The Riga Arbitration Court resolves civil disputes quickly, objectively and comprehensively. Our mission is to give the business community high-quality and predictable dispute resolution.
How arbitration differs from a state court
| Criterion | Riga Arbitration Court | State court |
|---|---|---|
| Time to a decision | The award is issued within 14 days after the dispute has been heard | Depends on the court’s workload and the number of instances gone through |
| Appeal | No appellate instance — the award is final | Appeal and cassation |
| Publicity | The course of the proceedings, the case file and the award are confidential | Proceedings are public |
| Choice of judge | The parties choose an arbitrator from the court’s list — by specialisation, experience and the industry of the dispute | The judge is assigned by the court; the parties have no say |
| Legal fees | Recovered from the losing party in full | Recovered within the limits set by law |
| Language of the proceedings | Latvian, Russian or English — as agreed by the parties | Latvian; documents in another language require a translation |
| Attending online | The hearing can be held entirely online; travelling to Riga is not required | As a rule in person; video link at the court’s discretion |
| Enforcement | Writ of execution and a bailiff — as with a state court judgment; abroad under the New York Convention (over 170 states) | Writ of execution and a bailiff; abroad under EU regulations and international treaties |
Procedural advantages
Speed and certainty
The award is issued within 14 days after the dispute has been heard. Arbitration involves no appellate instances and no years of waiting — the parties receive a final, enforceable outcome within a reasonable time. This means business is not frozen for years: the closing date of the proceedings can be predicted before they even begin.
Enforcement
An award of the Riga Arbitration Court is enforced in the same manner as a judgment of a state court: where necessary, the creditor obtains a writ of execution and hands the case to a bailiff. Awards are recognised and enforced abroad under the 1958 New York Convention, which has more than 170 contracting states. In other words — a case you win does not stay on paper.
Remote proceedings
Hearings can be attended entirely online — the parties are not required to be present in Riga. This is particularly convenient for businesses from other Latvian cities, other EU countries and further abroad. Appearing in person is a right, not an obligation.
Cross-border disputes
The Riga Arbitration Court hears disputes involving foreign parties. A creditor based in Latvia does not need to work out which country’s court to apply to or which law to act under — an arbitration clause in favour of the Riga Arbitration Court in the contract is enough. This substantially reduces costs and removes legal uncertainty in international settlements.
Language of the proceedings
The parties may agree on the language in which the dispute is heard. The Riga Arbitration Court works in Latvian, Russian and English. The language barrier therefore does not become an additional obstacle either for Latvian businesses or for their foreign counterparties.
Choice of arbitrator
The parties choose an arbitrator from the list approved by the Riga Arbitration Court, guided by their specialisation, experience and the industry the dispute belongs to. The panel of arbitrators is continuously expanded with specialists from different countries. Unlike a state court, where the judge is assigned at random, here the case is heard by someone who knows your particular field.
Confidentiality
Arbitration is not public. The course of the proceedings, the case file and the award remain confidential — unlike in a state court. For business this matters: the details of the dispute, contractual terms and internal documentation do not become available to competitors or to the press.
Recovery of representation costs
The Riga Arbitration Court may award legal fees against the losing party in full — without the caps applicable in state courts. Recovery is based on the legal services agreement and the supporting invoice. In practice this means that a party acting in good faith does not have to bear the cost of defending its rights alone.
Predictable costs
The fees of the Riga Arbitration Court are fixed and transparent — the cost of the proceedings can be calculated before they start, with no unexpected surcharges along the way. See the Arbitration fees section.
The court’s digital infrastructure
Client portal
Through the court.lv portal you can file a statement of claim, send documents to the registry and receive a reply without visiting the court. The portal provides:
- online filing of the statement of claim and supporting documents;
- issuing and receiving the invoice for hearing the dispute;
- correspondence with the registry on the case in one secure environment;
- a view of the stages of the proceedings and the procedural deadlines.
Templates of procedural documents
The main procedural documents are available to view and download. Ready-made templates — the statement of claim, the statement of defence, applications — can be used directly by substituting your own details.
Loss calculator
A tool for calculating the amount claimed before filing. It produces a separate document setting out the calculation, ready to be attached to the statement of claim.
AI assistant
An automated assistant on the court’s website answers common questions about the procedure, the rules and the costs in real time — without waiting for the registry’s working hours. The first answer comes immediately, at any time of day or night.
List of enforcement specialists
The Specialists section lists lawyers ready to assist with the enforcement of an award — both in Latvia and abroad. Obtaining an award and actually recovering the debt are two different tasks; we help with both.