Article 36 of the Saudi Civil Society Associations Law
المادة 36 من نظام الجمعيات والمؤسسات الأهلية
If an organization is dissolved under Article 35 and had received state aid or been allowed to collect donations, those funds are disposed of as the Regulations provide.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
إذا حلت المؤسسة وفقاً للمادة (الخامسة والثلاثين) وكانت قد حصلت على إعانة من الدولة أو سمح لها بجمع تبرعات ، فيكون التصرف في الأموال المستحصلة من تلك الإعانات أو التبرعات وفقاً لما تقضي به اللائحة.
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 36 explained in plain English
This article deals with a specific question that arises after a civil society organization is dissolved: the fate of funds it obtained from public sources or from the public.
The article applies when two conditions are met:
- The organization has been dissolved under Article 35, whether by voluntary dissolution with the approval of the founders or according to the articles of association, or by dissolution in the cases permitted by paragraph 2 of that article.
- The organization has received aid from the State or been permitted to collect donations.
If so, the disposal of the funds obtained from those aids or donations is not left to the will of the founders or the board of trustees but is as the Regulations provide, meaning the Implementing Regulations of the Law as defined in Article 1.
The evident reason is that these funds did not come from the founders themselves but from public money or from donors. The article does not state the body to which these funds pass or how they are disposed of; it leaves this to the Regulations, so no particular rule should be assumed from the Law itself. The organization's other funds are not covered by this article.
If you have a specific case concerning an organization or association, it is best to consult a lawyer who specializes in non-profit sector and civil society association law.
Practical example
A civil society organization in Riyadh received government aid and was permitted to collect donations for an educational program, and then its founders decided to dissolve it. Here the disposal of the amounts remaining from the aid and donations is not left to the founders' will but is carried out as the Implementing Regulations determine.
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 36 of the Saudi Civil Society Associations Law
What happens to a civil society organization's donations after it is dissolved?
If the organization was permitted to collect donations, the funds obtained from them are disposed of as the Regulations provide.
Does State aid go back to the founders on dissolution?
The article does not leave this to the founders; it makes the disposal of government aid funds subject to the Regulations.
Does the article cover all of the organization's funds?
No, it covers only funds obtained from State aid or from donations the organization was permitted to collect.
Articles this article refers to
More articles on Civil Organizations and the Board of Trustees
- Article 29
This article gives the sources of a civil society organization's resources, the funds, endowments, gifts and bequests allocated by its founder or founders, and allows it to receive donations after Ministry approval.
تتكون موارد المؤسسة مما يخصصه لها المؤسس أو المؤسسون من أموال ، أو أوقاف ، أو هبات ، أو وصايا ، ويجوز لها استقبال التبرعات بعد موافقة الوزارة.
- Article 30
This article lists the details the organization's articles of association must contain: name, area and headquarters, founders, purpose, voluntary dissolution cases, allocated funds and their fate on dissolution, and rules on the board of trustees and executive officer.
يجب أن تشمل اللائحة الأساسية للمؤسسة البيانات الآتية : 1 - اسم المؤسسة ، ونطاق عملها الجغرافي ، ومقرها الرئيس. 2 - اسم المؤسس أو أسماء المؤسسين ، وبياناتهم الشخ
- Article 31
Every organization must have a board of trustees of at least three members, appointed by the founder or founders or whoever the articles of association designate; the Ministry is notified of appointments and changes, and steps in if a replacement cannot be appointed.
يكون لكل مؤسسة مجلس أمناء من ثلاثة أعضاء على الأقل يعينهم المؤسس أو المؤسسون أو من يعهد إليه بذلك بموجب اللائحة الأساسية ، وتبلغ الوزارة بالتعيين ، وبكل تعديل ي
- Article 32
The board of trustees manages the organization under the Law, the Regulations and the articles of association, and its chairman represents it before the courts and others, and may delegate this with the board's approval.
يتولى مجلس الأمناء إدارة المؤسسة وفقاً لأحكام النظام واللائحة واللائحة الأساسية ، ويمثلها رئيس المجلس أمام القضاء وأمام غيره ، ولرئيس المجلس بعد موافقة مجلس الأ
- Article 33
A civil society organization must have an annual budget and a final account, though with the Ministry's approval a statement of revenues, expenses and spending of funds may suffice in place of the final account.
تكون للمؤسـسة ميزانية سنوية ، وحساب ختامي ، ويجوز - بعد موافقة الوزارة - أن يكتفى عنه ببيان يتضمن إيراداتها ومصروفاتها ، وأوجه إنفاق أموالها بحسب طبيعة المال ال
- Article 34
The Ministry must keep a special register of civil society organizations; the Regulations set its provisions, the registration procedures and the details to be recorded.
تُعِد الوزارة سجلاًّ خاصًّا بالمؤسسات ، وتحدد اللائحة الأحكام المتعلقة بهذا السجل ، وإجراءات التسجيل فيه ، والبيانات اللازم تسجيلها.
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.