Sharjah Enacts New Expert Witness Regulations to Standardize Court Procedures
The Emirate of Sharjah has approved new legislation establishing formal regulations for expert witnesses in civil and commercial disputes. The law, which received approval on June 15, 2026, introduces standardized registration requirements, professional conduct standards, and disciplinary mechanisms for engineers, doctors, forensic specialists, and other technical experts who provide testimony in courts.
What the New Law Establishes
The legislation creates three key regulatory components:
Registration and qualification requirements: Experts must register in categorized lists by status (national, non-national, government employee) and demonstrate competency in their field. The law establishes distinct registration tracks for Emirati nationals, foreign professionals, and government employees, while also governing local and international expert firms.
Professional accountability structure: A new Expert Accountability Council will investigate complaints, review alleged violations, and impose sanctions ranging from warnings to suspension or permanent debarment. Before commencing duties, experts will take a formal legal oath documenting their commitment to impartiality and truthfulness.
Transparent fee structures: Expert compensation shifts from case-by-case negotiation to standardized regulatory schedules. This standardization eliminates hidden billing disputes and provides cost predictability for litigants budgeting legal defense.
Immediate Practical Effects for Sharjah Residents
For businesses in active litigation: The law will not typically affect cases already underway, but will shape future disputes. Cases beginning after the effective date will operate under the new framework.
Cost predictability: The standardized fee schedule removes mid-case billing surprises. Lawyers and clients can now budget expert witness expenses with greater certainty, which particularly benefits smaller businesses and individual litigants.
Expanded access to specialists: The law explicitly permits registration of international expert firms, widening access to specialists unavailable locally. Companies can now engage specialized firms overseas provided they meet emirate standards and regulatory oversight.
Enhanced expert credibility: The expert pool will now be vetted and subject to ongoing oversight, giving judges and litigants greater confidence in the qualifications of specialists providing technical testimony.
Implementation Timeline and Next Steps
The law's effective date—when experts must comply and register—will be announced via government decree. Practitioners should expect a 60 to 90-day transition period from announcement to enforcement.
For those affected:
• Monitor the Sharjah Government Communications Office and Sharjah Judicial Department website for official circulars detailing the Expert Accountability Council's composition, exact fee schedules, international firm registration criteria, and complaint procedures
• Construction, healthcare, intellectual property, and financial services sectors—which rely heavily on expert evidence—should review their current expert witness arrangements
• Businesses planning future litigation should budget based on the new standardized fee schedules once they are published
How Sharjah's Framework Aligns With UAE-Wide Judicial Updates
Sharjah's expert witness law arrives alongside broader judicial reforms across the UAE. In January 2026, amendments to the Federal Civil Procedures Law established specialized judicial chambers for high-complexity matters. On June 1, 2026, the Federal Civil Transactions Law took effect, overhauling contract law to emphasize good-faith dealings and transparent enforcement.
Dubai previously established expert regulation through Law No. 13 of 2020 and created the Dubai Centre for Judicial Expertise in August 2025. Abu Dhabi and other emirates operate under the Federal Law of Evidence framework. Sharjah's independent judiciary has adapted these models to its own judicial structure while maintaining standards aligned across the UAE system.
What to Expect Going Forward
The law codifies procedures that have historically operated on a case-by-case basis. Experts will operate under licensing discipline with standardized compliance requirements. Courts can now reject substandard expert reports earlier in proceedings, which should reduce iterative corrections that previously prolonged case timelines.
The framework applies to civil and commercial disputes in Sharjah courts. For residents and businesses, the practical benefit centers on cost clarity and procedural consistency—knowing expert fees in advance and trusting that specialists have undergone formal scrutiny before testifying.
Official implementing decrees will provide specific dates, fee schedules, and registration procedures. Stakeholders should expect regulatory guidance from the Sharjah Judicial Department within the coming weeks.
