What Is a Court Expert in the UAE?
A court expert is a technically qualified person — a physician, engineer, accountant, banker, or other specialist depending on the case — who a UAE judicial authority assigns to examine a specific set of facts and deliver a technical or scientific opinion the court itself cannot reach on its own. Judges are not expected to be specialists in every technical field a dispute might touch, and an expert’s role is to bridge exactly that gap, providing the technical foundation a judgment can then be built on.
This guide explains how the court expert profession is regulated in the UAE today, what conditions a person must meet to register as one, and what the resulting expert report actually needs to contain to serve its purpose in court.
The Law Governing Court Experts in the UAE
The profession of court expertise in the UAE is currently governed by Federal Decree-Law No. 21 of 2022, which regulates the profession of experts before judicial authorities at the federal level, with its detailed implementing regulation set out in Cabinet Decision No. 17 of 2024. This framework replaced the earlier Federal Law No. 7 of 2012, which had governed the profession for roughly a decade before being superseded — a point worth knowing, since some older guidance and commentary on UAE court experts still references the 2012 law as though it remains current.
The current Decree-Law sets out four core objectives: regulating expert services before judicial authorities, supplying courts with sufficiently qualified experts to support the accuracy of judgments, developing the profession and improving expert efficiency to help expedite judicial procedures, and building confidence in expert practitioners through defined professional, ethical, and behavioral standards.
Certain emirates also maintain their own local frameworks alongside the federal law. Dubai, for instance, operates under Law No. 13 of 2020, which regulates the expert witness profession specifically before Dubai’s judicial authorities, applying alongside the federal Decree-Law except where Dubai’s own legislation provides otherwise.
Need Expert Advice?
Contact the team at Farahat & Co. for professional support and expert insights for businesses operating in the UAE.
Who Can Register as a Court Expert
Registering as a court expert in the UAE requires meeting a defined set of conditions, reflecting the weight a court ultimately places on an expert’s opinion.
- Academic and technical qualification — the candidate must hold genuine academic readiness and scientific expertise in their specific field of competence
- Legal capacity — the candidate must have full legal capacity and no legal obstacle preventing them from practicing
- Statutory eligibility conditions — including matters such as professional licensing and good reputation, as the governing legislation specifies
- Independence and impartiality — the expert must be distinguished by independence, objectivity, honesty, impartiality, and integrity throughout their engagement
Foreign nationals can, in certain circumstances, be appointed to expert positions — UAE nationality is not an absolute precondition for registration, reflecting a broader regional tendency to draw on specialized technical expertise regardless of the practitioner’s nationality, provided every other registration condition is genuinely met.
Registered experts practice under licensed expert firms within their area of specialization, with the Ministry of Justice maintaining a centralized roster of practitioners organized by specialty and the type or value of cases they are qualified to handle, as determined under the relevant Ministerial framework.
Who May Practice Expertise Before the Courts — and the Exceptions
As a general rule, only experts registered on the official roster may practice the profession of expertise before UAE judicial authorities. There are, however, two recognized exceptions:
- Experts agreed upon by the litigants — where the parties to a dispute agree on a specific expert, the court can approve that agreement, provided the chosen specialist is acceptable to the judicial authority hearing the case
- Unregistered specialists called on for technical assistance — a judicial authority retains the ability to seek the assistance of an unregistered expert or expert firm for a specific case or incident requiring technical input, even outside the formal roster
Each expert maintains a dedicated file with the Ministry of Justice, recording matters connected to their practice of the profession over time.
The Role of the Experts’ Affairs Committee
The current legal framework establishes an Experts’ Affairs Committee responsible for overseeing the profession, alongside a separate disciplinary board empowered to handle complaints and violations connected to expert conduct. This structure reflects a deliberate move toward centralized, accountable oversight of the profession — rather than leaving expert conduct standards to informal practice or case-by-case judicial discretion alone.
What the Court Expert Report Must Contain
Once an expert completes their assigned task, they must submit a written report setting out their findings and the reasoning behind them. This report is deposited with the court and forms the basis for discussion in subsequent proceedings, ultimately feeding directly into the court’s judgment.
An expert report typically divides into two functional parts.
The Identifying and Procedural Section
The first part of the report establishes the procedural foundation the court relies on to confirm the integrity and legality of the process — the expert’s own name, title, address, and professional identification, along with the names, titles, and addresses of the parties involved, and the names and addresses of any legal representatives acting for them.
The Substantive Section
The second, more consequential part of the report is the substantive heart of the expert’s work — their direct answer to the specific questions the court posed, supported by the findings of whatever investigation and research the expert carried out. This section needs to set out clearly where the expert’s information came from, supported by all relevant documentation, since a report’s persuasive weight depends heavily on how transparently it shows its underlying basis rather than simply asserting a conclusion.
Once the report is complete, the expert signs and dates it. The expert may prepare the report either at the disputed site itself or from their own office, and there is generally no requirement to notify the litigants or have them present during the drafting process — unless the report introduces new procedures or statements that weren’t already covered in the minutes of earlier proceedings, in which case that additional notification requirement applies.
Submitting the Report and Supporting Documents
After completing the report, the expert deposits it with the court along with the relevant supporting documents — both those received from the court itself, with its permission, and any received directly from the litigants, whether on the expert’s own initiative or at the court’s request. The expert should attach whatever additional documentation helps explain and substantiate the conclusions reached, since the report’s usefulness to the court depends on how clearly it connects its findings back to verifiable, traceable evidence.
Payment for Expert Services
An expert is entitled to payment for the work performed, with the presiding judge determining both the amount and which party is responsible for paying it. This compensation structure exists to ensure experts can be engaged on a genuinely professional basis, consistent with the qualifications and independence the role demands.
Why the Quality of an Expert Report Matters So Much
A court expert report exists specifically to enlighten the judges and give them the basis for a properly justified decision — which means its drafting needs to be precise and clear rather than technically dense or difficult to follow. A judge relying on a poorly reasoned or unclear report is left with a weaker foundation for their judgment, regardless of how technically sound the expert’s underlying analysis might actually have been. This is precisely why the procedural and substantive structure described above matters in practice, not just as a formality — a report that clearly shows its sources, reasoning, and conclusions gives the court something it can genuinely rely on, while one that doesn’t risks being challenged, discounted, or requiring a supplementary report before the case can proceed.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What law currently governs court experts in the UAE?
Court experts in the UAE are governed by Federal Decree-Law No. 21 of 2022, with its detailed implementing regulation set out in Cabinet Decision No. 17 of 2024. This replaced the earlier Federal Law No. 7 of 2012, which previously governed the profession.
What qualifications does a person need to register as a court expert in the UAE?
A candidate needs genuine academic and technical qualification in their specific field, full legal capacity to practice, compliance with statutory eligibility conditions such as professional licensing and good reputation, and demonstrated independence, objectivity, and impartiality.
Can a foreign national serve as a court expert in the UAE?
Yes, in certain circumstances. UAE nationality is not an absolute requirement for registration as a court expert, provided every other registration condition under the governing legislation is met.
Can litigants choose their own expert instead of using a registered one?
Yes, with court approval. Litigants may agree on a specific expert, and the court can approve that agreement, even where the chosen expert is not on the official roster of registered experts.
What must a court expert’s report include?
A court expert report generally contains two parts: an identifying section covering the expert’s and parties’ details, and a substantive section answering the court’s specific questions, supported by the expert’s findings, sources, and supporting documentation.
Does the expert need to notify the litigants while preparing the report?
Generally, no. There is no standard requirement to notify litigants or have them present during drafting, unless the report introduces new procedures or statements not already covered in the minutes of earlier proceedings.
Who pays for a court expert’s services in the UAE?
The expert is entitled to payment for their work, with the presiding judge determining the amount and which party is responsible for paying it.
Need Expert Advice?
Contact the team at Farahat & Co. for professional support and expert insights for businesses operating in the UAE.
How Farahat & Co. Can Help
Engaging the right court expert, and ensuring a technical report is structured to genuinely support a court’s understanding of a complex dispute, can materially affect the outcome of litigation involving financial, accounting, or other specialized matters. Farahat & Co. provides expert witness and court expert support across the UAE, helping clients navigate technical disputes with properly reasoned, well-documented reports.
Contact Farahat & Co. today to discuss your court expert requirements.
