Article 17 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
المادة 17 من نظام المعاملات المدنية · الفرع الثاني: الشخص ذو الصفة الاعتبارية
The article lists persons with juridical personality: the State, public bodies and institutions, endowments (awqaf), companies, civil and cooperative associations and institutions, and anything granted this personality by legal provisions.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
الأشخاص ذوو الصفة الاعتبارية هم:
أ- الدولة.
ب- الهيئات والمؤسسات العامة والمصالح التي تمنح شخصية اعتبارية بموجب النصوص النظامية.
ج- الأوقاف.
د- الشركات التي تمنح شخصية اعتبارية بموجب النصوص النظامية.
هـ- الجمعيات الأهلية والتعاونية والمؤسسات الأهلية التي تمنح شخصية اعتبارية بموجب النصوص النظامية.
و- كل ما يُمنح شخصية اعتبارية بموجب النصوص النظامية.
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 17 explained in plain English
Alongside the human being (the person with natural personality), the Law recognizes entities that have an independent legal existence, called persons with juridical personality. This article lists them as follows:
- The State.
- Public bodies, institutions and government departments that are granted juridical personality by legal provisions.
- Endowments (awqaf).
- Companies that are granted juridical personality by legal provisions.
- Civil and cooperative associations and civil institutions that are granted juridical personality by legal provisions.
- Anything that is granted juridical personality by legal provisions.
Important notes:
- The article mentioned the State and endowments without conditioning them on being granted personality by legal provisions, while for bodies, companies and associations it required that they be among those granted juridical personality by those provisions.
- The list is not closed, since the last item covers any entity that the legal provisions grant this personality.
What follows from juridical personality? Article 18 explains that a person with juridical personality enjoys all rights except those inherent in the characteristics of a human being, and has an independent financial liability, capacity, the right to sue, an independent domicile, nationality, and someone who represents it and expresses its will.
To know whether a particular entity enjoys juridical personality, it is advisable to consult a lawyer who specializes in companies and commercial cases.
Practical example
Three partners established a company in Riyadh under the legal provisions that grant it juridical personality. The company becomes a person with juridical personality independent of the partners. Likewise, an endowment made by a benefactor for a mosque is among the persons with juridical personality by the text of the article.
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 17 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
Who are the persons with juridical personality in Saudi law?
The State, public bodies, institutions and government departments, endowments, companies, civil and cooperative associations and civil institutions, and anything granted juridical personality by legal provisions, with a requirement of a grant under the legal provisions for some of them.
Does an endowment have juridical personality?
Yes. The article mentioned endowments among the persons with juridical personality.
Does every company have juridical personality?
The article mentions companies that are granted juridical personality by legal provisions, so what counts is what those provisions set.
More articles on Capacity and General Provisions
- Article 1
The Article sets the order of what applies to civil matters: the Law's provisions, then the general rules in the final provisions, then the most suitable rulings of Sharia, without prejudice to special statutory provisions.
1- تُطبق نصوص هذا النظام على جميع المسائل التي تناولتها في لفظها أو في فحواها، فإن لم يوجد نص يمكن تطبيقه طُبقت القواعد الكلية الواردة في الأحكام الختامية، فإن
- Article 2
The Article provides that all periods and time limits in the Civil Transactions Law are calculated by the Hijri calendar.
تحسب المدد والمواعيد الواردة في هذا النظام بالتقويم الهجري.
- Article 3
The Article provides that a person's legal personality begins with complete live birth and ends with death, and that the rights of an unborn child in the womb are determined by statutory provisions.
1- تبدأ شخصية الإنسان بتمام ولادته حيًّا وتنتهي بموته. 2- حقوق الحمل المستكن تحددها النصوص النظامية.
- Article 4
The Article refers the rules on the missing person, the absent person and the person of unknown parentage to the statutory provisions specific to them rather than regulating them in the Civil Transactions Law.
تسري على المفقود والغائب ومجهول النسب النصوص النظامية الخاصة بهم.
- Article 5
The Article refers the rules on persons' names, titles, families, kinship and nationalities to the statutory provisions specific to them.
تسري على أسماء الأشخاص وألقابهم وأسرهم وقراباتهم وجنسياتهم النصوص النظامية الخاصة بها.
- Article 6
The article defines direct kinship as the link between ascendants and descendants, and indirect kinship as the bond between persons who share a common ancestor without one being a descendant of the other.
1- القرابة المباشرة هي الصلة بين الأصول والفروع. 2- القرابة غير المباشرة هي الرابطة بين أشخاصٍ يجمعهم أصلٌ مشتركٌ دون أن يكون أحدهم فرعًا للآخر.
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.