The Civil and Commercial Procedures Law sets out the methods for notifying litigants and serving judicial notices, as well as the procedures for receiving such notices in a number of specific cases. Service is carried out by court bailiffs at the request of a litigant, the court registry, or pursuant to a court order.
Article (13) provides that, except where otherwise stipulated by special laws, a copy of the notice shall be delivered in the following manner:
(1) Notices concerning the State shall be served upon the competent ministers, heads of the relevant authorities, governors, or their legal representatives. However, statements of claim, appeal petitions, and judgments shall be served upon the State Lawsuits Authority or its regional branches, according to the local jurisdiction of each.
(2) Notices relating to public legal persons shall be served upon their legal representative or whoever acts on their behalf. However, statements of claim, appeal petitions, and judgments shall be served upon the State Lawsuits Authority or its regional branches, according to the local jurisdiction of each.
(3) Notices relating to commercial companies shall be served at the company’s registered office upon one of the jointly liable partners, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the manager, or whoever acts on their behalf. If the company has no registered office, service shall be made personally upon any one of the aforementioned persons or at their domicile.
(4) Notices relating to civil companies, associations, private institutions, and other legal persons shall be served at their principal office upon the person legally representing them pursuant to their constitutive contract or internal regulations, or upon whoever acts on their behalf. If they have no principal office, the notice shall be served personally upon their representative or at their domicile.
(5) Notices relating to foreign companies that have a branch or an agent in the United Arab Republic shall be served upon that branch or agent.
(6) Notices relating to members of the Armed Forces and those treated as such shall be served through the Public Prosecution upon the competent Judicial Administration of the Armed Forces.
(7) Notices relating to prisoners shall be served upon the prison warden.
(8) Notices relating to seafarers serving on commercial vessels, or to persons employed aboard such vessels, shall be served upon the ship’s master.
(9) Notices relating to persons whose known domicile is outside the country shall be served upon the Public Prosecution. The Public Prosecution shall then forward the notice to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for service through diplomatic channels. In such cases, and subject to reciprocity, a copy of the notice may also be delivered directly to the diplomatic mission of the country in which the person to be notified resides, so that the mission may arrange for its service upon that person.
Within twenty-four hours of delivering the notice to the competent Public Prosecution, the bailiff must send, at the applicant’s expense, a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt to the person to be notified at the address stated in the notice. Another copy of the notice must be enclosed, together with a statement informing the addressee that the served copy has been delivered to the Public Prosecution. Service shall be deemed effective from the time the copy is delivered to the Public Prosecution, unless the notice triggers the commencement of a legal time limit against the person to be notified. In such cases, the time limit shall not begin until the date on which the copy is delivered at the addressee’s domicile abroad, or the addressee signs the acknowledgment of receipt, refuses to receive the copy, or refuses to sign the original as evidence of receipt.
The Minister of Justice shall issue a decision setting out the rules for assessing postal delivery expenses and the manner in which such expenses are to be paid.
(10) If the domicile of the person to be notified is unknown, the notice must state their last known domicile in the United Arab Republic or abroad, and a copy of the notice shall be delivered to the Public Prosecution.
In all cases, if the bailiff does not find a person legally entitled to receive the notice, or if the person to be notified, or their representative, refuses to sign the original as acknowledgment of receipt or refuses to accept the copy, the bailiff shall record this immediately on both the original and the copy, and shall deliver the copy to the Public Prosecution.
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