Article 62 of the Saudi Antiquities Law
المادة 62 من نظام الآثار والمتاحف والتراث العمراني
The Authority may register in the antiquities register those museum exhibits that meet the specifications of national antiquities, and the museum may not sell them or take them out of the Kingdom except with the Authority's approval.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
للهيئة تسجيل ما تنطبق عليه مواصفات قطع الآثار الوطنية من معروضات المتاحف في سجل الآثار، ولا يجوز للمتحف بيع هذه القطع، أو إخراجها خارج المملكة إلا بعد موافقة الهيئة.
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 62 explained in plain English
This article places a restriction on how museums deal with their exhibits of national archaeological value.
First – Registration: the Authority may register in the antiquities register those museum exhibits that meet the specifications of national antiquities. This is a power of the Authority ("the Authority may").
Second – Restrictions after registration: the museum may not:
- Sell these items.
- Or take them out of the Kingdom.
except with the Authority's approval.
This means a museum's ownership of its holdings does not give it absolute freedom to dispose of them if the Authority has registered them as national antiquities. The restriction is limited to sale and removal from the Kingdom, and relates to registered items.
This rule is connected to Article 63, which limits the participation of museums in exhibitions outside the Kingdom to museums that hold the "Saudi Museum" logo and after the Authority's approval; a museum's participation in a foreign exhibition with registered items also requires observing the restriction in this article.
Anyone who runs a museum and wants to sell items from its holdings would be wise first to check whether they are registered, and to consult a lawyer who specializes in antiquities and urban heritage law.
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 62 of the Saudi Antiquities Law
Can a private museum sell its holdings?
If the Authority has registered an item in the antiquities register because it meets the specifications of national antiquities, the museum may not sell it except with the Authority's approval.
Can museum items be taken out of the Kingdom?
The museum may not take registered items out of the Kingdom except with the Authority's approval.
More articles on Museums and Their Licensing
- Article 20
The article creates the Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage Fund to spend on protecting antiquities, building museums and supporting the private sector, and sets its resources from revenues, compensation and donations.
1- ينشأ في الهيئة صندوق يسمى (صندوق الآثار والمتاحف والتراث العمراني)؛ للإنفاق منه على حماية الآثار، والتراث العمراني، والمحافظة عليها، وصيانتها، وعرضها، وتوظيف
- Article 30
The Commission may exchange duplicate movable antiquities, or those with similar specimens, with museums and scientific institutions inside and outside the Kingdom, and lend movable antiquities for display in international museums and exhibitions.
يجوز للهيئة تبادل الآثار المنقولة المكررة، أو التي لها نماذج مع المتاحف والمؤسسات العلمية الداخلية والخارجية، وكذلك إعارة الآثار المنقولة لعرضها في المتاحف والم
- Article 31
The Commission may accept movable antiquities offered to it as a gift or loan, and may keep or display them in the name of the person who offered them.
للهيئة قبول الآثار المنقولة التي تقدم إليها على سبيل الإهداء أو الإعارة، ولها أن تحفظها أو تعرضها باسم مقدمها.
- Article 56
Any person may establish a cultural, heritage, scientific or other museum as a cultural or investment project, after obtaining classification and a license from the Authority and the relevant bodies.
يجوز للشخص إنشاء متحف حضاري، أو تراثي، أو علمي، أو غير ذلك (كمشروع ثقافي، أو استثماري، أو كليهما) وذلك بعد الحصول على تصنيف وترخيص من الهيئة ومن الجهات ذات العل
- Article 57
Museums are classified into three categories (A), (B) and (C) according to the level of their displays and the variety of their activities; anything else is a private collection, and the regulations set the classification criteria.
تصنف المتاحف إلى ثلاث فئات: (أ) و(ب) و(ج) تبعاً لمستوى عروضها وتنوع نشاطاتها، وما عدا ذلك يعد (مجموعات خاصة)، وتحدد اللوائح معايير تصنيف المتاحف.
- Article 58
The Authority adopts a "Saudi Museum" logo granted to public and private museums, which passes with the museum if ownership transfers, and the regulations set the provisions on granting, suspending and revoking it.
تعتمد الهيئة شعاراً باسم (متحف سعودي) يمنح للمتاحف العامة والخاصة، وينتقل الشعار مع المتحف إذا انتقلت ملكيته، وتبين اللوائح الأحكام المتعلقة بمنح الشعار، وتعليق
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.