Enforcement of Foreign Judgments and Awards in the GCC

Successfully obtaining a judgment or arbitral award may not be the final step in asserting a claim. Extra enforcement measures may be required when the losing party refuses to abide by the terms of a ruling. In international commerce, rulings must often be enforced in a jurisdiction other than the one where it was made. In this case, the ruling will have to be recognized by the competent authority of the country where enforcement is sought (the ‘requested country’). Obtaining recognition of a foreign ruling in a country that is part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (the ‘GCC’) can be laborious. Despite the ambitious strategies of the GCC countries regarding the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards, their local courts still have many reservations about foreign rulings. Nicolas Bremer's article entitled Seeking Recognition of Foreign Court Judgments and Arbitral Awards in the GCC Countries, published September 2016 in the McGill Journal of Dispute Resolution provides an overview of existing regulations pertaining to foreign rulings in the six GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates [the ‘UAE’]), and offers suggestions on strategies to deal with the challenges posed by these regimes.

For the full article text please see the MJDR website.

For advise on arbitration and litigation procedures pertaining to the GCC please feel free to consult Mr. Nicolas Bremer, attorney and partner at Alexander & Partner.

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