The Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC) has issued a Revised Table of Fees and Costs that took effect on 1 January 2025, replacing the schedule that had governed DIAC proceedings since July 2011. The central change is structural: both the Centre's administrative fee and the arbitral tribunal's fees are now ad valorem — calculated on the amount in dispute — and the table introduces VAT provisions and a pledge system for security on fees and costs. The new table applies to cases registered on or after 1 January 2025.
Who should read this
Parties to DIAC arbitration or conciliation seated in Dubai, their external counsel, and in-house legal and finance teams budgeting for disputes or drafting DIAC arbitration clauses. Because fees now scale with the amount in dispute, anyone sizing a claim or counterclaim before filing should read this closely.
Directly affected
Key facts
- The DIAC Revised Table of Fees and Costs took effect on 1 January 2025 and applies to cases registered on or after that date.
- It replaces the previous table, which had been in force since July 2011 — more than 13 years.
- Both the Centre's administrative fee and the arbitral tribunal's fees are now ad valorem, calculated on the amount in dispute rather than as fixed or hourly figures.
- The registration fee is USD 3,000; the conciliation registration fee is USD 2,000.
- The conciliator's fee is USD 4,000 for case preparation plus USD 4,000 per hearing day.
- The table introduces VAT/tax provisions and a pledge system for security on fees and costs, plus general provisions clarifying the Centre's payment practices.
- Where the amount in dispute cannot be ascertained, or exceeds USD 100,000,001, the DIAC Arbitration Court determines both the Centre's administrative fee and the Tribunal's fees.
Executive summary
DIAC has replaced a fee schedule that had stood for over 13 years with a table built on the ad valorem principle. Under the previous 2011 regime, tribunal fees in particular were not consistently pegged to the value of the dispute in the way the new table now requires. From 1 January 2025, the size of the claim drives both the administrative fee payable to the Centre and the fees payable to the tribunal. Alongside that shift, DIAC has codified how tax is treated, introduced a pledge mechanism so that security for fees and costs can be provided in a structured way, and set out general provisions on how and when the Centre expects payment. For parties, the practical effect is that cost exposure is now more predictable in method but more sensitive to how a claim is quantified.
What changed
The headline change is the move to an ad valorem basis for the Centre's administrative fee and for the tribunal's fees. Both are now read off the amount in dispute rather than negotiated or billed on an hourly basis. This aligns DIAC with the institutional model used by leading arbitral centres and makes the tribunal's remuneration a function of case value rather than time spent.
The table also fixes several entry costs. Registration of an arbitration carries a USD 3,000 fee. For conciliation, the registration fee is USD 2,000, and the conciliator is remunerated at USD 4,000 for case preparation together with USD 4,000 for each hearing day — giving parties a clear, published figure for the conciliation track.
Three further additions matter. First, the table now contains express VAT/tax provisions, removing prior ambiguity over whether and how tax applies to the Centre's charges. Second, a pledge system has been introduced to govern security for fees and costs, giving a defined route for providing that security rather than relying on ad hoc arrangements. Third, general provisions clarify the Centre's payment practices — when advances fall due and how the Centre treats them. For high-value or unquantified disputes, the table hands discretion to the DIAC Arbitration Court: where the amount in dispute cannot be ascertained, or exceeds USD 100,000,001, the Court sets both the administrative fee and the tribunal's fees.
Practical implications
The most immediate consequence is that cost is now driven by claim value. Because tribunal fees scale with the amount in dispute, the way a claim or counterclaim is quantified directly affects the advance on costs each side must fund. Inflating a claim to apply commercial pressure now carries a corresponding fee cost; a respondent's counterclaim does the same. Costs should be modelled against the scale before the request for arbitration is filed, not after the tribunal is constituted.
The new VAT provisions and pledge system change the mechanics of funding a case. In-house and finance teams should confirm the VAT treatment of DIAC's charges for their own accounting and recovery, and consider whether the pledge mechanism offers a more efficient way to post security than cash advances. For very large or unquantified matters, parties should expect the Arbitration Court to fix fees case by case, so early engagement with the Centre on likely quantum is worthwhile.
This is a Dubai-seated DIAC matter. It does not change the fee regimes of the DIFC-LCIA (now administered through other arrangements), the ADGM Arbitration Centre, arbitrateAD in Abu Dhabi, or any onshore court fees. Parties choosing a seat and institution should weigh the DIAC scale against those alternatives on a like-for-like, value-based comparison.
Action points
- Confirm which table applies: cases registered on or after 1 January 2025 fall under the revised table; earlier registrations remain under the 2011 schedule.
- Model the advance on costs under the ad valorem scale before filing, for both the claim and any anticipated counterclaim.
- Review the VAT/tax provisions with your finance team to confirm treatment and recoverability of DIAC charges.
- Assess whether the new pledge mechanism is a more efficient route for providing security for fees and costs than a cash advance.
- For disputes that are unquantified or exceed USD 100,000,001, engage early on quantum, as the DIAC Arbitration Court will fix the fees.
- Revisit DIAC arbitration clauses and dispute budgets to reflect value-based cost exposure.
Directly affected: parties to DIAC arbitration and conciliation seated in Dubai, their external counsel, and in-house legal and finance teams budgeting for or drafting DIAC disputes.
Effective date: 1 January 2025 (applies to cases registered on or after that date).
Disputes and enforcement relevance
Because DIAC tribunal and administrative fees are now tied to the amount in dispute, cost exposure has become a strategic variable in how claims and counterclaims are framed. Parties running or defending DIAC arbitration in Dubai should price the revised scale into their case strategy from the outset and factor the new VAT and security-pledge provisions into how they fund the proceedings.
Sources and authorities
DIAC — Dubai International Arbitration Centre, Revised Table of Fees and Costs (effective 1 January 2025)
diac.com — Revised Table of Fees and Costs from 1 January 2025
In force: 1 January 2025 · Captured: 2026-06-19T09:13Z
Instrument details
Instrument: DIAC Revised Table of Fees and Costs
Issuing body: Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC), Dubai, UAE
In force from: 1 January 2025 — applies to cases registered on or after that date
Replaces: the previous Table of Fees and Costs, in force since July 2011
Key figures: arbitration registration fee USD 3,000; conciliation registration fee USD 2,000; conciliator fee USD 4,000 (case preparation) + USD 4,000 per hearing day; administrative and tribunal fees on an ad valorem basis; where the amount in dispute is unascertainable or exceeds USD 100,000,001, the DIAC Arbitration Court determines the Centre's administrative fee and the Tribunal's fees.
New provisions: VAT/tax provisions; a pledge system for security on fees and costs; general provisions on the Centre's payment practices.
This update is based on a public DIAC publication and reviewed under the firm's editorial quality gate. General information only — it does not constitute legal advice. For advice on a specific matter, please contact us. Last updated: 2 July 2026.