Article 11 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Arbitration Law

There may be more than two parties to an arbitration, for example where the dispute is between a company and a number of contractors or partners. In this case the question arises: from which day do the arbitration proceedings begin?

This article of the Regulations answers with a clear rule: the proceedings begin on the day the last party receives the request for arbitration. The date the first or second party received it does not count; what counts is the date the last of the parties receives the request.

This rule has a practical effect, because the date the proceedings begin needs to be fixed precisely in arbitration. A claimant should therefore keep proof of the date each party received the request, so as to know the day the proceedings began.

The article does not specify the means of delivering the request, and does not deal with arbitration between two parties only. "The Law" in the Regulations means the Arbitration Law, according to Article 1 of the Regulations.

This article comes among the provisions of the Regulations that govern the course of the proceedings, including Article 10, under which the competent court selects a sole arbitrator when there is no agreement on him, and Article 12, which governs the decision appointing an expert and the effect of not depositing an advance for his expenses.

Anyone who is a party to a multi-party arbitration and needs to fix the starting date in their case should consult a lawyer who specializes in arbitration and commercial cases.