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Litigation & Enforcement
How to File a Lawsuit in Sharjah?
A case in Sharjah is now filed before an independent local judiciary, not the federal courts. Since 1 June 2025 the Sharjah courts report to the emirate’s Judicial Council, and a claimant files a civil or commercial lawsuit electronically through the Sharjah Judiciary Platform using UAE Pass, while a criminal case starts with a report to Sharjah Police or the Sharjah Public Prosecution, a labour dispute with a complaint to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, and a rental dispute before the Rental Disputes Centre of Sharjah City Municipality.
This change is what most often leads people into error when filing a lawsuit in Sharjah, since information still in circulation refers to the Sharjah Federal Court of First Instance and to filing through the Ministry of Justice system. That information predates the emirate’s independent local judiciary, and anyone relying on it goes to a body that no longer has jurisdiction. Then come the mistakes of the route itself: a rental claim without an attested lease, a labour claim without a referral, or a defendant without standing, so the case ends as inadmissible before the right is even examined. In this guide AWADH ALMHEIRI LAW FIRM AND LEGAL CONSULTATIONS explains how to file a case in Sharjah, the right body for each type of dispute, what happens after filing, and the deadlines that allow no delay.
Before Filing a Case or Lawsuit in Sharjah: What Type of Dispute Do You Have?
The first question in filing a lawsuit in Sharjah is not how to register it but where. Each type of dispute has its own door, and a claim filed with the wrong body does not move to the right one by itself:
Criminal
Fraud, theft, assault or insult
It starts with a report to Sharjah Police or the Sharjah Public Prosecution, which brings the criminal case, and your role in it is that of complainant and civil claimant. See Criminal Cases in the UAE.
Labour
Wages, dues or dismissal
It starts with a complaint to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, and a claim is registered before the labour court in Sharjah only on the Ministry’s referral if settlement fails. Details in Labor Issues in the UAE.
Rental
Rent, eviction or a bounced rent cheque
Heard by the Rental Disputes Centre in the Emirate of Sharjah, part of Sharjah City Municipality, not by the ordinary courts, as explained below.
Family
Divorce, maintenance or custody
Heard by the Family Court in Sharjah, and most of these claims pass through family guidance before filing. See Personal Status, Family, and Inheritance in the UAE.
Civil and commercial
A debt, a contract or compensation
Registered before the Sharjah Courts of First Instance through the Sharjah Judiciary Platform, and a payment order may be faster if your debt is proven in writing.
Are the Sharjah Courts Part of the Ministry of Justice? The Local Judiciary Since 1 June 2025
No. Amiri decrees issued in 2024 established the Judicial Council, the Judicial Department and the Public Prosecution in the Emirate of Sharjah, and Law No. (7) of 2025 on Regulating the Judicial Authority in the Emirate of Sharjah then came into force on 1 June 2025. Since that date the Sharjah courts have had three tiers reporting to the emirate’s Judicial Council: the Courts of First Instance, the Courts of Appeal and the Sharjah Court of Cassation, which began issuing judgments in July 2025.
In practice, filing, service, fees and the follow-up of hearings now go through the Sharjah Judiciary Platform and the emirate’s own system, not the Ministry of Justice system. The civil procedure, criminal procedure, labour and personal status laws remain federal and apply in Sharjah as elsewhere. The danger lies in outdated information: anyone relying on guidance written before 2025 may file in a system without jurisdiction, or calculate fees on a schedule that no longer applies.
Filing a Lawsuit Online in Sharjah Through the Sharjah Judiciary Platform: What Happens After Filing?
A claimant files a civil or commercial lawsuit through the Sharjah Judiciary Platform by logging in with UAE Pass, choosing the appropriate filing service, entering the parties’ details accurately and attaching the statement of claim and documents. No case is registered until its fee is paid in full, and if the fee is not paid within 3 working days from the day after the payment notice, the registration is deemed void.
After filing, the case begins before the Case Management Office: the defendant is served, the period to appear is 10 working days, and the defendant must file a defence memorandum and documents within 10 working days of service, while an urgent request is referred to the supervising judge to decide within 3 working days. At this stage the right to raise some defences is lost if they are not raised in time, and judgment may be issued in the absence of anyone who does not follow electronic notifications.
A Debt Proven in Writing? A Payment Order in Sharjah Is Faster Than a Lawsuit
If your debt is a fixed sum of money that is proven in writing and due, you do not need a long ordinary lawsuit: you first demand payment from the debtor, giving at least 5 days, then submit an application for a payment order, which is issued within 3 working days of submission. A bounced cheque that qualifies as an enforceable instrument goes straight to enforcement without a payment order. Details in How to Collect Your Debt via Order of Performance in UAE.
Rental Claims in Sharjah: The Rental Disputes Centre and the Attested Lease
Disputes between landlords and tenants in Sharjah are heard by the Rental Disputes Centre in the Emirate of Sharjah, a judicial centre that is part of Sharjah City Municipality, established by Law No. (6) of 2024. It has jurisdiction over rental disputes, the bounced cheques connected with them and compensation claims. Excluded are disputes within a free zone that has its own committee or judicial body for rental disputes.
Under Law No. (5) of 2024 on Leasing Real Property, the landlord must attest the lease and any renewal with the Municipality within 15 days of drafting it. If the landlord refuses, the tenant may ask the urgent matters judge at the Centre to order attestation, and if there is no attested lease, either party may file a claim to prove the tenancy relationship. Rent may not be increased before 3 years from the start of the tenancy, unless the parties agree otherwise.
A first-instance judgment in claims not exceeding AED 100,000 is final and cannot be appealed except in specific exceptional cases, and the appeal period, where an appeal is allowed, is 15 days. A small rental claim in Sharjah therefore usually has one chance. Details in Rental Disputes in the UAE.
Why Is a Lawsuit Not Accepted in Sharjah? Mistakes That Lose a Case Before It Starts
Many claims are lost not because the claimant has no right, but because they were filed the wrong way, so the court rules them inadmissible or outside its jurisdiction without examining the right itself. The most common of these mistakes in Sharjah are:
Jurisdiction
A body without jurisdiction
A rental dispute filed in court instead of the Rental Disputes Centre, filing in a system that no longer has jurisdiction, or a contract with an arbitration clause that the opponent invokes in its first defence.
Precondition
A missing referral, attestation or guidance
A labour claim without the Ministry’s referral, a family claim that did not go through family guidance where it is required, or a rental claim on an unattested lease without a request to prove the tenancy relationship.
Standing
The wrong defendant or the wrong claimant
Suing the company’s manager when the debt is owed by the company, or the company when the obligation is personal; a claim against a party without standing is not accepted however clear the right is.
Time and finality
A lapsed right or a dispute already decided
Every right has a period after which it lapses if the opponent invokes it, and a dispute decided by a final judgment cannot be filed again. See Previous Ruling in UAE: Can It Be Filed Again?.
What Are the Sharjah Court Fees?
Judicial fees in Sharjah are now governed by the emirate’s own laws, not the federal court schedules: Law No. (8) of 2025 on Regulating Judicial Fees in the Emirate of Sharjah has applied since 1 January 2026, and fees under it vary with the type and value of the claim. No claim or appeal is registered until the fee is paid, and the president of the competent court may postpone payment of all or part of it under set rules. A mistake in valuing the claim blocks registration or makes you pay more than necessary.
Do I Need a Lawyer to File a Case in Sharjah?
The law allows individuals to file their own claims in many situations, but the more precise question is whether you can afford a mistake in characterisation, the body, the precondition or the requests. The court does not correct a claimant’s case, and an opponent who hires a lawyer will build a defence on every gap in your statement of claim.
Before instructing anyone, check that they are a registered lawyer entitled to plead before the Sharjah courts; a typing or services office that files the case for you bears no responsibility for its drafting. AWADH ALMHEIRI LAW FIRM AND LEGAL CONSULTATIONS pleads before all the courts of the UAE, including the Sharjah courts. Fees are set once the type, value and stage of the case are known, and are fixed in a written agreement before work begins. Details in Lawyer Fees in Dubai: What is the Cost of a Case?
Deadlines That Govern Filing a Lawsuit in Sharjah
3 working days
To pay the case fee after the payment notice, otherwise the registration is deemed void.
10 working days
The period to appear before the Case Management Office or the court, which may be reduced to 3 working days in case of necessity.
5 days
At least, to demand payment from the debtor before requesting a payment order, which is issued within 3 working days of the application.
15 days
To file a grievance against a payment order within the final-judgment threshold of the court of first instance, from the date the debtor is served.
15 days
Within which the landlord must attest the lease with the Municipality from the date it is drafted.
15 days
To appeal first-instance judgments of the Rental Disputes Centre, where an appeal is allowed.
What to Prepare Before Contacting a Lawyer
Opponent
Who you want to sue
Their name, ID or trade licence number, address and phone, and whether they are registered in a free zone.
Evidence
What proves your right
The contract, invoice or cheque and the bank’s return notice, and the correspondence and transfers connected with the dispute.
Precondition
What is needed before filing
The Ministry referral, the attested lease, or proof that the dispute went through family guidance.
Timing
When the right arose
The date of the events and any earlier judgment, report or file in the same dispute, since the date determines whether the right still stands.
Legal References
Law No. (7) of 2025 on Regulating the Judicial Authority in the Emirate of Sharjah.
Law No. (8) of 2025 on Regulating Judicial Fees in the Emirate of Sharjah.
Law No. (5) of 2024 on Leasing Real Property in the Emirate of Sharjah.
Law No. (6) of 2024 on Establishing and Regulating the Rental Disputes Centre in the Emirate of Sharjah.
Federal Decree-Law No. (42) of 2022 Promulgating the Civil Procedure Law, as amended.
Federal Decree-Law No. (38) of 2022 Promulgating the Criminal Procedure Law.
Federal Decree-Law No. (33) of 2021 Regulating Labour Relations, as amended.
Federal Decree-Law No. (41) of 2024 Promulgating the Personal Status Law.
Frequently Asked Questions About Filing Cases and Lawsuits in Sharjah
Sharjah
AWADH ALMHEIRI LAW FIRM AND LEGAL CONSULTATIONS files lawsuits in Sharjah before the Courts of First Instance, the Courts of Appeal and the Court of Cassation in Sharjah, the Rental Disputes Centre and the Family Court, in civil, commercial, labour, rental, family and criminal cases, as well as payment orders and enforcement, following the file through the Sharjah Judiciary Platform.
The Other Emirates
The firm’s work extends to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, filing and following cases before their courts, public prosecutions and competent committees, for individuals and companies.
