Annulment of Arbitral Awards in Oman: The 90-Day Rule

Oman's Arbitration Law, Royal Decree 47/97, allows 90 days to bring an annulment action.

The law

Arbitration in civil and commercial disputes is governed by the Law of Arbitration in Civil and Commercial Disputes issued by Royal Decree No. 47/97, closely modelled on the Egyptian Arbitration Law and the UNCITRAL Model Law.

No appeal, only annulment

Arbitral awards cannot be appealed. A party may bring an annulment action within 90 days of being notified of the award.

Grounds

Annulment is limited to listed grounds, such as: no valid arbitration agreement; incapacity; failure of notice or inability to present one's case; exclusion of the law chosen by the parties; irregular composition of the tribunal; the award exceeding the agreement; or a defect in the award or procedure affecting it. The court also annuls an award contrary to Omani public order.

Competent court

For commercial arbitration, the action is heard by the competent Court of Appeal.

Institutions and enforcement

The Oman Commercial Arbitration Centre (OCAC), established by Royal Decree No. 26/2018, administers arbitrations under its own rules. Oman is a party to the New York Convention.

Ask LexArab

Upload an Omani award and LexArab will check it against the annulment grounds. General information only.