UAE courts, regulators & registries
The official UAE bodies whose public records make up a legal-risk check — what each one publishes, how to search its records, and what Counterscope covers of it.
- Court (DIFC free zone)DIFC Courts
The DIFC Courts are the independent English-language common-law courts of the Dubai International Financial Centre. They publish their judgments and orders openly, searchable by party and case number — so a judgment against a company is a concrete, verifiable risk signal you can confirm at source.
- Court (ADGM free zone)ADGM Courts
The ADGM Courts are the independent common-law courts of Abu Dhabi Global Market, where English common law applies directly. They publish their cases and decisions on adgm.com, so litigation involving an ADGM-registered company can be verified at source — separately from the DIFC and the onshore courts.
- Company registryUAE company registry (registrar of companies)
The UAE has no single national registrar of companies. Mainland firms are registered with each emirate’s Department of Economic Development, and free-zone firms with their zone’s authority — the DIFC Registrar of Companies and the ADGM Registration Authority keep public registers. They confirm identity and licence status, not litigation.