Article 19 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Arbitration Law

This article of the Regulations is the entry-into-force article, and sets two matters:

• Publication: the Regulations are published in the Official Gazette.
• Taking effect: the Regulations are in force from the date of their publication, with no interval between publication and application.

This means in practice that the provisions of the Regulations become applicable from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette, including the designation of the competent court in Article 2, and the non-acceptance of an annulment action from someone who waived their right to it after the arbitral award was issued, and the attached documents, in Article 18.

This article does not state the publication date itself, and does not address the effect of the Regulations on arbitration proceedings that were already under way before they took effect. To know the publication date, the issue of the Official Gazette in which the Regulations were published must be consulted.

Article 1 of the Regulations is a reminder that "the Law" is the Arbitration Law and "the Regulations" are the Implementing Regulations of the Arbitration Law, which are the texts this entry-into-force article deals with.

Anyone with an arbitration that began before the Regulations were published and who wants to know which provisions apply to it should consult a lawyer who specializes in arbitration and commercial cases.