Procedures
Civil-law procedure with the BCDR for commercial disputes
The Civil Code and Civil Procedure Law govern ordinary litigation. The Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution handles larger commercial claims and international arbitration.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Civil courts of first instance, High Court of Appeal, Court of Cassation. BCDR has mandatory jurisdiction over commercial claims above BHD 500,000.
- Deadline — 45 days to appeal a civil judgment
- Deadline — 60 days to appeal to the Court of Cassation
Governing law
- Civil Code, Decree-Law 19 of 2001
- Civil and Commercial Procedure Law, Decree-Law 12 of 1971
- Law 30 of 2009 establishing the BCDR
- Arbitration Law 9 of 2015 — UNCITRAL Model Law
In practice
The BCDR is a distinctive institution: for commercial claims above the statutory threshold involving an international party its jurisdiction is compulsory rather than consensual, so parties are directed into a specialist forum by operation of law. It sits alongside a conventional Egyptian-influenced civil law system. Bahrain adopted the UNCITRAL Model Law wholesale in 2015 and has long positioned itself as a regional arbitration seat, and its Free Trade Agreement with the United States gives it a distinct treaty posture among the Gulf states.