Arbitration in Qatar is governed by Articles 190-210 of Law No 13 of 1990 The Civil and Commercial Code of Procedure (the “CCP”) which is based on the old rules of the Egyptian Arbitration law.

There is another legal system that regulates arbitration in Qatar which is designed specifically for the State of Qatar and the Qatar Financial Center (the “QFC”). The latter is a separate jurisdiction with its own laws within the state. The QFC Law provides for the arbitration of commercial disputes in relation to contracts that have been concluded under QFC Law. The QFC has set Arbitration Regulations in 2005, which are based on the UNCITRAL Model Law; however, until today there were no cases trialed under the QFC Rules.

Also under Qatar law, Emiri Decision number (5/8) of 2006 established the Qatar International Centre for Arbitration (the "QICA") within the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as an optional forum for commercial arbitration in Qatar. Under this Emiri Decision, the Regulations of the QICA (the "QICA Rules") were issued as a set of arbitration rules to be used by parties who choose the QICA as the forum of their arbitration.

 

Qatar is a Contracting State to the New York Convention:
• Date of Accession: 30 December 2002
• Entry into Force: 30 March 2003

Qatar is a Contracting State to the ICSID Convention:
• Signature: 30 September 2010
• Deposit of Ratification: 21 December 2010
• Entry into Force: 20 January 2011