Legal Notice for Breach of Contract in the UAE

What the law says about notice before a claim

The Civil Transactions Law is Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025, in force from 1 June 2026. Several of its articles tie remedies to notice:

• Compensation. Article 337: “Compensation shall not be due unless the debtor has been formally put in default, except when the law or the agreement provides otherwise.”
• Performance or rescission. Article 234(1): in a bilateral contract, if one party fails to perform on the due date, the other party “may, after giving notice to the debtor, request the court to order the performance of the contract or its rescission.”
• Automatic rescission clauses. Article 235: even where the contract says it ends automatically on non-performance, “This agreement does not exempt the parties from giving notice, unless the contracting parties have expressly agreed to waive such notice.”
• Specific performance. Article 331(1): “After being put in default, the debtor shall be compelled to perform their obligation by specific performance, whenever this is possible.”

When notice is not needed

Article 338 lists cases where notice to the debtor is not required, including where performance has become impossible or futile because of the debtor’s act, and where “the debtor declares in writing that they do not intend to perform their obligation.”

Even in those cases, many businesses still send a notice, because it sets out the claim in one dated document that can be shown later.

When you might send a breach of contract notice

• A supplier has not delivered goods or services by the agreed date.
• A client has not paid invoices that are due.
• A contractor has stopped work or is working outside the agreed specification.
• A buyer or seller has not completed a sale on time.
• A partner or shareholder has not met an obligation in an agreement.
• The other side is doing something the contract forbids, such as competing or disclosing confidential information.

Employment disputes follow their own procedure. If the breach is by an employer or employee, check the labour rules before sending a notice.

Check your contract’s notice clause first

Most written contracts say how notices must be sent: the address, the email, the language and sometimes a cure period (the time the other party has to fix the breach). Follow that clause exactly. A notice sent to the wrong address or without the agreed cure period can be challenged.

If the contract says nothing, the Civil Transactions Law does not set one fixed form for this notice. A notice notarised by a notary public and served with a record of delivery is the clearest proof. The Civil Procedure Code also recognises email, SMS, smart applications and hand delivery for serving court process (Article 9), and your contract may already allow some of these.

Unpaid invoices and fixed debts

If the breach is a failure to pay a fixed amount that is proved in writing and due, the Civil Procedure Code offers a writ of debt (payment order). Article 144(1) says the creditor “shall first serve upon the debtor a notice for payment within at least five [5] days”, and the petition must attach “a proof of serving a notice for payment upon the debtor.” We can prepare that notice. If the debtor agrees to pay, record it with an acknowledgement of debt.

What the notice should contain

• Parties: full names, or company names with trade licence numbers, and addresses.
• The contract: title, date, reference number, and the clause that has been breached.
• The facts: what was promised, what happened, with dates, in short numbered points.
• The demand: exactly what must be done, for example deliver, complete, pay a stated amount, or stop an act.
• The period: the cure period in the contract, or a reasonable period that fits the obligation; at least five days if you may seek a writ of debt.
• Next step: what you may do if the period passes, such as claim performance, rescission or compensation.
• Reservation of rights: a line that you keep all your rights under the contract and the law.
• Date and signature of the sender or authorised signatory.

Step by step

1. Send us the contract and the evidence of the breach: emails, invoices, delivery notes, photos.
2. We read the notice clause and any cure period, and check who must sign for a company.
3. We draft the notice in Arabic and English, clause by clause.
4. You review it. Check every date, amount and name.
5. Notarisation. You sign before a notary public, who checks your identity and signing authority and attests the notice. This can be done at our Business Bay office, online, or at your home.
6. Service. We serve it at the address in the contract, with a record of delivery, and send copies to any email or mobile the contract lists.
7. Keep the proof. The notarised notice and the delivery record are kept together for your file.
8. After the deadline. If the other side performs, confirm it in writing. If not, a lawyer can take the claim to court or arbitration with the notice ready to use.

Common mistakes

• Ignoring the notice clause. Wrong address, wrong language or missing cure period.
• A vague demand. “Fix the problem” instead of the exact act and deadline.
• Threats you cannot carry out. Keep the next step factual and lawful.
• No proof of delivery. A notice nobody can prove was received is weak evidence.
• Waiting too long. Delay can make the facts harder to prove.
• Quoting old law. The Civil Transactions Law in force from 1 June 2026 is Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025.

Send your breach of contract notice

Call or WhatsApp +971 54 380 1094, or email support@notaryservicesdubai.com, with your contract and the details of the breach. Office open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. WhatsApp and online requests answered 24/7. You can also contact us online.