Article 295 of the Civil Transactions Law states that the limitation period for claims is ten years, except where another statutory provision or an exception in the Law applies. Once this period has passed, the right is barred by lapse of time and the courts will not hear the claim. Certain claims, however, will not be heard against a denying party after five years under Article 296. These include the rights of professionals such as doctors, lawyers, and engineers in relation to work connected with their professions and expenses they incurred, as well as recurring rights such as property rent, wages, and accrued revenues. Claims relating to traders' rights for goods and services supplied to people who do not trade in them will not be heard against a denying party after one year.
The prescribed period begins on the day the right becomes due for performance.
The running of the period is suspended whenever an excuse makes it impossible to claim the right. Such excuses include good-faith negotiations between the parties that remain ongoing when the period is completed, or a moral impediment that prevents the claim from being made.
