Federal Decree Law Amendment No. 22 Of 2025: Advanced Judicial Reforms And An Enhanced Path To Civil Litigation

Introduction

On December 11th, 2025, the UAE government established notable amendments in its Civil Procedure law, and they are introduced through the Federal Decree Law No. 22 of 2025, previously governed by the Federal Decree Law no 42 of 2022. These reforms have a considerable effect on the legal framework especially for civil litigation, enforcement, and procedures of arbitration. These reforms take effect from January 1, 2026, and are sculpted to raise and address concerns in regard to procedural laws, specialization in judiciary uniformity across the courts in the UAE.

Establishment of specialist chambers for inheritance disputes

Article 32 of the Federal Decree Law no. 22 of 2025 has established crucial amendments regarding inheritance. The new law articulates that inheritance courts may be established by the President of the Federal Judicial Council or by local judicial authorities without the consent of the litigants. These courts will have exclusive jurisdiction in the matters of wills, exclusion & inclusion of heirs, liquidation, inventory, distribution, estate administration, and disputes arising between guardians, heirs, and third parties. This mechanism helps in simplifying and expediating the procedure in resolving inheritance disputes. The amendment also boosted the function of technical expertise in rendering aid to judicial decisions by allowing courts to involve international and local experts in the process of preparing reports thus making them more meticulous. The judgments given by inheritance courts are final and cannot be subject to regular appeal. Nevertheless, parties may file a petition for reconsideration.

Appeal

Article 164 of the Federal Decree Law no. 22 of 2025 lays down provisions that substituted the practice of supplementing the grounds of appeal at the first hearing. Essentials of appeal included the statement of appealed judgment – its grounds, requested relief and issued date. Defiance of these essentials would make the appeal inadmissible. This amendment aids in weeding out the practice of placeholder appeals and completing them at a later point. This helps in bringing down tactical appeals and expediting the resolution process of the court, in addition to those who come requesting for arbitration for an immediate remedy for actionable disputes. The amendment also mandated that all non-electronic filings should be supplemented with adequate copies and essential documents. This effectuates discipline and promotes digital conversion in appeals.

Court of Cassation (Supreme Court)

Article 175 of the Federal Decree Law no. 22 of 2025 states the provisions pertaining to appeals to the Court of Cassation, earlier, parties were limited to file an appeal against judgments, but the law enables them to file an appeal against the decisions rendered by Courts of Appeal. This expands the scope of judicial activism and blankets the litigants against impactful judgments. Permitted where the claim amount exceeds AED 5,00,000 or of unascertained value. Execution related appellate judgments are not allowed for cassation, and this limitation ensures that there is no scope of misuse of the law and allows matters with gross violation to reach the Court of Cassation, thereby enforcing proper administration of justice.

Broadened the powers of the Attorney General

Article 176 of the Federal Decree Law no. 22 of 2025 deals with the powers of the Attorney General, who is now allowed to file appeals at their own initiative or at the request of the Minister of Justice, or the head of the local judicial authority, or even in circumstances wherein the parties have bypassed their deadlines. Hence, ensuring, justice does have to be compromised at the stake of practicing procedural laws. Nevertheless, the appeal should be filed one year from the date of issuance of the judgment. Proceedings are performed even without the parties, without affecting the outcome. This nourishes the predictability and stability in the civil law of the UAE.

Arbitration

Even without the direct interference with the laws of arbitration, the above amendments play a significant role in the process of Arbitration. By limiting the appeals in regular courts as well as in court of cassation and affirming finality at the enforcement stage, these amendments enhance the correlation between court & arbitration. These amendments aid in restoring the UAE’s standing as a jurisdiction that is amenable to arbitration and judicial control.

Conclusion

Hence, the Federal Decree Law of 22 of 2025 embodies the evolution of the civil justice system of the UAE, embodying the legislative intent to modernize and uplift the procedures in a manner that doesn’t conflict with justice-promoting practice. By introducing the specialized inheritance courts with exclusive jurisdiction, the amendments have given paramount importance to speed, certainty   in complex and sensitive disputes. The appeal requirements and transformation to discipline protect the interests of parties from procedural abuse. Expansion of the Attorney General’s powers strengthens the rule of law by ensuring that erroneous decisions reach the court of cassation as fast as possible without any unrequited delay, hence all of this promotes and fosters the UAE’s larger vision, competing for efficiency with the global legal system.