(a) An arbitration award, irrespective of the country in which it was made, shall be recognized as binding and, upon application in writing to the competent court, shall be enforced subject to the provisions of this Code section and of Code Section 9-9-58.
§ 9-9-57.Arbitration award recognized as binding; enforcement
Chapter 9. Arbitration · Article 1. General Provisions · Last amended 2012 · Last verified July 17, 2026
In one sentenceSection 9-9-57 makes any international arbitration award binding and enforceable in Georgia courts regardless of where it was made, requires the party seeking enforcement to submit the original award or a copy (with a translation if the court asks), and subjects that enforcement to the refusal grounds set out in Code Section 9-9-58.
Full Text of § 9-9-57
(b) The party relying on an arbitration award or applying for its enforcement shall supply the original arbitration award or a copy thereof. The court may request the party to supply a translation of the arbitration award.
Plain-English Summary
This section is where an arbitration award turns into something a court will act on. It does not matter what country produced the award — Georgia law treats it as binding, and a written application to the competent court gets it enforced, subject to this section and the refusal grounds in Code Section 9-9-58.
Getting there takes minimal paperwork. The party relying on the award, or seeking to enforce it, has to supply the original award or a copy of it. If the court wants a translation, it can ask for one. That is a deliberately light burden compared to litigating a dispute from scratch — the point of an international award is that it travels across borders without a fresh trial on the merits.
The catch is the cross-reference to Code Section 9-9-58: this section makes the award binding and enforceable as the default rule, but a party resisting enforcement still gets a chance to raise the specific, limited grounds for refusal that the next section spells out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it matter what country an arbitration award came from for Georgia to recognize it?
No — an arbitration award is recognized as binding irrespective of the country in which it was made.
What does a party have to submit to get an award enforced?
The party relying on or applying to enforce the award must supply the original award or a copy of it.
Can a court require a translation of the award?
Yes — the court may request the party to supply a translation of the arbitration award.
Is enforcement automatic once an award is recognized as binding?
Enforcement is subject to this section and to Code Section 9-9-58, which sets out specific grounds on which recognition or enforcement may be refused.
How does a party start the enforcement process?
By making a written application to the competent court.
Amendment History
Code 1981, § 9-9-57, enacted by Ga. L. 2012, p. 961, § 1/SB 383.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, published by the
Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Georgia Code Revision Commission / LexisNexis. Last verified July 17, 2026.
· Official source
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