ICC arbitration · Governing Rules and actual communication country
When does appointment notice start an ICC arbitrator challenge?
An ICC arbitrator challenge must be submitted within 30 days after appointment or confirmation notification, or within 30 days after the party was informed of the challenge facts, whichever is later. Establish both dates before selecting appointment notification. A single notification date cannot exclude a later knowledge branch.
- Period
- 30 calendar days under the established ordinary branch.
- Trigger
- The later established appointment-notification receipt or date the party was informed of challenge facts
- Rule
- ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Article 15(1)–(3)
The 2026 Rules apply from commencement on or after June 1, 2026 unless an earlier edition was agreed. Appointment notification and later knowledge are alternative admissibility limbs of one challenge procedure. This page explains the notification limb without assuming later facts are absent.
Free calculator · No account needed
Calculate your deadline
Loading calculator…
What lawyers say
5.0“The platform is really easy to use.”
Michael B.Employment litigation attorney · California
“The Evidence Record saved us time with our insurance on bankruptcy matters.”
MariaBankruptcy and commercial attorney · London, UK
“The most up-to-date service we could find.”
Li ChenArbitration practitioner · Singapore
When does appointment notice start an ICC arbitrator challenge?
An ICC arbitrator challenge must be submitted within 30 days after appointment or confirmation notification, or within 30 days after the party was informed of the challenge facts, whichever is later. Establish both dates before selecting appointment notification. A single notification date cannot exclude a later knowledge branch.
Responsible actor. The party challenging the arbitrator.
The later established appointment-notification receipt or date the party was informed of challenge facts
Both event dates and their effective communication country must be established. The worked example assumes both occurred in the same metropolitan-France calendar; noncommunicated discovery or a changed country requires separate qualification.
Appointment notification and later knowledge are alternative admissibility limbs of one challenge procedure. This page explains the notification limb without assuming later facts are absent.
Establish both appointment-notification receipt and the date you were informed of the grounds. Use the later established event. Both communications must use the same established country and calendar for this calculation.
ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Article 15(1)–(3)How does this provision count time?
- Identify the later established appointment-notification receipt or date the party was informed of challenge facts.
- Both event dates and their effective communication country must be established. The worked example assumes both occurred in the same metropolitan-France calendar; noncommunicated discovery or a changed country requires separate qualification.
- Submit the written challenge to the Secretariat and specify the facts and circumstances supporting the alleged lack of impartiality, independence or other ground.
- Retain the actual communication and the established relevant country calendar before recording the expiry.
Retain notification receipt and the informed-facts date before applying Article 15(2). Where notification is the later established event, its thirty-day period starts under Article 4 on the next business day if necessary. Intermediate closed days count and a closed final day carries forward.
Appointment notification must have an established deemed-communication country. If grounds were informed later, establish that event’s country too before selecting the later limb. The ordinary notification calculation uses the same established France calendar for 2026 for both events; the seat does not establish either fact.
ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Article 15(1)–(3)What do independently checked examples show?
Fictitious example
The party challenging the arbitrator. The later established appointment-notification receipt or date the party was informed of challenge facts is established on October 06, 2026. Both event dates and their effective communication country must be established. The worked example assumes both occurred in the same metropolitan-France calendar; noncommunicated discovery or a changed country requires separate qualification. The ordinary period applies without a different direction. Relevant deemed communication is independently established in metropolitan France outside Alsace-Moselle. Appointment notification was received on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 and the party was informed of the grounds on Thursday, October 1, 2026. Both events used the same established France calendar.
| Step | What is counted | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Example 1. Ordinary established facts | The party challenging the arbitrator. The later established appointment-notification receipt or date the party was informed of challenge facts is established on October 06, 2026. Both event dates and their effective communication country must be established. The worked example assumes both occurred in the same metropolitan-France calendar; noncommunicated discovery or a changed country requires separate qualification. The ordinary period applies without a different direction. Relevant deemed communication is independently established in metropolitan France outside Alsace-Moselle. Appointment notification was received on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 and the party was informed of the grounds on Thursday, October 1, 2026. Both events used the same established France calendar. Start on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. Count 30 calendar days, including intermediate nonbusiness days. The independently enumerated last day is Thursday, November 5, 2026. That final day is open under the retained applicable calendar. | Thursday, November 5, 2026 |
| Example 2. Closed-day boundary | The party challenging the arbitrator. The later established appointment-notification receipt or date the party was informed of challenge facts is established on October 09, 2026. Both event dates and their effective communication country must be established. The worked example assumes both occurred in the same metropolitan-France calendar; noncommunicated discovery or a changed country requires separate qualification. The ordinary period applies without a different direction. Relevant deemed communication is independently established in metropolitan France outside Alsace-Moselle. Appointment notification was received on Friday, October 9, 2026 and the party was informed of the grounds on Sunday, October 4, 2026. Both events used the same established France calendar. Start on Monday, October 12, 2026. Count 30 calendar days, including intermediate nonbusiness days. The independently enumerated last day is Tuesday, November 10, 2026. That final day is open under the retained applicable calendar. | Tuesday, November 10, 2026 |
| Example 3. Material procedural branch | The party challenging the arbitrator. The later established appointment-notification receipt or date the party was informed of challenge facts is established on October 12, 2026. Both event dates and their effective communication country must be established. The worked example assumes both occurred in the same metropolitan-France calendar; noncommunicated discovery or a changed country requires separate qualification. The ordinary period applies without a different direction. Relevant deemed communication is independently established in metropolitan France outside Alsace-Moselle. Appointment notification was received on Monday, October 12, 2026 and the party was informed of the grounds on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. Both events used the same established France calendar. Start on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Count 30 calendar days, including intermediate nonbusiness days. The independently enumerated last day is Wednesday, November 11, 2026. Article 4(1) carries that closed final day to Thursday, November 12, 2026. | Thursday, November 12, 2026 |
Fictitious established facts. These examples do not establish eligibility, effective service, relief or a direction.
Try these dates in the calculatorWhich conditions and exceptions apply?
- Established ordinary branch
- Both event dates and their effective communication country must be established. The worked example assumes both occurred in the same metropolitan-France calendar; noncommunicated discovery or a changed country requires separate qualification.
- Completion requirement
- Submit the written challenge to the Secretariat and specify the facts and circumstances supporting the alleged lack of impartiality, independence or other ground.
- Establish both appointment-notification receipt and the date you were informed of the grounds. Use the later established event. Both communications must use the same established country and calendar for this calculation.
- Appointment notification and later knowledge are alternative admissibility limbs of one challenge procedure. This page explains the notification limb without assuming later facts are absent.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
When does appointment notice start an ICC arbitrator challenge?
Does appointment notice always supply the final challenge date?
No. Article 15(2) also allows thirty days from later information about the challenge facts, whichever is later.
ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Article 15(1)–(3)Must I establish when I learned the alleged facts?
Yes. The later-informed-facts limb can change the admissibility endpoint.
ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Article 15(1)–(3)Where is the challenge submitted?
Submit it in writing to the Secretariat, specifying the supporting facts and circumstances under Article 15(1).
ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Article 15(1)–(3)Does the Court decide admissibility?
Yes. Article 15(3) assigns admissibility and, where necessary, merits to the Court after the comments opportunity.
ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Article 15(1)–(3)Are comments due on the challenge filing date?
No. The Secretariat fixes a separate period for comments by the arbitrator, other parties and tribunal members.
ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Article 15(1)–(3)Does a challenge suspend every other procedural date?
Article 15 does not supply a universal suspension of other case deadlines. Review the actual applicable directions.
ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Article 15(1)–(3)Official sources and review
Provisions used (2)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Article 15(1)–(3) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Articles 1(2), 3(5) and 4 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |