Article 26 of the Saudi Civil Society Associations Law

This article gives public benefit associations two special privileges:

First: protection of their funds. The funds of public benefit associations may not be attached or enforced against except by a court judgment. A creditor's mere claim, or a document that falls short of a court judgment, is not enough to attach their funds; this protects funds earmarked for the public benefit from hasty procedures.

Second: expropriation. A public benefit association may expropriate real estate it needs, subject to these conditions:

• It must be within the public benefit purposes for which it was established.
• The provisions of the Law on Expropriation of Real Estate for the Public Benefit and Temporary Occupation of Real Estate apply, to the extent consistent with the nature of its work.
• The expropriation decision is issued by the Minister, not by the association itself.
• The association pays the resulting compensation.

This is an exceptional privilege for a civil society entity and reflects that these associations serve a public interest. Article 25 explains that an association is considered a public benefit association if its purpose is to serve a public interest, provided this is stated in its license or by a decision of the Minister after licensing.

Anyone owed a debt by a public benefit association must obtain a court judgment before attaching, and would benefit from consulting a lawyer who specializes in enforcement cases. The owner of real estate expropriated for an association has the protection of the expropriation law.