Law No. 14 of 2026 Amending the Civil and Commercial Procedure Law: A Technical Overview

Law No. 14 of 2026 (the "Amending Law") was issued on 11 October 2026 and published in Official Gazette Issue No. 21 on 8 November 2026. It amends the Civil and Commercial Procedure Law promulgated by Law No. 13 of 1990 (the "CCPL"). It replaces more than forty existing provisions, inserts new provisions and repeals others.

1. Service and Electronic Proceedings

Service on the latest National Address data now constitutes personal service and produces all of its legal effects. The CCPL now permits claims, pleadings, judgments, service, grievances and appeals to be filed or issued electronically. It also permits hearings and witness examinations to be conducted by remote video technology, subject to controls set by the Supreme Judicial Council.

2. Computation of Time Limits

Time limits expressed in days under the CCPL are now counted in official working days. Time limits expressed in months or years, and procedural time limits under other laws, are extended to the next working day if they expire on an official holiday. The appeal period is 15 days, or 10 days in urgent matters, and the cassation period is 30 days.

3. Cassation and Reconsideration

A new Chapter Four, "Cassation Appeals," is inserted into Part Eleven of Book One. Law No. 12 of 2005 is repealed. Petitions are screened in chambers, and the Court may dismiss a petition by an unappealable reasoned decision. The Attorney General may also appeal in the interest of the law. A new eighth ground for reconsideration covers procedural errors in decisions of the Court of Cassation, subject to a 90-day long-stop period.

4. Jurisdiction

The single-judge court of first instance (the Partial Court) hears claims not exceeding QR 1 million, and its judgments are not subject to appeal where the claim does not exceed QR 30,000. The three-judge court (the Full Court) hears claims above QR 1 million, claims of indeterminate value and administrative claims. The Supreme Judicial Council may designate specialized circuits, including circuits for claims involving government entities.

5. Evidence, Remedial Orders and Sanctions

Electronic signatures and documents that satisfy the Electronic Commerce and Transactions Law have the evidential force of private written instruments. Electronic correspondence has the same force where its original is established and the sender is identified. Courts may order the cure of procedural defects without prejudice to fair-trial guarantees. Compensation for vexatious claims may not be less than ten times the court fees, and bad-faith procedural conduct attracts a fine of up to QR 5,000.

6. Transitional Provisions

Pending first-instance cases and registered cassation appeals continue before their current courts, and those cassation appeals remain governed by Law No. 12 of 2005. Time limits that began to run before the Amending Law took effect are computed under the rules in force when they began.

Al Ansari & Associates advises on the application of the Amending Law to pending and prospective proceedings, including deadline computation, forum assessment and evidential strategy.