Article 13 of the Saudi Civil Service Law

This article requires the employee to refrain from two kinds of activity:

1. Engaging in trade, whether directly or indirectly; the prohibition is not limited to the employee conducting trade himself.
2. Taking part in establishing companies, or accepting membership of their boards of directors, or any work in them or in a commercial establishment, unless he is appointed by the government.

Paragraph (b) contains two important rules:

• The exception: if the employee is appointed by the government, the prohibition in this paragraph does not apply to him.
• Permission to work in the private sector: under regulations issued by the Council of Ministers, employees may be permitted to work in the private sector outside official working hours. The article does not allow private-sector work without limit, but ties it to what those regulations provide and to its being outside working hours.

The article does not state the conditions or procedures for this permission, which are found in the regulations issued by the Council of Ministers.

The article is linked to Article 14, which bars combining the post with practicing another profession, while allowing liberal professions to be permitted under regulations issued by the Council of Ministers, and to Article 12, which prohibits exploiting influence and abusing authority.

An employee who wishes to engage in a business or work in the private sector would do well to consult a lawyer specializing in administrative matters and civil service affairs before doing so.