Precautionary Attachment Applications In UAE Courts

This insight examines precautionary attachment (الحجز التحفظي/أمر الحجز) as a means of securing a debtor’s assets: whether an attachment can be obtained before a judgment is issued, what the court requires, how a court-appointed expert’s report can strengthen the application, whether the creditor must provide security, and the deadlines on which attachments are most often lost.

What is a Precautionary Attachment

The principal tool available to a creditor is precautionary attachment (أمر الحجز), by which assets are frozen pending determination of the dispute. Under the UAE Civil Procedures Law, Federal Decree-Law No. 42 of 2022, a creditor may seek an attachment order over a debtor’s assets where there is a genuine risk that enforcement of a future judgment may be jeopardised.