Procedures
Courts of first instance, appeal, and the Court of Cassation
Civil claims proceed from conciliation or first instance courts to courts of appeal and then to the Court of Cassation. Mediation is available and increasingly encouraged.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — National, with specialised chambers for commercial and labour matters in Amman.
- Deadline — Appeal: thirty days from notification of the first instance judgment in ordinary cases, ten days in summary matters
- Deadline — Cassation: thirty days from notification of the appeal judgment
Governing law
- Civil Procedure Law No. 24 of 1988, as amended
- Mediation for the Settlement of Civil Disputes Law No. 12 of 2006
- Arbitration Law No. 31 of 2001, as amended in 2018
In practice
Procedure is civil law in structure, with Egyptian and ultimately French lineage, conducted on written pleadings before a judge. Jordan has invested in commercial dispute resolution: the 2001 Arbitration Law, amended in 2018 to align more closely with the UNCITRAL Model Law, and Jordan's long-standing New York Convention membership make it a comparatively reliable arbitral seat in the region. Judgments are enforceable through execution departments attached to the courts, and enforcement of foreign judgments depends on the 1952 Foreign Judgments Execution Law and reciprocity.