Guides9 min read
How do you appeal to the Court of Cassation in Qatar?
Faysel Al-MohannadiLawyer admitted before the Court of Cassation · Reviewed on
Short answer
Qatar's Court of Cassation reviews how the law was applied, not the facts. You can challenge a Court of Appeal judgment for breach or misapplication of the law, or a nullity that affected it. The deadline is 60 days in civil and criminal cases (30 for Investment and Trade Court judgments). A cassation-admitted lawyer must sign, and enforcement normally continues.
What does the Court of Cassation review?
The Court of Cassation is a court of law, not a third trial of the facts. It checks whether the court below applied the law correctly and followed sound procedure. Five judges decide each case (Judicial Authority Law No. 8 of 2023, Article 7).
| Ground | Non-criminal cases | Criminal cases |
|---|---|---|
| Breach, misapplication or misinterpretation of the law | Law No. 12 of 2005, Article 1 | Criminal Procedure Code, Article 288 |
| A nullity in the judgment or the procedure that affected the judgment | Article 1 | Article 288 |
| Conflicting judgments | A final judgment that contradicts an earlier final judgment between the same parties, from any court (Article 1) | Two contradictory judgments on the same facts (Article 288) |
Arguments about how the evidence was weighed are normally rejected. The Court holds that finding facts and weighing evidence belong to the trial court, as long as its reasoning is sound and grounded in the file (for example, Civil Appeal No. 1403 of 2025).
Grounds not raised within the deadline cannot be added later, except grounds of public order (Law No. 12 of 2005, Article 4; Criminal Procedure Code, Article 292).
Who can appeal, and against which judgments?
Only the losing party can appeal in cassation, and only against the judgments the law lists.
| Question | Civil, commercial, family and administrative | Criminal |
|---|---|---|
| Who can appeal | The losing party, but not one who accepted the judgment or got everything it asked for (Civil and Commercial Procedure Law, Article 155) | The Public Prosecution and the convicted person (Article 288) |
| Which judgments | Court of Appeal judgments, and any final judgment that contradicts an earlier final judgment (Article 1) | Court of Appeal judgments in felonies and misdemeanours (Article 288) |
| Not appealable on its own | Rulings during a case that do not end it, which wait for the final judgment, with set exceptions (Procedure Law, Article 156) | Rulings before the merits unless they halt the case, and judgments still open to objection (Article 290) |
The Supreme Judicial Council says the Court also hears appeals against misdemeanour judgments given by the Court of First Instance as an appeal panel. The full criminal process is in our guide to the stages of a criminal case.
What is the deadline for a cassation appeal?
The general deadline is 60 days in civil and criminal cases. Missing it ends the right, and the Court applies this on its own (Civil and Commercial Procedure Law, Article 159; Criminal Procedure Code, Article 297).
| Judgment | Deadline | Runs from | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil, commercial, family or administrative | 60 days | The judgment date, or notice if the losing party missed every hearing and filed no defence | Law No. 12 of 2005, Article 4; Procedure Law, Article 157 |
| Investment and Trade Court appeal circuit | 30 days | The judgment date, under the general rule | Law No. 21 of 2021, Article 12 |
| Criminal | 60 days, with the grounds filed within it | The judgment in the person's presence, or the end of the objection period or the ruling on it | Criminal Procedure Code, Article 291 |
| Distance period | Civil: 60 days if you live outside Qatar. Criminal: 10 days outside the court's district, 60 days outside Qatar | Added to the deadline | Procedure Law, Article 12; Criminal Procedure Code, Article 405 |
The day of the judgment or notice is not counted, and a deadline ending on an official holiday moves to the next working day (Procedure Law, Articles 13 and 14; Criminal Procedure Code, Articles 404 and 406).
Since 8 May 2026, the Supreme Judicial Council's Decision No. 9 of 2026 lets designated circuits issue judgments electronically, and uploading one counts as pronouncing it (Articles 2 and 15). Watch your e-system account so the deadline does not start unnoticed.
How is the appeal filed, and who must sign it?
You cannot file it yourself. A lawyer admitted before the Court of Cassation must sign the petition in non-criminal cases (Article 4) and the grounds in criminal cases, with the power of attorney filed alongside (Article 291).
Work out the deadline from the judgment date, plus any distance period, and instruct a cassation-admitted lawyer.
Non-criminal cases: the petition, stating the parties, the judgment and its date, the grounds and the requests, is filed at the Court of Cassation's clerk's office, or it is void (Article 4). An explanatory memo and supporting documents go with it (Article 6).
Criminal cases: the appeal is lodged by a report at the same clerk's office, and the grounds are filed within the deadline (Article 291).
Once served, the respondent has 10 days to file a defence memo, and the appellant then has 10 days to reply (Articles 7 and 11).
Lawyers can also file civil, family and criminal cassation appeals in the Supreme Judicial Council's e-system. Admission levels are explained in our guide to choosing a lawyer.
In non-criminal cases the appellant must also pay a security deposit set by law into the court treasury on filing. The clerk refuses the petition without proof of it, unless the appellant is exempt from court fees (Article 5). A fixed fee also applies (Article 27). The Criminal Procedure Code's cassation articles require no deposit.
Does a cassation appeal stop enforcement?
Not as a rule. A Court of Appeal judgment can be enforced while a cassation appeal is pending, unless the Court of Cassation orders a stay (Law No. 12 of 2005, Article 8; Judicial Enforcement Law No. 4 of 2024, Article 8).
| Question | Non-criminal cases | Criminal cases |
|---|---|---|
| Who asks | The appellant, in the petition itself (Article 8) | A person given a custodial sentence, in the appeal report (Article 294) |
| When granted | If enforcement risks serious, irreparable harm (Article 8) | At the Court's discretion, including at the chambers stage (Article 294 bis) |
| What the Court may require | Security or steps to protect the respondent (Article 8) | Security or measures against absconding (Article 294) |
| After a stay | A hearing within 3 months and a decision within 14 months, or the stay must be lifted (Article 8) | A hearing within 6 months (Article 294) |
How enforcement works is in our guide to enforcing a judgment.
In criminal cases, an appeal against a custodial sentence lapses if the person does not surrender for execution before the hearing day (Article 296). A death sentence given in the person's presence is always referred to the Court by the Public Prosecution and suspended until it rules (Article 302).
What happens after the Court of Cassation rules?
The Court first screens each appeal in chambers. It sets a hearing if the appeal is worth hearing, or rejects an inadmissible or void one by a decision that cannot be challenged (Law No. 12 of 2005, Article 16; Criminal Procedure Code, Article 294 bis). It normally rules on the papers after the reporting judge's report (Article 18).
- Rejected or inadmissible: the appellant pays the costs, may lose some or all of the deposit in non-criminal cases, and may owe compensation for a vexatious appeal (Article 23). A criminal appeal rejected on the merits cannot be brought again against the same judgment (Article 301).
- Quashed on jurisdiction: the Court decides only the jurisdiction question (Article 22).
- Quashed on another ground: the Court decides the case or sends it back to the same court with different judges, who must follow its ruling (Article 22; Criminal Procedure Code, Article 295). It must decide non-criminal cases itself if they are ready or on a second appeal (Article 22), and may do so in criminal cases if it accepts a second appeal (Article 298).
Court of Cassation judgments are final and cannot be challenged (Article 25). In criminal cases, a final conviction can be reopened only in narrow situations, such as new evidence of innocence, through the Attorney General (Articles 304 to 306).
When should you speak to a lawyer?
If an appeal judgment went against you and you are considering cassation, or the other side has appealed a judgment you won, speak early to a cassation-admitted lawyer. Grounds take time to draft and cannot be added after the deadline, and a lawyer can tell you whether there is a legal flaw worth raising. Signs:
- The Court of Appeal or an Investment and Trade Court appeal circuit has ruled and the deadline is running.
- You have been served with a cassation petition and have 10 days to file a defence memo.
- Enforcement could cause harm that cannot be undone, and you want to know whether a stay is possible.
- You live outside Qatar and need the distance period worked out.
- The judgment was issued electronically and you are unsure when the deadline started.
What the law says
This guide relies on Law No. 12 of 2005 on cassation appeals in non-criminal matters (Articles 1, 2, 4 to 8, 11, 16, 18, 22, 23, 25 and 27; Article 3 was repealed by Law No. 7 of 2011) and Articles 288, 290 to 306 and 404 to 406 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Law No. 23 of 2004). It also draws on Articles 12 to 14 and 155 to 159 of the Civil and Commercial Procedure Law, Article 7 of the Judicial Authority Law No. 8 of 2023 (which replaced Law No. 10 of 2003), Article 12 of Law No. 21 of 2021 on the Investment and Trade Court, Article 6 of the Advocacy Law, Article 8 of the Judicial Enforcement Law No. 4 of 2024 and Articles 2 and 15 of Supreme Judicial Council Decision No. 9 of 2026. Texts checked on Al Meezan on 19 October 2026.
Read on Al MeezanQuestions people ask
No. The petition, or in criminal cases the grounds, must be signed by a lawyer admitted before the Court of Cassation (Law No. 12 of 2005, Article 4; Criminal Procedure Code, Article 291). A spouse or relative cannot represent you there (Advocacy Law, Article 6).
The Court does not re-examine the facts and normally decides without oral argument, after the reporting judge's report (Article 18). Grounds not stated in the petition are not accepted, except grounds of public order (Article 4).
The law sets no general time limit. If the Court stays enforcement in a civil case, it must hold a hearing within 3 months and decide within 14 months of the stay (Article 8). In criminal cases, a stay of a sentence comes with a hearing within 6 months (Article 294).
The right to appeal is lost, and the Court rules so on its own (Civil and Commercial Procedure Law, Article 159; Criminal Procedure Code, Article 297). The Attorney General can still appeal final judgments in the interest of the law, but that does not help the parties in non-criminal cases (Article 2) and cannot harm a convicted person (Article 303).
This guide is general information about Qatari law, not advice on your case.
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If the Court of Appeal has given judgment, or you have been served with a cassation appeal, ask us about your position and the deadlines that apply to you.