Certified translation of the claim and notice for a foreign defendant
When the person you are suing does not read Arabic, the UAE's Civil Procedure Law does not leave the language of the notice to chance. Federal Decree-Law No. 42 of 2022 keeps Arabic as the language of the court, but it also obliges the claimant to attach a certified translation of the served papers when the defendant's official language is not Arabic — and it opens a route, for a foreign defendant, to be reached through a foreign-language newspaper when ordinary service fails. This guide sets out who has to translate, into which language, at which point in the case, and how the certified translation interacts with service by publication. It is general information to help you prepare a defensible file, not legal advice on your matter, and the court that authorises the notice always has the final word.
- Arabic remains the court's language, but the notice served on a non-Arabic-speaking defendant needs a certified translation
- For a foreign defendant, service can be made by publication in a foreign-language newspaper when ordinary methods fail
- Service abroad through diplomatic channels is deemed effective 21 business days after the mission receives it
- The translation is a step in the service itself — a defective one can undermine the notice, not just the paperwork
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Does a foreign defendant get a certified translation of the claim?
Yes. Under Federal Decree-Law No. 42 of 2022, when the defendant's official language is not Arabic, the claimant must attach to the served notice a certified translation of the papers — as a rule, into English — so that the defendant can understand the claim brought against them. The court itself continues to work in Arabic; the translation is added to the copy that is served, not substituted for the Arabic proceedings. If the parties had already agreed to use another language, the translation follows that agreement instead of defaulting to English. Two narrow categories sit outside this duty: labour claims brought by an employee or worker, and personal-status proceedings.
Keep two translations mentally separate, because confusing them is where files go wrong. The first is the translation of the served notice for the defendant's benefit, which the law just described. The second is the certified Arabic translation of any document you file as evidence in the case, which must be produced by a legal translator licensed by the Ministry of Justice because Arabic is the language of the court record. A foreign defendant's file often needs both: an English (or agreed-language) copy of the notice going out, and Arabic certified translations of the contract, statements and exhibits coming in.
A caution before the detail: the shape below is the federal rule, but Dubai Courts, Abu Dhabi and each Case Management Office apply it through their own procedures, and requirements are updated over time. Treat this as the framework, then confirm the specifics with the court and Case Management Office that will authorise your notice.
Arabic for the court, a certified translation for the defendant
The Civil Procedure Law keeps Arabic as the official language of the courts: pleadings are heard, procedures run and judgments issue in Arabic. That has not changed. What Federal Decree-Law No. 42 of 2022 added is a defendant-facing safeguard — where the person being served does not have Arabic as their official language, the claimant is bound to attach a certified translation of the notice, as a rule into English, unless the parties agreed earlier on a different language. The point is fairness of notice: a defendant should be able to read that a case exists and what it demands, in a language they actually use.
Because this translation is part of the act of service, its quality is not cosmetic. If the notice reaches a foreign defendant without the certified translation the law requires, or with one so defective that it fails to convey the claim, the defendant has a real argument that they were not validly served — and invalid service can unravel default judgments and delay everything that follows. That is why the certified translation is treated here as a service requirement, sitting alongside the choice of newspaper and the calculation of the deeming date, rather than as an afterthought at the printer.
Two categories fall outside the mandatory-translation duty: labour claims initiated by an employee or worker, and personal-status proceedings. Outside those, plan for a certified translation whenever the defendant's official language is not Arabic, and confirm the agreed language, if any, from the contract before you assume English.
The terms that decide how a foreign defendant is served
- Statement of claim (the notice)
- The document that opens the case and is served on the defendant. When the defendant's language is not Arabic, a certified translation of it travels with the served copy.
- Service by publication
- Reaching a defendant through a newspaper notice when personal or technical service is not possible — for a foreigner, potentially a foreign-language newspaper.
- Case Management Office
- The registry function that manages service. It, the judge or the chief justice may authorise publication in a foreign-language newspaper for a foreign defendant when ordinary methods fail.
- Certified / MOJ-licensed translator
- A translator on the Ministry of Justice register, licensed for the language pair, whose certified translation the courts recognise for official use.
- Deeming date
- The date the law treats service as effective. For service abroad through diplomatic channels, this is 21 business days after the diplomatic mission receives the papers.
When the certified translation happens in the sequence
Fix the defendant's profile
Establish whether the defendant is a UAE-resident foreigner, a person abroad, or someone whose address is unknown, and identify their official language and any agreed contractual language. This decides everything downstream.
Prepare the certified translation of the notice
Where the defendant's language is not Arabic, have the notice translated — into English or the agreed language — by a licensed legal translator, so the served copy is complete when it goes out.
Attempt ordinary and technical service
Service is first attempted in person or by the technical means the law allows — recorded call, SMS, smart application, email or fax — with the translated notice attached.
Ask the court to authorise publication
If those methods fail, the Case Management Office, judge or chief justice may authorise service by publication — and, for a foreign defendant, in a foreign-language newspaper where appropriate.
Publish and count the deeming period
The notice is published or, for a defendant abroad, transmitted through diplomatic channels; the law then treats service as effective from the applicable date — 21 business days after the mission receives it for foreign service.
Foreign defendant, by profile: language, translation, newspaper and deeming date
| Defendant profile | Language of the served notice | Certified translation obligation | Newspaper route | When service is deemed effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAE-resident foreigner, address known | Arabic, plus an English (or agreed-language) certified translation of the notice | Required where the defendant's official language is not Arabic | None — served in person or by technical means | On valid delivery of the notice |
| Foreign defendant located abroad, address known | Arabic, plus a certified translation into the defendant's language (English as a rule, or per treaty) | Required; a governing convention may dictate the language and channel | Diplomatic channels via the Ministry of Justice and MOFAIC, unless a treaty applies | 21 business days after the diplomatic mission receives the papers |
| Defendant in the UAE whose address is unknown | Arabic notice; certified translation still attached if the defendant's language is not Arabic | Required on the same test — non-Arabic official language | Publication after technical service fails — two daily newspapers, at least one in Arabic | From publication, as directed by the authorising court |
| Foreign defendant, address unknown or unreachable abroad | Notice in the foreign language, on the court's authorisation | Certified translation into the foreign language of publication | Foreign-language newspaper, if the Case Management Office, judge or chief justice permits | As fixed in the authorising order / publication |
| Parties agreed on a language other than English | Arabic, plus a certified translation in the agreed language | The agreed language replaces the default English translation | As the profile above requires | As the profile above requires |
Have a question about your case?
Local Arabic newspaper or foreign-language newspaper?
Local daily newspaper (Arabic)
- The default route when a defendant in the UAE cannot be located
- Publication in two daily newspapers, at least one in Arabic
- Used after ordinary and technical service have failed
- Notice text in Arabic; a certified translation is still attached where the defendant's language is not Arabic
Foreign-language newspaper
- Available specifically because the defendant is a foreigner
- Permitted by the Case Management Office, judge or chief justice, if necessary
- Aimed at a paper the defendant is realistically likely to see
- The published notice is in the foreign language, so a certified translation into it is needed
If you are serving a foreign defendant and need the claim and notice translated and certified to the standard the court expects, tell us the defendant's language, the emirate and whether publication is involved.
Explore publication noticesSituations when serving a foreign defendant
The defendant is an English-speaking foreigner resident in Dubai.
What is usually neededThe Arabic notice served with a certified English translation of the claim; ordinary or technical service, no newspaper unless he cannot be located.
The defendant lives abroad at a known address.
What is usually neededService through the Ministry of Justice and MOFAIC to the diplomatic mission, with a certified translation; effective 21 business days after the mission receives it.
A foreign defendant cannot be reached by any ordinary means.
What is usually neededAn application to the Case Management Office or judge for publication, potentially in a foreign-language newspaper, with a certified translation into that language.
Your contract with the defendant specifies French as the language.
What is usually neededThe certified translation of the notice follows the agreed language — French — instead of defaulting to English.
Mistakes that put service of a foreign defendant at risk
The mistakeServing a non-Arabic-speaking defendant with the Arabic notice alone, without the certified translation.
The fixAttach a certified translation of the notice into English, or the agreed language, so the service itself is not open to challenge.
The mistakeAssuming English when the contract had already fixed a different language between the parties.
The fixCheck the agreed language first; the law lets the parties' earlier agreement displace the default English translation.
The mistakeUsing an unlicensed or in-house translator, so the translation carries no recognised certification.
The fixUse a legal translator licensed by the Ministry of Justice, whose certified translation the court recognises.
The mistakeJumping to newspaper publication before ordinary and technical service have genuinely been tried.
The fixExhaust the permitted methods and document the attempts; publication is the route after they fail, with the court's authorisation.
The mistakeMiscounting the deeming period for a defendant abroad and moving for default too early.
The fixFor foreign service, count 21 business days from when the diplomatic mission receives the papers before treating service as effective.
The mistakePublishing in a foreign-language newspaper without the court's specific authorisation for that route.
The fixObtain the permission of the Case Management Office, judge or chief justice before using a foreign-language newspaper.
The authorising court has the final word
This guide describes the framework of Federal Decree-Law No. 42 of 2022 and how it applies when a foreign defendant is served. It does not replace the current procedures of the specific court, and Dubai Courts, Abu Dhabi and each Case Management Office administer service — including which newspapers qualify and how the deeming date is applied — through their own practice. Where a bilateral or multilateral convention governs service on the defendant's state, that convention can change the channel and the language. Confirm the requirements with the court and Case Management Office handling your case, and note that this is general information, not legal advice on your matter.
The practical habit that prevents most problems is to settle the defendant's profile and language at the outset, prepare the certified translation before service rather than after a rejection, and keep evidence of every service attempt. Preparing the translation early costs a day; discovering at a default hearing that service was defective costs the judgment.
Questions about translating a claim for a foreign defendant
As a rule, yes. Under Federal Decree-Law No. 42 of 2022, when the defendant's official language is not Arabic, the claimant must attach a certified translation of the served notice, and the default language is English. The exception is where the parties agreed earlier to use a different language, in which case the translation follows that agreement. Employee-initiated labour claims and personal-status proceedings sit outside this mandatory-translation duty.
For a foreign defendant, yes, where it is necessary and ordinary service has failed. The Case Management Office, judge or chief justice may permit the notice to be served by publication in a foreign newspaper in a foreign language, precisely because a defendant is more likely to see a notice in a paper and language they actually read than an Arabic notice in a UAE newspaper. This is a route the court authorises, not one the claimant chooses unilaterally.
For anything that enters official use, the translation should come from a legal translator on the Ministry of Justice register, licensed for the language pair. That is the standard for documents filed in the Arabic court record, and it is the safe standard for the certified translation of the served notice as well. An unlicensed or in-house translation risks being treated as uncertified, which can expose the service to challenge. Use a licensed legal translator whose certification the court recognises.
Because the translation is part of the act of service on a non-Arabic-speaking defendant, a missing or seriously defective one goes to the validity of the notice, not merely to tidiness. The defendant can argue they were not validly served, which can lead to a default judgment being set aside and the service having to be repeated. The cost lands later and larger: preparing the translation correctly at the outset is far cheaper than losing a judgment to a service defect.
Prepare it before. The translation obligation attaches to serving a non-Arabic-speaking defendant from the start, so the translated notice should be ready for the first ordinary and technical service attempts. If those fail and the court then authorises publication — including in a foreign-language newspaper — you already have a certified translation to publish, rather than scrambling for one after the order and delaying the notice.
Yes for the court, no for the translation choice. Arabic remains the language of the court and the court record regardless of what the parties agreed, so the proceedings themselves stay in Arabic. What the parties' agreement changes is the language of the certified translation attached for the defendant: instead of the default English, the translation is prepared in the language the parties agreed. The Arabic notice and the agreed-language translation travel together.
Official sources
- Federal Decree-Law No. 42 of 2022 promulgating the Civil Procedure Law (UAE Legislation portal)
- UAE Ministry of Justice — main federal legislation (Civil Procedure Law)
- u.ae — The Official Platform of the UAE Government: civil cases (documents to the courts must be in Arabic or translated by a Ministry of Justice legal translator)
- UAE Ministry of Justice — services for legal translators (translator system)
This content is for general awareness and is based on the official sources available at the time of the last update. Publication-notice requirements and steps differ by the type and stage of the case and the direction of the competent court or authority. It is not legal advice. MANJAZ is a service provider that helps prepare and coordinate publication-notice requirements — it is not a court, does not decide whether a case qualifies for service by publication, and does not issue judicial notices.
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