Article 15 of the Saudi Anti-Smoking Law
المادة 15 من نظام مكافحة التدخين
The article punishes any violation of the law for which no specific penalty is provided with a fine not exceeding SAR 5,000, doubled in case of repeat offense.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
فيما لم يرد في شأنه نص خاص بالعقوبة، يعاقب كل من يرتكب أي مخالفة لأي حكم من أحكام هذا النظام بغرامة لا تتجاوز (5000) خمسة آلاف ريال، وتضاعف العقوبة في حالة العَوْد.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 15 explained in plain English
This is the general penalty in the law, and it applies to every violation for which the law has not set a penalty in a specific provision. Its terms are:
- Scope: any violation of any provision of the law for which no specific penalty provision exists.
- Amount: a fine not exceeding SAR 5,000; this is a maximum, and a lower amount may be imposed.
- Repeat offense: the penalty is doubled in case of repeat offense, that is, when the violation is repeated. The text says "is doubled," in mandatory rather than permissive wording.
To know when this article applies, one must first check that there is no specific provision on the penalty for the violation. An example of specific provisions is Article 14, which punishes anyone who smokes in violation of Article 7 with a fine of SAR 200; a smoker in a prohibited place is punished with that specific fine and not under this article. Violations with no specific provision are governed by this article, and these include violations of the law by establishments, sellers, importers and others.
Anyone penalized under this article may, under Article 16, file a grievance before the competent authority within the prescribed statutory period. Anyone who wishes to file a grievance would do well to consult a lawyer specializing in administrative cases to learn the authority and the period.
Practical example
A shop in Abha was caught violating a provision of the law for which the law sets no specific penalty, so it was fined an amount not exceeding SAR 5,000 under this article. The same violation was later repeated, so the penalty is doubled because of the repeat offense.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 15 of the Saudi Anti-Smoking Law
What is the penalty for violations for which the Anti-Smoking Law sets no specific penalty?
A fine not exceeding SAR 5,000, with the penalty doubled in case of repeat offense.
Is the SAR 5,000 fine applied to a smoker in a prohibited place?
No. Smoking in violation of Article 7 has a specific provision, Article 14, with a fine of SAR 200.
Is the fine for a violation of the smoking law doubled for repeat offenses?
Yes. The article provides for doubling the penalty in case of repeat offense.
More articles on Smoking Violations and Fines
- Article 12
The article makes government bodies, educational, health, sports, cultural, social and charitable institutions, and private-sector establishments responsible for catching and recording violations of the law and imposing fines.
تتولى الوزارات والمصالح الحكومية والمؤسسات والهيئات العامة وفروعها، والجهات العامة الأخرى في الدولة، والمؤسسات التعليمية والصحية والرياضية والثقافية والاجتماعية
- Article 13
The article punishes anyone who violates the ban on growing or manufacturing tobacco in Article 3 with a fine of SAR 20,000 and removal of the violation at their expense.
يعاقب كل مخالف لأحكام المادة (الثالثة) من هذا النظام بغرامة مالية مقدارها (20.000) عشرون ألف ريال مع إزالة المخالفة على حسابه.
- Article 14
The article punishes anyone who smokes in the places where Article 7 prohibits smoking with a fine of SAR 200.
يعاقب كل من يتعاطى التدخين مخالفاً أحكام المادة (السابعة) من هذا النظام بغرامة مالية مقدارها (200) مائتا ريال.
- Article 16
The article allows anyone penalized under the Anti-Smoking Law to file a grievance before the competent authority within the prescribed statutory period.
يجوز لمن صدرت ضده عقوبة من العقوبات المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام، التظلم أمام الجهة المختصة، خلال المدة النظامية المقررة.
- Article 17
The article provides that the penalties in the Anti-Smoking Law do not prevent applying any more severe penalty set by another law.
لا تخل العقوبات المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام بأي عقوبة أشد ينص عليها نظام آخر .
- Article 18
The article allocates all fines collected under the Anti-Smoking Law to support awareness and encourage civil associations to combat smoking, through a bank account spent according to the Minister of Health's instructions.
تخصص جميع الغرامات المحصلة بموجب أحكام هذا النظام لدعم جهود التوعية وتشجيع الجمعيات الأهلية على مكافحة التدخين ونشرها على مستوى المملكة. وينشأ لهذا الغرض حساب ب
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.