The New UAE Civil Code Against the Dutch and Swiss Models The reform and what it actually changes On 1 June 2026, Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025 (the "New Civil Code") came into force, repealing Federal Law No. 5 of 1985 in its entirety and applying, by virtue of Article 4(1), only to contracts entered into on or after that date. The reform is prospective, not retrospective, and the pre-contractual provisions therefore govern negotiations beginning under the new regime rat