How to Attend an RDC Hearing in Dubai — Remote Session Guide
Practical guide to Dubai RDC remote hearings: where to find the session link, when to upload documents, Arabic-language rules, identity and POA preparation, and what to do if you cannot attend.
An RDC hearing is not normally a trip to a courtroom. The Rental Disputes Center currently directs parties in rental lawsuits to attend through its remote litigation system. The practical risk is therefore less “finding the building” and more joining the correct session, having your identity and authority ready, and making sure the evidence you want the committee to see has already been uploaded. This guide focuses on that hearing-day workflow. For filing a new case, use RDC support in Dubai instead.
First: confirm the exact hearing, not just the case number
Where the official link comes from
RDC states that the hearing link is sent by the Center and can also be found in the electronic Case Summary. The Center also provides a public “Join Session Hearing” page where the case number can be used to retrieve the scheduled date, time and Join action. Use the current link attached to your case rather than an old committee link saved from a previous matter.
What to do before the hearing
Check the case summary and hearing time
Confirm the case number, committee/session date and time and the current join link. Do this before hearing day so a missing or incorrect link can be addressed without last-minute pressure.
Upload the documents you want on the file
RDC’s FAQ says documents can be uploaded before the hearing by logging in, finding the lawsuit, opening the hearings section and using the document upload option. Do not assume that emailing a file or showing it on camera makes it part of the case record.
Make the language compliant
For the first-instance rental service, RDC states that documents must be in Arabic or legally translated into Arabic and uploaded electronically. If an important exhibit is only in another language, deal with the translation before the hearing rather than expecting the committee to rely on it as-is.
Prepare identity and authority documents
RDC’s hearing guidance asks parties to keep credentials such as Emirates ID, power of attorney and trade licence available because they may need to be shown on screen. A company representative or attorney should not wait until the session to discover that the authority document is missing or outdated.
Do not leave document filing until the case is reserved for judgment
RDC’s FAQ states that documents may be uploaded before the hearing, but not once the case has been reserved for judgment. The practical rule is simple: if a document matters, upload it through the case system in time and verify that it appears on the file.
How to join and behave in the remote session
Hearing-day checklist
- Join from a quiet place with a stable connection and a charged device.
- Open the official case/session link early enough to deal with access problems.
- Keep camera and microphone off until your case is called, following RDC’s published hearing guidance.
- When called, enable camera and microphone and be ready to confirm identity and authority.
- Keep your case number, key dates and uploaded exhibits organised so you can refer to them precisely.
- Log out when the hearing is finished.
What should you actually say?
If you are the claimant
- State the order you are asking for, then connect it to the contract, notice, payment record or other evidence already filed.
- Use dates and document names instead of a long narrative when a short chronology will do.
- Be ready to address the other party’s filed defence rather than repeating only the original claim.
If you are the defendant
- Identify which allegation you accept, dispute or say is incomplete, and point to the supporting document.
- If your defence depends on payment, notice, renewal, handover or correspondence, make sure the relevant record is already uploaded.
- Do not assume that an argument made only orally replaces a missing document where the document itself is material.
Keep the hearing focused
This article explains procedure, not the legal merits of a particular dispute. The strongest hearing preparation is usually a clear chronology, a precise request and documents that match the point being made. If the case raises a legal defence or jurisdiction issue, the wording should be prepared for that specific file rather than copied from a generic template.
What if you cannot attend the online hearing?
RDC’s published guidance says that a party who cannot attend the online hearing should create or use an RDC account and attach a detailed claim or defence memorandum with supporting documents in advance of the hearing; documents should be in Arabic or legally translated into Arabic. Treat this as a preparation route, not as a promise that absence has no procedural consequence. If attendance becomes impossible, put the written position and evidence on the file as early as possible and check the case status afterwards.
After the hearing: track the case, not your inbox alone
For first-instance rental lawsuits, RDC’s service page says the judgment is received through the website, and the FAQ states that the system also dispatches a copy to the parties’ registered email addresses once issued. Keep the RDC account and case details accessible and verify the judgment from the official file. If the decision needs enforcement, that is a separate stage: see RDC execution support. If the dispute is still at filing stage, see rent-claim support or tenant defence support as relevant.
Do not assume every judgment has the same appeal route
RDC publishes a 15-day filing period for eligible appeals, but appealability depends on the kind of decision and the applicable rules. Do not treat “15 days” as proof that every first-instance result can be appealed. Check the actual judgment and current RDC appeal rules for that case.
Frequently Asked Questions
For the current first-instance rental service, RDC directs parties to attend hearings through its remote litigation system. Check the current case summary and hearing link for your particular case.
RDC says the link is sent by the Center and is also available in the electronic Case Summary. The Join Session Hearing page can also retrieve session details using the case number.
RDC’s FAQ provides a route to upload documents before the hearing through the lawsuit’s hearings section. It also states that documents cannot be submitted after the case is reserved for judgment. Important evidence should therefore be uploaded in advance and verified on the file.
For the first-instance rental service, RDC states that submitted documents must be in Arabic or legally translated into Arabic.
RDC’s published hearing guidance specifically mentions credentials such as Emirates ID, power of attorney and trade licence. Keep the case number and your uploaded evidence organised as well.
RDC’s published guidance says a party unable to attend online should attach a detailed claim or defence memorandum and supporting documents in advance through the RDC account, with documents in Arabic or legally translated. This does not itself guarantee that absence has no procedural consequence.
RDC says first-instance judgments are received through its website, and its FAQ states that a copy is also sent to the registered email addresses once issued.
No. RDC publishes a 15-day period for eligible appeals, but whether a particular decision can be appealed depends on the type of judgment and the applicable rules. Check the judgment and the current appeal service before relying on the deadline.