Law & Regulation
Law No. 2 of 2017 Promulgating the Civil and Commercial Arbitration Law
Qatar's principal arbitration statute, based on the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration. Repealed and replaced Part 13 (Articles 190-210, arbitration) of the Civil and Commercial Procedures Code (Law No. 13 of 1990). Applies to arbitration seated in Qatar and to arbitrations abroad that parties agree to subject to this Law. Governs the arbitration agreement, tribunal formation and procedure, interim measures, the award, and its recognition, enforcement, and challenge (setting-aside) before the competent court -- the Civil and Commercial Arbitral Disputes Circuit of the Doha Court of Appeal (Article 33).
Legal Significance
What This Instrument Does
Law No. 2 of 2017 establishes Qatar’s legislative framework for civil and commercial arbitration. It addresses the arbitration agreement, the constitution and authority of the arbitral tribunal, procedural conduct, interim protection, awards, recourse against awards, and recognition and enforcement. It also defines the points at which the competent court may support, supervise or control the arbitral process. The statute gives legal effect to party autonomy within the boundaries of Qatar law. Parties may shape important procedural matters, directly or by adopting institutional rules, while mandatory statutory controls continue to govern matters such as the validity of the arbitration agreement, due process, court intervention and award review.
Why It Matters
Infrastructure and project-finance contracts frequently allocate disputes to arbitration because projects combine long duration, technical complexity, multiple governing documents and cross-border counterparties. This Law determines whether an arbitration agreement is effective in Qatar, how a tribunal may be formed and operate, how urgent protection may be obtained, and how an award may be challenged or enforced. Its importance is not confined to drafting the dispute-resolution clause: authority to agree to arbitration, the identification of the seat, procedural rules, tribunal composition, interim-relief strategy, evidentiary design and the enforceability of the final award all require analysis against the statute and any other law applicable to the relevant party or contract.
Key Provisions
- Scope and statutory application
The circumstances in which the Law governs civil and commercial arbitration and the statutory concepts used to connect an arbitration to Qatar. The analysis should distinguish the seat of arbitration from hearing venue, governing law and enforcement location.
- Arbitration agreement
Requirements for a valid agreement to submit existing or future disputes to arbitration, including the need for a sufficiently evidenced written agreement and the possibility of incorporation by reference where the statutory conditions are met.
- Separability and tribunal jurisdiction
The tribunal’s ability to rule on its own jurisdiction and the treatment of the arbitration clause as legally separable from the underlying contract.
- Tribunal constitution
Appointment, number, qualifications, challenge, replacement and termination of arbitrator mandates.
- Independence, impartiality and disclosure
Standards and disclosure obligations relevant to arbitrator conflicts, together with the procedure and timing for challenges.
- Interim and precautionary protection
The allocation of power between tribunals and courts for urgent or protective measures.
- Procedural autonomy and equal treatment
Party freedom to agree procedure and the tribunal’s residual authority where the parties have not done so, subject to equal treatment and a fair opportunity to present the case.
- Seat, hearings, language and applicable law
Rules governing the juridical place of arbitration, operational hearing arrangements, language and the law or legal rules applicable to the merits.
- Evidence, experts and court assistance
Tribunal management of evidence and expert input, and the circumstances in which judicial assistance may be available.
- Default and continuation of proceedings
Consequences where a party fails to participate, submit a case or appear.
- Award form, content and effect
Requirements concerning the making, form, reasoning, signature, date and delivery of awards, subject to statutory exceptions and the parties’ procedural choices.
- Correction, interpretation and additional awards
Limited post-award mechanisms for correcting errors, clarifying the operative meaning of an award or deciding claims presented but omitted.
- Setting aside
The defined route and grounds for seeking annulment before the competent Qatar court.
- Recognition and enforcement
The framework for giving an award legal effect and obtaining enforcement, including statutory refusal grounds and procedural requirements.
- Court interaction and limits of intervention
Court functions supporting appointments, evidence, interim protection and enforcement, and controlling validity or public-policy boundaries.
When You Would Use This
Drafting a project agreement or concession dispute clause
Test whether the proposed arbitration agreement, authority, seat, rules, tribunal structure and court interface are legally coherent; separately verify any special approval or public-law constraint applicable to the public counterparty.
Preparing an EPC or O&M arbitration
Map notice, engineer/expert determination, amicable-settlement and arbitration stages, and confirm that contractual pre-arbitration steps do not create avoidable jurisdiction or admissibility disputes.
Selecting Qatar as the seat
Assess the statutory procedural framework, competent-court support and award-control regime independently from the physical hearing location or governing law.
Constituting or challenging a tribunal
Apply the appointment, disclosure, impartiality, challenge and replacement rules together with any valid institutional procedure.
Seeking urgent relief
Determine whether relief should be sought from the tribunal, an emergency mechanism under agreed rules, or the competent court, and whether the requested measure can be made effective.
Managing technical evidence
Design document preservation, expert disciplines and evidentiary procedure with the tribunal’s statutory authority and court-assistance limits in view.
Responding to a jurisdiction objection
Analyse the arbitration agreement, party capacity, scope of referred disputes, separability and the tribunal/court allocation of authority.
Preparing or reviewing an award
Check statutory form, reasoning, signature, date, delivery and disposal of claims before the award becomes final for correction or challenge purposes.
Challenging an award
Separate the limited statutory setting-aside grounds from an impermissible merits appeal and observe the applicable procedural route and time requirements.
Enforcing an award in Qatar
Review recognition/enforcement conditions, refusal grounds, competent-court procedure and any applicable convention or separate enforcement legislation.
InfraLex Relevance
This is the principal legislative anchor for Qatar-seated arbitration and a core reference for dispute clauses in project agreements, EPC contracts, O&M agreements, shareholder arrangements, financing documents and commercial contracts. InfraLex should use it to connect contract drafting with the procedural consequences of seat selection, tribunal design, interim measures, award production and enforcement. The record should not imply that the Law alone answers authority-to-arbitrate questions for every public body, the arbitrability of every subject, or all enforcement questions.
Legal Framework Position
- Arbitration & Dispute ResolutionPrimary / Framework Instrument
Instrument Overview
- Official Citation
- Law No. 2 of 2017
- Instrument Type
- Law / Act
- Source Language
- Arabic
- Enactment Date
- 16 February 2017
- Effective Date
- 15 April 2017
- Last Verified
- 4 September 2026