ICC arbitration · Governing Rules and actual communication country
How long do parties have to nominate an ICC sole arbitrator?
Where the parties agreed to a sole arbitrator, they ordinarily have 30 days from the other party’s receipt of the Request to make a joint nomination. The Secretariat may allow additional time. Failure to nominate leads to appointment by the Court, rather than automatic confirmation of one party’s candidate.
- Period
- 30 calendar days under the established ordinary branch.
- Trigger
- The other party or parties actually receive the Request
- Rule
- ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Article 13(3)
The 2026 Rules apply from commencement on or after June 1, 2026 unless an earlier edition was agreed. This thirty-day default concerns an agreed sole arbitrator under the standard rules. Expedited and HEAP appointments use separate provisions.
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How long do parties have to nominate an ICC sole arbitrator?
Where the parties agreed to a sole arbitrator, they ordinarily have 30 days from the other party’s receipt of the Request to make a joint nomination. The Secretariat may allow additional time. Failure to nominate leads to appointment by the Court, rather than automatic confirmation of one party’s candidate.
Responsible actor. The parties that agreed to a sole arbitrator.
The other party or parties actually receive the Request
A multiparty receipt history requires its actual operative event to be established. The expedited nomination invitation and HEAP twenty-day rule are distinct procedures.
This thirty-day default concerns an agreed sole arbitrator under the standard rules. Expedited and HEAP appointments use separate provisions.
A multiparty receipt history requires its actual operative event to be established. The expedited nomination invitation and HEAP twenty-day rule are distinct procedures.
ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Article 13(3)How does this provision count time?
- Identify the other party or parties actually receive the Request.
- A multiparty receipt history requires its actual operative event to be established. The expedited nomination invitation and HEAP twenty-day rule are distinct procedures.
- Communicate a genuine joint nomination for confirmation. Preserve each relevant respondent receipt and the Secretariat’s confirmation or additional-time decision.
- Retain the actual communication and the established relevant country calendar before recording the expiry.
The other party or parties actually receive the Request. For this 30-day period, establish the legally effective event before applying the time-limit rules. Article 4(1) excludes the event day, starts on the next business day if necessary, includes intermediate nonbusiness days and carries a closed final day to the next business day.
Communicate a genuine joint nomination for confirmation. Preserve each relevant respondent receipt and the Secretariat’s confirmation or additional-time decision. The calculation calendar is metropolitan France excluding Alsace-Moselle, with retained official 2026 holidays and Saturday/Sunday closures. Establish the country where the relevant communication is deemed made. The arbitral seat is insufficient; a different country, local calendar, disputed event or out-of-coverage result is outside this calculation.
ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Article 13(3)What do independently checked examples show?
Fictitious example
The parties that agreed to a sole arbitrator. The other party or parties actually receive the Request is established on October 06, 2026. A multiparty receipt history requires its actual operative event to be established. The expedited nomination invitation and HEAP twenty-day rule are distinct procedures. The ordinary period applies without a different direction. Relevant deemed communication is independently established in metropolitan France outside Alsace-Moselle.
| Step | What is counted | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Example 1. Ordinary established facts | The parties that agreed to a sole arbitrator. The other party or parties actually receive the Request is established on October 06, 2026. A multiparty receipt history requires its actual operative event to be established. The expedited nomination invitation and HEAP twenty-day rule are distinct procedures. The ordinary period applies without a different direction. Relevant deemed communication is independently established in metropolitan France outside Alsace-Moselle. 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 parties that agreed to a sole arbitrator. The other party or parties actually receive the Request is established on October 09, 2026. A multiparty receipt history requires its actual operative event to be established. The expedited nomination invitation and HEAP twenty-day rule are distinct procedures. The ordinary period applies without a different direction. Relevant deemed communication is independently established in metropolitan France outside Alsace-Moselle. 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 parties that agreed to a sole arbitrator. The other party or parties actually receive the Request is established on October 12, 2026. A multiparty receipt history requires its actual operative event to be established. The expedited nomination invitation and HEAP twenty-day rule are distinct procedures. The ordinary period applies without a different direction. Relevant deemed communication is independently established in metropolitan France outside Alsace-Moselle. 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
- A multiparty receipt history requires its actual operative event to be established. The expedited nomination invitation and HEAP twenty-day rule are distinct procedures.
- Completion requirement
- Communicate a genuine joint nomination for confirmation. Preserve each relevant respondent receipt and the Secretariat’s confirmation or additional-time decision.
- A multiparty receipt history requires its actual operative event to be established. The expedited nomination invitation and HEAP twenty-day rule are distinct procedures.
- This thirty-day default concerns an agreed sole arbitrator under the standard rules. Expedited and HEAP appointments use separate provisions.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
How long do parties have to nominate an ICC sole arbitrator?
Must the parties already agree to a sole arbitrator?
Yes. Article 13(3) addresses that agreed sole-arbitrator branch.
ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Article 13(3)Whose receipt matters for joint nomination?
The rule refers to the other party or parties receiving the Request. Do not substitute the claimant’s initial filing date.
ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Article 13(3)Can the Secretariat allow more time?
Yes. Article 13(3) expressly allows additional time from the Secretariat.
ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Article 13(3)What happens if no joint candidate is nominated?
The Court appoints the sole arbitrator when the applicable nomination period expires without nomination.
ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Article 13(3)Is nomination the same as confirmation?
No. The parties nominate for confirmation. Appointment and confirmation are separately governed by Article 14.
ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Article 14Does an expedited case use this thirty-day default?
Appendix V Article 2(2) uses a period fixed by the Secretariat, while HEAP Appendix VI Article 4(2) supplies its own twenty-day rule.
ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Appendix V Article 2 and Appendix VI Article 4Official sources and review
Provisions used (4)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Article 13(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 |
| ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Article 14 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, Appendix V Article 2 and Appendix VI Article 4 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |