Arbitration Act
(CHAPTER 10)

(Original Enactment: Act 37 of 2001)

REVISED EDITION 2002
(31st July 2002)
An Act to provide for the conduct of arbitration.
[1st March 2002]
PART I
PRELIMINARY
Short title
1.  This Act may be cited as the Arbitration Act.
Interpretation
2.—(1)  In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —
“appellate court” means the court to which an appeal from a decision of the Court is to be made under section 29C of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act (Cap. 322);
[Act 40 of 2019 wef 02/01/2021]
“appointing authority” means the appointing authority designated under section 13(8) or (9);
“arbitral tribunal” means a sole arbitrator or a panel of arbitrators or an arbitral institution, and includes an emergency arbitrator appointed pursuant to the rules of arbitration agreed to or adopted by the parties including the rules of arbitration of an institution or organisation;
[Act 12 of 2012 wef 01/06/2012]
“arbitration agreement” means an arbitration agreement referred to in section 4;
[Act 12 of 2012 wef 01/06/2012]
“award” means a decision of the arbitral tribunal on the substance of the dispute and includes any interim, interlocutory or partial award but excludes any order or direction made under section 28;
“Court” means the General Division of the High Court;
[Act 40 of 2019 wef 02/01/2021]
“court”, for the purposes of sections 6, 7, 8, 11(1), 55, 56 and 57, means the Court, a District Court, a Magistrate’s Court or any other court in which the proceedings referred to in those sections are instituted or heard;
[Act 40 of 2019 wef 02/01/2021]
[Deleted by Act 12 of 2012 wef 01/06/2012]
[Deleted by Act 12 of 2012 wef 01/06/2012]
“party” means a party to an arbitration agreement or, in any case where an arbitration does not involve all of the parties to the arbitration agreement, means a party to the arbitration*;
*  See section 9 of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act (Cap. 53B) on third parties who are treated as parties to an arbitration agreement.
“the place of the arbitration” means the juridical seat of the arbitration designated by —
(a)the parties to the arbitration agreement;
(b)any arbitral or other institution or person authorised by the parties for that purpose; or
(c)the arbitral tribunal as authorised by the parties,
or determined, in the absence of such designation, having regard to the arbitration agreement and all the relevant circumstances.
(2)  Where any provision in this Act allows the parties to determine any issue, the parties may authorise a third party, including an arbitral institution, to make that determination.
(3)  Where any provision in this Act refers to the fact that the parties have agreed or that they may agree or in any other way refers to an agreement of the parties, such agreement includes any arbitration rules incorporated in that agreement.
(4)  Where any provision in this Act refers to a claim, it shall also apply to a cross-claim or counter-claim, and where such provision refers to a defence, it shall also apply to a defence to such cross-claim or counter-claim.
Application of this Act
3.  This Act shall apply to any arbitration where the place of arbitration is Singapore and where Part II of the International Arbitration Act (Cap. 143A) does not apply to that arbitration.
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Last updated 1 Apr 2025
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