DIAC Arbitrations: A Key Update on Award Signatures in the UAE
A subtle but significant shift has taken place in the UAE arbitration landscape. For years, arbitrators in Dubai were required to sign every page of an award a time-consuming practice with limited legal basis that often-invited challenges on purely procedural grounds.
That’s now changed. Following Decision No. 1 of 2025 by the Authority for Unification of Federal and Local Judicial Principles, it’s been confirmed that signatures from all tribunal members are required only on the final page of an arbitral award.
This development:
• Aligns practice across Emirates and eliminates unnecessary formalism.
• Reduces the risk of annulment applications based solely on technical signature issues.
• Strengthens the UAE’s reputation as an arbitration-friendly jurisdiction.
As Alexander Bunzl and Arran Dowling-Hussey note in their Spring 2026 commentary, this decision brings welcomed clarity for arbitrators, practitioners, and parties alike removing a long-standing procedural hurdle and simplifying enforcement across the UAE.
Read on by clicking the link provide here.
Members of 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square’s Arbitration Group remain available to advise and act in DIAC and other arbitration matters, including construction, engineering, insurance, and commercial disputes.
