Procedures
Civil-law courts, with the QICDRC applying common law in the QFC
The onshore courts apply the Civil Code in Arabic. The Qatar International Court in the Qatar Financial Centre operates in English with common-law procedure.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — First instance, appeal and cassation onshore. The Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre handles QFC matters.
- Deadline — 30 days to appeal a first-instance civil judgment
- Deadline — 60 days to appeal to the Court of Cassation
Governing law
- Civil Code, Law 22 of 2004
- Civil and Commercial Procedure Law, Law 13 of 1990
- QFC Law 7 of 2005 — establishing the QFC and its court
In practice
Qatar runs the same dual structure as the UAE though on a smaller scale: an Egyptian-influenced civil law system onshore, and an English-language common-law court for the financial centre whose judgments are enforceable onshore. Onshore procedure is documentary, in Arabic, and relies heavily on court-appointed experts, particularly in construction disputes where the expert's report frequently determines the outcome. The Civil Code of 2004 follows the Egyptian model closely, so Egyptian doctrine and commentary are genuinely useful interpretive sources.