Procedures
Egyptian-influenced civil procedure across three instances
The Civil Code and Code of Civil and Commercial Procedure follow the Egyptian model, with first instance, appeal and cassation.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Courts of First Instance, Court of Appeal, Court of Cassation. Specialised commercial and labour circuits sit within them.
- Deadline — 30 days to appeal a civil judgment
- Deadline — 60 days to appeal to the Court of Cassation
Governing law
- Civil Code, Decree-Law 67 of 1980
- Code of Civil and Commercial Procedure, Decree-Law 38 of 1980
- Law 12 of 1963 on the Judiciary
In practice
Kuwaiti civil law derives from the Egyptian codes and through them from French law, so Egyptian jurisprudence and commentary carry real interpretive weight. Proceedings are in Arabic and documentary, with court-appointed experts central in technical and accounting matters. Kuwait has no financial free zone and no common-law court, which is a genuine difference from the UAE and Qatar and means there is no English-language forum for onshore disputes.