Article 66 of the Saudi Antiquities Law
المادة 66 من نظام الآثار والمتاحف والتراث العمراني
Individuals, institutions and companies operating in the Kingdom may donate by buying archaeological or heritage items or collections for the benefit of museums, and may be given benefits and incentives approved by the Council of Ministers.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يجوز للأفراد والمؤسسات والشركات العاملة في المملكة؛ التبرع بشراء قطع أثرية أو تراثية، أو مجموعات لمصلحة المتاحف، ويجوز - مقابل ذلك - منح المتبرع مزايا وحوافز. وتقترح الهيئة ـ بعد التنسيق مع الجهات ذات العلاقة ـ مثل هذه الحوافز، وترفعها إلى مجلس الوزراء لاعتمادها، وتحدد اللوائح ضوابط ذلك.
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 66 explained in plain English
This article encourages donating for the benefit of museums.
Who may donate: individuals, institutions and companies operating in the Kingdom.
Form of donation: donating by buying archaeological or heritage items or collections for the benefit of museums; that is, the donor bears the price of the item so that it becomes available for the museum's benefit.
What the donor may receive: benefits and incentives may be granted, as follows:
- The Authority proposes the incentives after coordinating with the relevant bodies.
- It submits them to the Council of Ministers for approval.
- The regulations set the controls for this.
The article does not state the type of these benefits and incentives or their amount, and specific incentives such as exemptions should not be assumed; the text makes granting them permissible and ties it to the approval of the Council of Ministers. The word "may" in granting benefits also means they are not an automatic right of every donor.
This rule allows the private sector to contribute to enriching museums with valuable items, which relates to the museum's duty to preserve and enrich its collections. A company that wants to make this kind of contribution would be wise to find out about the controls set by the regulations, and to consult a lawyer who specializes in commercial and corporate matters.
Practical example
A company in Dammam wants to buy a collection of old maritime heritage items and donate it for the benefit of a museum in the Eastern Province. It may do so, and it may be granted benefits and incentives as approved by the Council of Ministers from the Authority's proposals and under the controls set by the regulations.
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 66 of the Saudi Antiquities Law
Can companies donate antiquities to museums?
Yes. Individuals, institutions and companies operating in the Kingdom may donate by buying archaeological or heritage items or collections for the benefit of museums.
Do donors to museums receive incentives?
Benefits and incentives may be granted to the donor, which the Authority proposes after coordinating with the relevant bodies and submits to the Council of Ministers for approval.
What kind of incentives are given to donors?
The article does not state their type. It provides that the regulations set the controls for this, after approval by the Council of Ministers.
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.