Screening and Registration - ICSID Convention (2006 Rules)

As soon as a party has filed a request for arbitration with the prescribed lodging fee, ICSID sends the request to the other party and reviews the request to determine whether it can be registered. This screening process is mandated by Article 36(3) of the ICSID Convention and Institution Rule 6.

The Screening Process

The Secretary-General of ICSID must determine whether the dispute is manifestly outside the jurisdiction of the Centre as soon as possible after the filing of the request for arbitration. This determination is made on the basis of the information contained in the request.

If one of the requirements in Article 25 of the ICSID Convention is manifestly lacking, the Secretary-General must refuse to register the request. Otherwise the dispute must be registered and the Tribunal can address objections. The decision to register the request is without prejudice to the powers of the Tribunal with regard to jurisdiction, competence and the merits (Institution Rule 7).

The screening process takes on average three weeks, depending on whether ICSID needs clarifications, additional information or documentation from the requesting party.

Registration

The notice of registration is sent to the parties and basic case details are posted on ICSID’s website. All significant steps in the proceeding are subsequently made publicly available under “Procedural Details” of that case. 

The parties are invited to inform ICSID of any agreement as to the number of arbitrators and the method of their appointment and to constitute a Tribunal as soon as possible. The date of registration triggers time limits concerning the method to constitute the Tribunal (60 days) and to appoint the members of a Tribunal (90 days).

The Institution Rules apply to steps taken until the registration of the request.