sboghossian Citation Conventions — MENA Jurisdictions
Scope
This skill provides the citation format for primary legal sources in each of the key MENA jurisdictions. Use the format appropriate to the jurisdiction of the cited instrument — not the jurisdiction of the lawyer drafting the document.
UAE
Federal legislation
UAE federal law is enacted as Federal Decree-Laws (most common for commercial/civil matters post-2021) or older Federal Laws:
UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations
Format: UAE Federal Decree-Law No. [N] of [year] [title or subject]
For older pre-2021 legislation:
UAE Federal Law No. 2 of 2015 on Commercial Companies
For Cabinet Decisions (implementing regulations):
UAE Cabinet Decision No. 1 of 2022 Concerning the Executive Regulations of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021
Short-form after first citation:
Federal Decree-Law No. 33/2021 (Labour Law)
or simply:
Labour Law, Art. 10
Emirate-level legislation
Each emirate also enacts its own laws:
Dubai Law No. 4 of 2012 Concerning Real Property Registration
Format: [Emirate] Law No. [N] of [year] [title]
Regulations
SCA Board Resolution No. [N] of [year] (UAE Securities and Commodities Authority)
KSA (Saudi Arabia)
Saudi laws are enacted by Royal Decree:
KSA Royal Decree No. M/34 of 1433H (2012G) on Commercial Court Procedures
Format: KSA Royal Decree No. M/[N] — the M/ prefix indicates a ministerial Royal Decree; A/ indicates Royal Decree on governmental matters.
Note: KSA official documents use Hijri (Islamic) calendar dates (H) alongside Gregorian dates (G). Always include both when citing a Royal Decree.
Short-form:
Royal Decree No. M/34 (Commercial Court Procedures Law), Art. 12
For implementing regulations approved by a Council of Ministers Resolution:
KSA Council of Ministers Resolution No. [N] of [year H/G], approving [name of regulation]
Lebanon
Lebanese legislation:
Lebanese Law No. 528 of 29 July 2003 on Financial Leasing
Format: Lebanese Law No. [N] of [date] [title]
Lebanese laws in Arabic may be cited by their date in the Official Gazette:
Loi n° 528 du 29 juillet 2003 relative au crédit-bail (J.O. n° 31, 7 août 2003)
For legislative decrees (mراسيم اشتراعية):
Lebanese Legislative Decree No. 67/1983
Egypt
Egyptian laws:
Egyptian Law No. 72 of 2017 on the Capital Market
Format: Egyptian Law No. [N] of [year] [title or subject]
For Ministerial Decrees:
Egyptian Ministerial Decree No. [N] of [year]
DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre)
DIFC legislation uses a numbered system with the year:
DIFC Law No. 2 of 2019 (DIFC Contract Law 2019)
Short-form:
DIFC Contract Law 2019, Art. 12
DIFC Court judgments are cited using their neutral citation:
[2023] DIFC CA 001
DIFC regulations (non-law-level instruments):
DFSA Rule No. [N]/[year]
ADGM (Abu Dhabi Global Market)
ADGM laws:
ADGM Companies Regulations 2020
ADGM Court judgments:
[2023] ADGMCFI 0001
QFC (Qatar Financial Centre)
QFC legislation:
QFC Law No. [N] of [year]
Example:
QFC Law No. 7 of 2005 (QFC Law)
OHADA (Organisation pour l'Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires)
For jurisdictions in francophone West/Central Africa where OHADA applies (not core MENA, but referenced in cross-border transactions):
OHADA Acte uniforme relatif au droit commercial général (AUDCG), adopté le 15 décembre 2010
Short-form:
AUDCG, art. 5
Cross-jurisdiction citation table
| Jurisdiction | Legislative citation template | Short-form |
|---|---|---|
| UAE federal | UAE Federal Decree-Law No. N of YYYY | FDL N/YYYY, Art. X |
| UAE emirate | [Emirate] Law No. N of YYYY | Dubai Law N/YYYY, Art. X |
| KSA | KSA Royal Decree No. M/N of YYYYH (YYYYG) | RD M/N, Art. X |
| Lebanon | Lebanese Law No. N of [date] | Law N/YYYY, Art. X |
| Egypt | Egyptian Law No. N of YYYY | Law N/YYYY, Art. X |
| DIFC | DIFC Law No. N of YYYY | DIFC [Short Title] YYYY, Art. X |
| ADGM | ADGM [Name] Regulations YYYY | ADGM [Short Title], reg. X |
| QFC | QFC Law No. N of YYYY | QFC Law N/YYYY, Art. X |
Caveats and currency
- UAE law is in a period of rapid reform. Federal Laws enacted before 2021 may have been superseded by Federal Decree-Laws. Always verify the current version on the UAE government legal database (https://uaelegislation.gov.ae) before citing.
- KSA Hijri dates: the H-to-G conversion is approximate (±1 year depending on the Islamic month). When the Gregorian date matters (e.g., for calculating a statutory deadline), verify the exact date.
- Use [[research-regulation-lookup]] to retrieve the current canonical version of any MENA instrument before citing it in a formal document.
Related skills
- [[output-citation-format-bluebook]] — US citations
- [[output-citation-format-oscola]] — UK/DIFC/ADGM case law and statute citations
- [[output-citation-format-civil-law-fr]] — Lebanese/francophone civil-law citations
- [[research-regulation-lookup]] — for retrieving and verifying MENA statutory text