Article 161 of the Saudi Civil Aviation Law
المادة 161 من نظام الطيران المدني · الفصل الثاني: صلاحيات وواجبات السلطات
Disembarking or handing over a person under Articles 157 and 159, or detaining or trying the person under Article 172, is not acceptance of the person's entry into the Kingdom, and the authorities may deport or return the person.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
لا يعد إنزال شخص أو تسليمه وفقا لأحكام المادة (السابعة والخمسين بعد المائة) والمادة (التاسعة والخمسين بعد المائة) من هذا النظام أو احتجازه أو محاكمته وفقا لأحكام المادة (الثانية والسبعين بعد المائة) من هذا النظام؛ بمثابة قبول دخوله إلى إقليم المملكة ، ويجوز للسلطات المختصة إبعاده، أو إعادته إلى الدولة التي يحمل جنسيتها أو إلى دولة إقامته الدائمة أو الدولة التي بدأ منها رحلته الجوية.
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 161 explained in plain English
This article addresses the status, as regards entry and residence, of a person who is disembarked from an aircraft or handed over in the Kingdom.
The rule: None of the following is acceptance of the person's entry into the territory of the Kingdom:
- disembarking or handing over the person under Articles 157 and 159, that is, at the aircraft commander's request because the person committed or attempted a crime or an act that endangers safety or order, with the authorities bound to allow it; or
- detaining or trying the person under Article 172, which makes the Board of Grievances competent to hear crimes violating the provisions of the Law in the cases it specifies.
The authorities' power: The competent authorities may:
- deport the person; or
- return the person to the state of which the person is a national, the state of permanent residence, or the state from which the flight began.
Practical meaning: The person's presence on the soil of the Kingdom because of being disembarked, handed over or tried does not give the person a lawful status of entry or a right to stay, and the person is not considered to have entered the Kingdom with acceptance merely because of that.
The wording "may" means that deportation or return is a discretionary power of the competent authorities. This article follows Article 160, which governs detaining, investigating and trying the accused or deporting the person, and precedes Article 162 on law enforcement status for the Authority's representatives. Anyone facing deportation in these circumstances may consult a lawyer specializing in criminal or international cases.
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 161 of the Saudi Civil Aviation Law
Is a passenger disembarked at the airport considered to have entered the Kingdom?
No. Disembarking, handing over, detaining or trying the person under the cited articles is not acceptance of entry into the Kingdom's territory.
Where may the disembarked person be returned to?
The authorities may deport the person or return the person to the state of which the person is a national, the state of permanent residence, or the state from which the flight began.
Articles this article refers to
- Article 157
The aircraft commander may take necessary and preventive measures, including restraint, against a person who commits a crime or endangers safety, may enlist crew and passengers, and may ask for the person to be disembarked or handed over to the authorities.
1- يجوز لقائد الطائرة إذا اعتقد لأسباب معقولة أن شخصا على متن الطائرة وهي في حالة طيران قد ارتكب أو يشرع في ارتكاب إحدى الجرائم المنصوص عليها في هذا الباب أو أي
- Article 159
The competent authorities in the Kingdom must allow the aircraft commander to disembark or hand over any person in accordance with Article 157.
على السلطات المختصة في المملكة أن تسمح لقائد الطائرة بإنزال أي شخص أو تسليمه وفقا لأحكام المادة (السابعة والخمسين بعد المائة) من هذا النظام.
- Article 172
The Board of Grievances hears crimes violating the Law committed in the Kingdom, on Saudi-registered aircraft or aircraft operated by a Saudi over the high seas, always at the Authority's request.
1- يختص ديوان المظالم بنظر جميع الجرائم التي تقع مخالفة لأحكام هذا النظام أو لائحته أو القرارات أو التعليمات الصادرة في شأنه، وذلك إذا ارتكبت في إقليم المملكة أ
More articles on Aviation Security Offenses and Penalties
- Article 14
Unauthorized persons may not interfere with or obstruct the flight crew during flight, and no one may tamper with the aircraft or endanger its safety, its crew or its passengers.
يحظر على أي شخص غير مخول رسميا أن يتدخل في أعمال أي عضو من أعضاء هيئة القيادة أو يعوقه عن عمله أثناء فترة الطيران ، كما يحظر على أي شخص العبث بأي جزء من أجزاء ا
- Article 19
The owner or operator of an aircraft registered in the Kingdom may not offer or sell alcohol, narcotics or prohibited items on board; arrivals may not possess them, and no aircraft may carry them into the Kingdom.
1 - يحظر على مالك أي طائرة مسجلة في المملكة، أو مشغلها أن يقدم أو يبيع لأي شخص على متنها أي مشروبات كحولية ، أو مواد مخدرة ، أو أي مواد محظور دخولها إلى المملكة
- Article 105
The article prohibits anyone from boarding an aircraft if they show signs of intoxication or drug use.
يحظر على أي شخص ركوب الطائرة إذا كانت تبدو عليه علامات السكر أو المخدر.
- Article 106
The article prohibits piloting an aircraft or working as a crew member while under the influence of an intoxicant, drug or impairing medication, and prohibits taking any of them throughout the period of work.
يحظر على أي شخص أن يقود طائرة أو أن يعمل كأحد أفراد طاقمها ما دام تحت تأثير مسكر أو مخدر أو دواء يؤدي إلى إضعاف مقدرته على القيام بواجباته على الوجه الأكمل، وفي
- Article 153
The provisions of the international treaties and conventions the Kingdom has approved, and the laws applied in the Kingdom, apply to crimes and acts committed against the security and safety of civil aviation and aircraft.
تطبق على الجرائم والأفعال التي ترتكب ضد أمن وسلامة الطيران المدني والطائرات؛ أحكام المعاهدات والاتفاقيات الدولية بهذا الشأن التي وافقت عليها المملكة وأحكام الأن
- Article 154
The article specifies the acts that are crimes against aviation security, such as violence on board an aircraft, destroying it, giving false information, seizing it, assaults at airports, assaulting crew, harassment and theft.
1- يُعد مرتبكًا لجريمة أي شخص يشرع في ارتكاب أو يرتكب عمدا ودون حق مشروع فعلا من الأفعال الآتية أو يشارك شخصا آخر يشرع أو يرتكب هذا الفعل: أ - أن يقوم بعمل من أ
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.