Civil Code
قانون المعاملات المدنية
The UAE Civil Code — formally the Law of Civil Transactions (Federal Law No. 5 of 1985, as amended) — is the foundational statute of UAE private law. It regulates obligations and contracts, property, gifts, partnership, agency, liability for harm (tort), unjust enrichment, and other non-commercial private relationships. It draws heavily on Islamic Sharia principles and on the civil-law traditions of Egypt and Jordan. The Civil Code applies to all persons in the UAE unless a special law (commercial, labour, personal status, company) applies. Its key doctrines — good faith in contract performance, liability for harmful acts, the sanctity of the contract, and the doctrine of unforeseen circumstances — frame how UAE courts interpret every private agreement that is not expressly governed by another statute.
Also in
قانون المعاملات المدنية الإماراتي (القانون الاتحادي رقم 5 لسنة 1985 وتعديلاته) هو التشريع الأساسي للقانون الخاص في الدولة. يُنظّم الالتزامات والعقود، والملكية، والهبة، والشركة المدنية، والوكالة، والمسؤولية عن الفعل الضار، والإثراء بلا سبب، وسائر العلاقات المدنية غير التجارية. يستند القانون بشكل رئيسي إلى أحكام الشريعة الإسلامية والتقليد اللاتيني المصري والأردني. يسري على جميع الأشخاص في الإمارات ما لم يوجد تشريع خاص (تجاري، عمل، أحوال شخصية، شركات). وتُشكّل مبادئه الكبرى — حسن النية في تنفيذ العقد، والمسؤولية عن العمل الضار، وقدسية العقد، ونظرية الظروف الطارئة — الإطار الذي تُفسّر المحاكم عبره كل اتفاق خاص لا يحكمه تشريع آخر.
Related terms
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Related legislation
Law No. (13) of 2020 Regulating the Practice of the Expert Witness Profession before Judicial Authorities in the Emirate of Dubai
Law No. (16) of 2025 Concerning Government Claims in the Emirate of Dubai
Cabinet Resolution No. (132) of 2023 Concerning the Administrative Penalties Imposed on Violators of the Provisions of Cabinet Resolution No. (109) of 2023 Concerning the Regulation of Real Beneficiary Procedures
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