Article 3 of the Saudi Border Security Law

This article places a general duty on everyone, that is, on every person without distinction, whether a citizen, a resident or a visitor.

The duty is that a person, when passing through border areas and territorial waters, must follow the rules issued by a regulation of the Minister of Interior. The article does not set out these rules itself but refers to the regulation, which is where the details of what a passer-by must do or avoid are found.

The article opens with the phrase "without prejudice to the provisions of the applicable laws", which means this obligation is added to what other laws impose and does not cancel them. Anyone passing through border areas remains subject to the other relevant laws and must, in addition, follow the rules of the Minister of Interior's regulation.

The article is connected to other articles of the Border Security Law:

• Article 2 makes the Border Guard responsible for guarding the land borders, territorial waters and seaports in accordance with a regulation of the Minister of Interior.
• Article 4 punishes every violation of the provisions of the law or the regulations issued under it with one or more penalties, including imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of up to fifty thousand riyals, with the regulations setting the details within those limits.

Therefore, violating the passage rules issued by the regulation may expose the violator to the penalties in Article 4. Anyone facing a violation of this kind should preferably consult a lawyer specializing in criminal cases.