Article 57 of the Saudi Civil Aviation Law
المادة 57 من نظام الطيران المدني · الفصل الثاني: الحقوق على الطائرات
Rights over foreign aircraft are registered under the law of their state of registration; the Authority must register valid rights over Saudi aircraft in the register, and may treat depositing the document creating a right as registration.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- يتم قيد الحقوق على الطائرات الأجنبية وفقا للقوانين المطبقة التي تخضع لها هذه الطائرات حسب جنسية تسجيلها.
2- يجب على الهيئة قيد الحقوق على الطائرات التي تحمل الجنسية السعودية في الصفحات الخاصة بتسجيل تلك الطائرات في السجل إذا كانت هذه الحقوق قد تم إنشاؤها صحيحة وفقا للأحكام المطبقة في المملكة.
3- يجوز للهيئة اعتبار إيداع المستند المنشئ لأي من الحقوق على الطائرة في ملفها الذي تحتفظ به قيدًا له في السجل وفي هذه الحالة يترتب على الإيداع نفس آثار القيد في السجل.
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 57 explained in plain English
This article regulates the registration of rights over aircraft, such as the ownership, lease and mortgage listed in Article 56, and distinguishes between foreign and Saudi aircraft.
Foreign aircraft (paragraph 1): rights over them are registered in accordance with the applicable laws to which they are subject according to the nationality of their registration. They are not registered in the Saudi register.
Saudi aircraft (paragraph 2): the Authority must register rights over them on the pages of the register devoted to registering those aircraft, provided these rights were validly created in accordance with the provisions applicable in the Kingdom. Registration is mandatory for the Authority once the right has been validly created.
Deposit in place of registration (paragraph 3): the Authority may treat depositing the document creating the right in the aircraft's file that it keeps as its registration in the register. In that case the deposit has the same effects as registration.
The importance of registration appears in Article 58 after it, which provides that rights over Saudi aircraft do not take effect against third parties except from the date of their registration or the deposit of the document creating them. Anyone who creates a right over an aircraft would do well to register it promptly, and to consult a lawyer specializing in commercial cases or finance.
Practical example
A Saudi airline leased an aircraft registered in the national register under a long-term lease. The Authority must register this right on the aircraft's page in the register if the contract was validly created in accordance with the provisions applicable in the Kingdom, and it may treat the deposit of the contract in the aircraft's file as its registration.
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 57 of the Saudi Civil Aviation Law
Where are rights over a foreign aircraft registered?
They are registered in accordance with the applicable laws to which the aircraft is subject according to the nationality of its registration.
Must the Authority register a mortgage on a Saudi aircraft?
It must register rights over Saudi aircraft in the register if they were validly created in accordance with the provisions applicable in the Kingdom.
Does depositing the contract replace registering it?
The Authority may treat depositing the document creating the right in the aircraft's file as its registration, and the deposit has the same effects as registration.
More articles on Registering Aircraft and Rights Over Them
- Article 49
No civil aircraft may fly in the Kingdom's territory without its nationality and registration marks; the Authority may permit an unregistered aircraft to fly or land for technical testing or other purposes.
لا يجوز لأي طائرة مدنية أن تطير في إقليم المملكة ما لم تكن تحمل علامة جنسيتها وتسجيلها طبقا لنظام دولة التسجيل ، أو سلطة تسجيل العلامة العامة ، ومع ذلك يجوز لله
- Article 50
The Authority determines the nationality and registration marks of national aircraft and how they are placed on the aircraft, in accordance with the applicable international rules and laws.
تحدد الهيئة علامات جنسية وتسجيل الطائرات الوطنية ، كما تحدد طريقة وضعها على الطائرة وفقا للقواعد والأنظمة الدولية المطبقة في هذا الشأن.
- Article 51
The Authority maintains the Saudi National Register for Aircraft Registration, whose contents and registration conditions are set by the Implementing Regulations; a registered aircraft has the Kingdom's nationality.
1- تعد الهيئة سجلا لتسجيل الطائرات المدنية الوطنية يسمى ( السجل السعودي الوطني لتسجيل الطائرات )، وتحدد اللائحة البيانات التي يجب أن يتضمنها السجل والشروط الواج
- Article 52
The Authority issues aircraft registration certificates after completing the necessary procedures, each containing the data set by the Implementing Regulations.
تصدر الهيئة شهادات تسجيل الطائرات بعد إتمام الإجراءات اللازمة لذلك على أن تتضمن كل شهادة البيانات التي تحددها اللائحة.
- Article 53
An aircraft is deregistered if its owner or lessee loses Saudi nationality, ownership passes to a foreigner, it is lost or permanently withdrawn, the owner requests it or a registration condition ceases; the owner must notify the Authority and return the certificate.
1- تشطب الطائرة من السجل في الحالات الآتية: أ - إذا فقد مالكها أو مستأجرها جنسيته السعودية. ب - إذا انتقلت ملكيتها إلى شخص أجنبي. ج - إذا فقدت الطائرة أو سحبت
- Article 54
The provisions on rights over aircraft apply to all civil aircraft in the Kingdom's territory whatever their nationality and to Saudi civil aircraft wherever they are, but not to state aircraft.
تطبق أحكام هذا الفصل على جميع الطائرات المدنية أيًّا كانت جنسيتها حال وجودها في إقليم المملكة وكذلك على الطائرات المدنية السعودية في أي مكان كانت، ولا تسري أحكا
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.