Regulation Lookup

Regulation Lookup

Retrieve the authoritative text of a specific statute, regulation, executive order, cabinet decision, or ministerial circular. Returns the full instrument with proper citation, effective date, and consolidation status (whether amendments have been incorporated). Covers MENA primary jurisdictions and secondary markets.

When to use this

• A lawyer needs to quote the actual article text for a legal opinion, brief, or advice letter
• A compliance officer needs the primary regulatory text to anchor a compliance program
• A drafter needs to verify that a contractual clause accurately reflects the relevant statute
• A due-diligence team needs to confirm what law was in force at a specific historical date
• A researcher needs the full legislative instrument, not just a summary

Note: This skill retrieves text. For interpretation — what the regulator says the text means in practice — pair with [[research-regulator-guidance-lookup]]. For changes — whether the text has recently been amended — pair with [[research-recent-amendments-tracker]].

Inputs

Source library by jurisdiction

KSA (Saudi Arabia)

KSA note: The BOE maintains the most reliable consolidated texts. Regulations published in Umm Al-Qura should be cross-checked with BOE for amendments. The BOE site is in Arabic; key instruments are increasingly available in unofficial English translation.

UAE Federal and Emirate-level

UAE key instruments (frequently referenced):

• Federal Decree-Law No. 32 of 2021 — Commercial Companies Law (CCL)
• Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 — Labor Relations in the Private Sector
• Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 — Personal Data Protection
• Cabinet Decision No. 58 of 2020 — Beneficial Ownership Procedures

DIFC

DIFC key instruments:

• DIFC Law No. 3 of 2004 — Contract Law (as amended)
• DIFC Law No. 5 of 2005 — Companies Law (as amended)
• DIFC Law No. 2 of 2019 — Employment Law
• DIFC Law No. 1 of 2008 — Arbitration Law (as amended)
• DFSA Rulebook, relevant Modules

ADGM

Lebanon

Lebanon note: many Lebanese laws date from the French Mandate period (pre-1943) or the early Republic era and have been amended inconsistently. The Commercial Code (Code de commerce) and Code of Civil Procedure are French-influenced. Always check the official gazette publication date and amendment history.

EU

Search EUR-Lex by CELEX number for fastest retrieval. "Consolidated" versions on EUR-Lex incorporate amendments — check the "Languages, formats and link to Official Journal" tab to confirm consolidation currency.

US

Output schema

{
  "instrument": {
    "name": "Full formal name of the instrument",
    "citation": "Decree/Law/Article number + date",
    "jurisdiction": "string",
    "type": "statute | regulation | executive-decision | ministerial-circular | rulebook-module",
    "effectiveDate": "ISO date",
    "consolidationFlag": "consolidated-to [date] | original-version-only | not-available",
    "linkToAuthority": "URL to official source"
  },
  "articleText": [
    {
      "articleNumber": "string",
      "text": "verbatim text of the article (Arabic + English translation if official translation available)",
      "notes": "any amendment or interpretation notes"
    }
  ],
  "asOfDate": "ISO date of the version retrieved",
  "subsequentAmendments": "see [[research-recent-amendments-tracker]] for latest amendments",
  "interpretiveGuidance": "see [[research-regulator-guidance-lookup]] for regulator interpretation"
}

Verbatim rule

Always quote article text verbatim — never paraphrase regulatory text. A paraphrase, however careful, risks omitting a condition or qualification that is legally material. If the text is in Arabic or French and an official English translation is not available, provide the original text plus a clearly labeled unofficial translation noting that the original controls.

Caveats

• MENA databases frequently lag the official gazette by weeks or months for recent amendments. If the asOfDate on the retrieved text is more than 3 months old, run [[research-recent-amendments-tracker]] to check for updates.
• Many KSA regulations exist in Arabic only. Unofficial English translations circulate widely but may not accurately reflect recent amendments.
• Lebanon's online legal databases are fragmentary; for critical matters, request a certified extract from the official gazette or commercial register.
• US and EU sources are the most reliably current; verify eCFR consolidation date for very recent rulemakings.

Related skills

• [[research-regulator-guidance-lookup]]
• [[research-recent-amendments-tracker]]
• [[research-statute-lookup]]
• [[research-deep-research-orchestrator]]