Article 46 of the Saudi Arbitration Law
المادة 46 من نظام التحكيم · الفصل: في الدعوى التحكيمية
The article allows either party, within 30 days of receiving the award, to ask the tribunal to interpret any ambiguity in its operative part; the interpretation is issued in writing within 30 days and forms part of the award.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- يجوز لكل واحد من طرفي التحكيم أن يطلب من هيئة التحكيم خلال الثلاثين يوماً التالية لتسلمه حكم التحكيم تفسير ما وقع في منطوقه من غموض. ويجب على طالب التفسير إبلاغ الطرف الآخر على عنوانه الموضح في حكم التحكيم بهذا الطلب قبل تقديمه لهيئة التحكيم.
2- يصدر التفسير كتابةً خلال الثلاثين يوماً التالية لتاريخ تقديم طلب التفسير لهيئة التحكيم.
3- يعد الحكم الصادر بالتفسير متمماً لحكم التحكيم الذي يفسره وتسري عليه أحكامه.
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 46 explained in plain English
An arbitral award may be issued in wording that can bear more than one meaning, so that the parties disagree about enforcing it. This article provides a way to remove that ambiguity.
- Request for interpretation: Either party may ask the arbitral tribunal, within the 30 days following its receipt of the award, to interpret any ambiguity in its operative part.
- Notify the opponent first: The party requesting interpretation must notify the other party of the request, at its address stated in the award, before submitting it to the tribunal.
- Period for the response: The interpretation is issued in writing within the 30 days following the date the request was submitted to the tribunal.
- Effect of the interpretation: The decision issued as an interpretation is treated as complementing the award it interprets, and the award's provisions apply to it.
Note that, under the text, interpretation is confined to ambiguity in the operative part, that is, the part that contains what the award decided. This article differs from Article 47, which deals with correcting purely clerical or arithmetical errors in the award within 15 days.
The article is also linked to Article 45, which requires the tribunal, if the parties agree on a settlement and ask for it to be recorded, to issue an award containing the terms of the settlement and ending the proceedings.
Because the period is short and runs from the date of receipt, anyone who finds an ambiguity in an award issued in their dispute would do well to consult a lawyer who specializes in arbitration and commercial cases without delay.
Practical example
An arbitral award obliged a company in Dammam to deliver equipment to its client "at the site" without specifying which of the client's two sites. Either party may, within 30 days of receiving the award, ask the tribunal to interpret this wording, after notifying the other party of the request at its address stated in the award.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
How we write and review contentA question about Article 46 of Arbitration Law?
Describe what happened and specialist lawyers answer. You can write in English.
- Completely free
- Lawyers from the directory answer
- Your name stays hidden
Commercial & Corporate Law lawyers: ask a specialist about your case
Describe your situation briefly and we'll suggest a lawyer who specialises in this law
Commercial & Corporate Law lawyers
Lawyers who handle this kind of case
شركة امتداد النظام للمحاماة والاستشارات المهنية
- Labour & Employment Law
- Criminal Law
- Criminal Law
- Commercial & Corporate Law
Frequently asked questions about Article 46 of the Saudi Arbitration Law
How do I request interpretation of an arbitral award?
Submit the request to the arbitral tribunal within 30 days of receiving the award, after notifying the other party of it at its address stated in the award.
How long does the arbitral tribunal take to interpret the award?
The interpretation is issued in writing within the 30 days following the date the request was submitted to the tribunal.
What is the status of a decision issued as an interpretation?
It is treated as complementing the award it interprets, and the award's provisions apply to it.
More articles on The Arbitral Award
- Article 38
The article sets the rules the tribunal applies to the subject of the dispute, without contravening Islamic Sharia or public order, and allows an award by conciliation if it is expressly authorized.
1- مع مراعاة عدم مخالفة أحكام الشريعة الإسلامية والنظام العام بالمملكة، على هيئة التحكيم أثناء نظر النزاع الآتي: أ - تطبيق القواعد التي يتفق عليها طرفا التحكيم
- Article 39
The article regulates how the tribunal issues its award by majority after secret deliberation, the choice of a casting arbitrator when no majority is possible, and procedural decisions and interim and partial awards.
1- يصدر حكم هيئة التحكيم المشكلة من أكثر من محكم واحد بأغلبية أعضائها بعد مداولة سرية. 2- إذا تشعبت آراء هيئة التحكيم ولم يكن ممكناً حصول الأغلبية فلهيئة التحكي
- Article 40
The article sets the period for issuing the award ending the dispute (as agreed by the parties, or twelve months), the possibility of extending it, and what the parties may do when it passes.
1- على هيئة التحكيم إصدار الحكم المنهي للخصومة كلها خلال الميعاد الذي اتفق عليه طرفا التحكيم، فإن لم يكن هناك اتفاق وجب أن يصدر الحكم خلال اثني عشر شهراً من تار
- Article 41
The article sets when arbitration proceedings end, provides that they do not end on the death or loss of capacity of a party, and that the tribunal's mission ends when the proceedings end.
1- تنتهي إجراءات التحكيم بصدور الحكم المنهي للخصومة، أو بصدور قرار من هيئة التحكيم بإنهاء الإجراءات في الأحوال الآتية: أ - إذا اتفق طرفا التحكيم على إنهاء التحك
- Article 42
The article requires the arbitral award to be written, reasoned and signed by the arbitrators or a majority of them, and lists the details it must contain.
1- يصدر حكم التحكيم كتابة ويكون مسبباً، ويوقعه المحكمون، وفي حالة تشكيل هيئة التحكيم من أكثر من محكم واحد يُكتفى بتوقيعات أغلبية المحكمين بشرط أن يثبت في محضر ا
- Article 43
The article requires each party to be given a true copy of the award within 15 days of its issuance, and prohibits publishing the award or any part of it without the written consent of both parties.
1- تُسلّم هيئة التحكيم إلى كل من طرفي التحكيم صورة طبق الأصل من حكم التحكيم خلال خمسة عشر يوماً من تاريخ صدوره. 2- لا يجوز نشر حكم التحكيم أو جزء منه إلا بموافق
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.