QATAR Law and Practice Contributed by: Hani Al Naddaf and Maysa Sleiman, Al Tamimi & Company
3.5 Costs and Time Taken to Enforce Foreign Judgments The fee for registering and initiating an enforcement case is QAR1,000. The typical timeline for obtaining a decision from the enforcement judge as to whether to accept or refuse the application ranges from four to eight weeks. If the application is refused, the deci - sion can be appealed within ten days and the process before the Court of Appeal may take around three months. If the application is accepted, the enforce - ment process will start, including identifying, freezing and selling the defendant’s assets. This would take around two to four months, depending on the nature of the assets. 3.6 Challenging Enforcement of Foreign Judgments A party may challenge the enforcement of a foreign judgment in Qatar on several grounds, including: • whether the judgment is final and conclusive, or if an appeal is pending or possible in the foreign jurisdiction – enforcement will be refused if the judgment is not final or is still subject to appeal; • whether the foreign court had proper jurisdiction over the dispute; • invalid or inadequate service of process or lack of proper representation in the foreign proceedings; • whether the judgment or its enforcement would violate Qatari public policy or morals; • if the judgment was obtained by fraud or in breach of due process; • if the claim is barred by limitation under Qatari law; and • if the judgment conflicts with a prior Qatari judg - ment or order. The judgment debtor may file written objections on these or other enforcement-specific grounds within ten working days of service of the enforcement notice. The judge may grant time for the debtor to initiate substantive proceedings, and may stay enforcement during that period. Any stakeholder may appeal the enforcement judge’s orders or decisions, including acceptance or refusal of enforcement or dismissal of objections, to the appellate chamber of the Enforce - ment Court within ten working days of notification. The appellate chamber’s decision is final and not
ten objections limited to payment, forgery, satisfac - tion, limitation or other enforcement-specific grounds (Article 33). The judge may grant the debtor up to 90 working days to commence a substantive action and may stay enforcement during that period, with fur - ther extensions possible. If the judge considers that complex substantive issues arise, they may refuse enforcement and direct the parties to ordinary pro - ceedings. Any stakeholder may appeal the judge’s orders or decisions (including provisional measures, acceptance or refusal of enforcement, or dismissal of objections) to the appellate chamber within ten working days of notification (Article 38), and the appellate chamber’s decision is final and not subject to further challenge. Absent successful objections or appeal, or once any appeal is dismissed, the judge issues a defini - tive enforcement order, and all provisional measures remain in force until satisfaction of the judgment or cancellation by the Court (Article 37). If the debtor still fails to comply, the judge proceeds to compulsory execution, including: • sale of attached movables or immovables by public auction under Articles 82–95; • garnishment of salaries, rents or dividends within the statutory ceilings; • distribution of proceeds to preferential and ordinary Imprisonment or travel bans continue until the debtor performs, secures the debt or satisfies statutory con - ditions for release (Articles 40–44). All enforcement actions and restrictions are automatically cancelled once the judgment is satisfied in full (Article 37), the enforcement file is closed, and the Court issues certifi - cates confirming discharge. This sequence provides a consolidated roadmap for turning a foreign judgment into executable relief in Qatar, balancing the debtor’s procedural rights with the creditor’s need for swift and effective enforcement under the JEL. creditors under Articles 103–104; and • release of any surplus to the debtor.
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