, certified Arabic translation, executory formula and the deputisation letter to the Dubai Courts, whose enforcement judge cannot reopen the merits.
| Repeals | DIFC Law No. 10 of 2004 (DIFC Court Law); Dubai Law No. 12 of 2004 (Judicial Authority Law) |
| Cites | DIFC Arbitration Law · DIFC Court Law · DIFC Judicial Authority Law · DIFC Law 2021 |
“Cites” and “Cited by” are built automatically from references in the full texts held in this library; they cover only instruments in the library.
DIFC Judicial Authority Law
The former Judicial Authority Law that gave the DIFC Courts exclusive jurisdiction over civil and commercial matters connected with the Centre and, after the 2011 amendme…
DIFC Court Law
The DIFC statute that constituted the DIFC Court as a Court of First Instance and a Court of Appeal, fixed the minimum bench and set the powers, procedures and administra…
DIFC Law 2021
Replaces Dubai Law No. 9 of 2004 as the governing statute of the DIFC: it confirms the Centre's financial and administrative independence, creates the President and Highe…
DIFC Arbitration Law
UNCITRAL Model Law based statute governing arbitrations seated in the DIFC and the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards by the DIFC Courts, as amended in 2013 t…
DIFC Trust Law
Repeals and replaces the Trust Law 2005 and governs the creation, variation and termination of trusts in the DIFC, the duties and powers of trustees and the rights of ben…
DIFC Insolvency Law
Repeals and replaces the Insolvency Law 2009 and provides for rehabilitation of distressed DIFC companies (including an administration regime), company voluntary arrangem…
Financial Free Zones Law
Ten-article federal law allowing a financial free zone to be created in any Emirate by Federal Decree as a body corporate; the zones and their licensed activities are exe…
Civil Procedure Code
Governs civil and commercial litigation before the onshore federal and local courts: jurisdiction, service of process including electronic service, pleadings and hearings…
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