The SCCA is the institution that matters for Saudi-related disputes, and its 2023 Arbitration Rules — the second edition, effective 1 May 2023 — brought it into line with the major international institutions. One thing to unlearn first: the SCCA Rules do not make Riyadh the default seat, whatever most online guides say.
What the SCCA is
The Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration administers commercial arbitration and mediation in the Kingdom. Its 2023 Rules introduced an SCCA Court as a distinct organ, which takes the decisions an institution has to take — arbitrator appointment and challenge, the initial determination of the place of arbitration, consolidation — separately from the Centre's administrative staff. The structure will be familiar to anyone who has appeared under the ICC Rules.
The seat: there is no default
This is the most commonly misstated point about SCCA arbitration, and it has practical consequences, so it is worth being precise.
Under Article 22 of the 2023 Rules, where the parties have not agreed the place of arbitration, the SCCA Court determines it initially, and the tribunal finally determines it within 30 days of its constitution. Riyadh is not written in as a default. Published guides that cite "Article 6" for a Riyadh default are describing a provision that is not in these Rules.
Why it matters: the seat fixes the supervisory court and the courts that hear a set-aside application. If you want a Saudi seat, or want to avoid one, name the seat in the clause. Leaving it to the Rules does not give you Riyadh — it gives you a decision taken by someone else, twice, after the dispute has already started.
The tribunal
Under Article 15, absent party agreement, a sole arbitrator is appointed unless the SCCA Court considers three appropriate. The default therefore runs the cost-efficient way, which is unusual among regional institutions and is a reason not to over-specify three arbitrators in a clause covering modest-value contracts.
Expedited and small-claims tracks
The Rules carry two accelerated procedures, and the thresholds are the thing to check against your contract value:
- Expedited Procedure (Appendix II, Article 1) — applies where the amount in dispute does not exceed SAR 4,000,000, exclusive of arbitration costs, or where the parties opt in.
- Small Claims Procedures (Appendix IV) — apply where the aggregate amount in dispute does not exceed SAR 200,000. These were adopted on 1 August 2026 and replace the Centre's earlier Online Dispute Resolution Rules of 2018, revised 2021.
A SAR 4,000,000 expedited ceiling is high by regional standards. A substantial number of ordinary commercial disputes fall inside it, which means a shorter timetable and, commonly, a sole arbitrator — plan the evidence around that from the outset rather than discovering it at the first procedural order.
What an SCCA arbitration costs
Commencing an arbitration requires a registration fee of SAR 5,000 (Appendix I, Article 1). It is non-refundable and is credited against the Claimant's share of the administrative fees.
Administrative fees are separate and are calculated on the amount in dispute under the SCCA Fee Schedule (Appendix I, Article 2), so the institutional cost scales with the claim rather than being fixed. Tribunal fees are a further and usually larger component. Budget the registration fee as the entry ticket, not the cost of the case.
When the SCCA is the right forum
It is the natural choice where the counterparty, the performance or the assets are in Saudi Arabia: an award from a Saudi-seated arbitration is enforced by the Saudi courts as a domestic award, without the New York Convention route and its Article V arguments.
It is the wrong choice if your real protection is a neutral seat and offshore assets to execute against. The seat question and the enforcement question are different questions, and a clause that gets the first one right can still leave an award you cannot collect. Our seat selection matrix and enforcement atlas work through that trade-off.
Frequently asked questions
Is Riyadh the default seat of an SCCA arbitration?
No. Under Article 22 of the 2023 SCCA Arbitration Rules, where the parties have not agreed the place of arbitration the SCCA Court determines it initially and the tribunal determines it finally within 30 days of its constitution. There is no default seat written into the Rules, despite widely-copied guidance citing an "Article 6" Riyadh default. If you want a particular seat, name it in the clause.
Which SCCA rules apply to my arbitration?
The 2023 Arbitration Rules, the second edition, effective 1 May 2023, apply to arbitrations filed on or after that date. The Small Claims Procedures in Appendix IV were adopted later, on 1 August 2026, and replaced the Centre's 2018 Online Dispute Resolution Rules as revised in 2021.
How many arbitrators will be appointed?
One, unless the parties have agreed otherwise or the SCCA Court considers three appropriate — Article 15. The default runs toward a sole arbitrator, which keeps costs down and is worth leaving alone in clauses covering modest-value contracts.
What is the expedited procedure threshold at the SCCA?
The Expedited Procedure Rules apply where the amount in dispute does not exceed SAR 4,000,000, exclusive of arbitration costs, or where the parties opt in — Appendix II, Article 1. Separately, the Small Claims Procedures in Appendix IV apply where the aggregate amount does not exceed SAR 200,000.
What does it cost to start an SCCA arbitration?
A non-refundable registration fee of SAR 5,000 under Appendix I, Article 1, credited against the Claimant's share of the administrative fees. Administrative fees are then assessed on the amount in dispute under the SCCA Fee Schedule, and tribunal fees are a further, usually larger, component.
Matter on your desk?
We act for claimants and respondents in GCC-seated arbitration, and as co-counsel with local firms where the seat requires it. If a contract on your desk names one of these institutions — or you are deciding which to name — send us the clause and a partner will come back on forum, enforceability and the realistic cost.
Last updated: 3 November 2026. Contact us for matter-specific advice.