Article 20 of the Saudi Anti-Smoking Law

This is the entry-into-force article, and it sets the time at which the provisions of the law begin to be applied in practice. The law does not take effect from the day it is published, but one year after the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.

This relatively long period has a practical benefit: it gives government bodies, establishments, sellers and individuals enough time to prepare for the law's obligations before they become binding and before penalties attach to violating them. Publishing the law alone does not make its provisions binding; that begins from the date it takes effect.

This article complements Article 19, which requires the Minister of Health to issue the Implementing Regulations in coordination with the relevant bodies within 6 months of the date the law is published; so the regulations are issued well before the law takes effect, and the law begins to be applied with its implementation details ready.

The article does not state the publication date itself, so knowing the actual date the law took effect requires referring to the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.