Limitation Period

A limitation period (prescription) is the legal deadline after which a claim can no longer be heard by the courts. UAE law sets different periods depending on the nature of the claim — commercial obligations, employment entitlements, insurance claims, cheque actions and construction liability each have their own clocks, some quite short — and the period generally runs from when the right became due or the harm was discovered. Certain events can interrupt or suspend the clock, such as a written acknowledgment of the debt or filing a claim. It matters because limitation is a complete defence: a strong, fully documented claim dies if filed one day late, and defendants routinely raise it first. You meet it whenever you delay pursuing unpaid invoices, gratuity, insurance payouts or defect claims — which is why the first question a UAE litigator asks is when the right arose.