Article 297 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
المادة 297 من نظام المعاملات المدنية · الفرع الثالث: عدم سماع الدعوى بمرور الزمن (التقادم المانع من سماع الدعوى
The article sets a period of one year after which a claim is not heard against a party who denies it, for merchants' rights against non-traders, the rights of hotels, restaurants and the like, and the rights of hired workers for wages and the price of what they supplied.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
دون إخلال بالنصوص النظامية، لا تُسمع الدعوى على المنكر بانقضاء (سنة) في الحقوق الآتية:
أ- حقوق التّجار عن السلع والخدمات المقدمة لأشخاصٍ لا يتّجرونَ فيها.
ب- حقوق أصحاب المنشآت المعدة لإيواء النزلاء والمطاعم ومن في حكمهم الناشئة عن ممارسة تلك الأنشطة.
ج- حقوق الأجراء من أجورٍ يوميَّةٍ وغير يوميَّةٍ ومن ثمن ما قدموه من أشياء.
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 297 explained in plain English
This article sets a short period of one year: a claim is not heard against a party who denies it after one year in three kinds of rights, without prejudice to legal provisions:
- Merchants' rights for goods and services supplied to persons who do not trade in them. The qualification here is that the buyer is not a trader in those goods or services, such as an ordinary consumer.
- The rights of owners of establishments set up to lodge guests, restaurants and the like, arising from carrying on those activities.
- The rights of hired workers for daily and non-daily wages and for the price of things they supplied.
Article 298 adds two important rules for these rights:
- A claim on them is not heard after the specified period has passed even if the type of dealing continues between their holders and the debtors.
- If a document was drawn up for one of these rights, hearing the claim on it is barred only after 10 years from the date the document was drawn up.
This article differs from Article 296, which sets 5 years for the rights of the liberal professions and recurring periodic rights such as rent on real property and wages. Since wages appear in both articles, and the text before us does not explain how they are reconciled, and since both articles are without prejudice to other legal provisions, determining the period that applies to a particular case requires review by a specialist lawyer.
Owners of shops, hotels and restaurants should take care to claim their dues within the period or document them with a written instrument, and when needed it is advisable to consult a lawyer specializing in civil or commercial cases.
Practical example
Noura bought furniture for her home from a showroom in Jeddah on the basis that she would pay the price later, and the showroom did not claim it for more than a year. If the showroom files a claim after that and Noura denies it, the claim is not heard against her. But if Noura had signed a document for the amount, hearing the claim is barred only after 10 years from the date the document was drawn up under Article 298.
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 297 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
What is the time limit for a merchant to claim the price of goods from a customer?
A claim is not heard against a party who denies it after one year for merchants' rights for goods and services supplied to persons who do not trade in them.
Is a hotel's or restaurant's claim lost after one year?
A claim is not heard against a party who denies it after one year for the rights of establishments set up to lodge guests and of restaurants, arising from carrying on those activities.
What if the debtor wrote a document for the debt?
Under Article 298, if a document was drawn up for one of these rights, hearing the claim on it is barred only after 10 years from the date the document was drawn up.
More articles on Limitation Periods
- Article 79
An action to annul a contract is not heard after one year from knowledge of its ground, or from attaining full capacity or the end of duress, nor after ten years from contracting except in the case of partial incapacity.
1- لا تسمع دعوى إبطال العقد إذا انقضت (سنة) من تاريخ العلم بسبب الإبطال، وإذا كان إبطال العقد لنقص الأهلية أو الإكراه فبانقضاء (سنة) من تاريخ اكتمال الأهلية أو
- Article 81
Any interested person may rely on the nullity of a void contract and the court rules on it of its own motion; ratification does not cure it, and an action on it is not heard after ten years, though it may be raised as a defense at any time.
1- إذا وقع العقد باطلًا جاز لكل ذي مصلحة أن يتمسك بالبطلان، وللمحكمة أن تقضي به من تلقاء نفسها، ولا يزول البطلان بالإجازة. 2- لا تسمع دعوى البطلان إذا انقضت (عش
- Article 143
A compensation claim for a harmful act is not heard after 3 years from knowledge of the damage and the person liable, nor after 10 years from its occurrence, with a special rule for a claim arising from a crime.
1- لا تُسمع دعوى التعويض الناشئة عن الفعل الضار بانقضاء (ثلاث) سنوات من تاريخ علم المتضرر بوقوع الضرر وبالمسؤول عنه. وفي جميع الأحوال لا تسمع الدعوى بانقضاء (عش
- Article 159
The article bars hearing claims for unjust enrichment, undue payment and unauthorized agency 3 years after the creditor learns of his right, and in all cases 10 years after the right arose.
لا تُسمع الدعوى الناشئة عن الإثراء بلا سبب أو دفع غير المستحق أو الفضالة بانقضاء (ثلاث) سنوات من تاريخ علم الدائن بحقه. وفي جميع الأحوال لا تُسمع الدعوى بانقضاء
- Article 188
The article sets the periods for the claim of non-enforceability: it is not heard one year after the creditor learns of its ground, nor in any case ten years after the date of the act.
لا تُسمع دعوى عدم نفاذ التصرف بانقضاء (سنة) من تاريخ علم الدائن بسبب عدم النفاذ، ولا تُسمع الدعوى في جميع الأحوال بانقضاء (عشر) سنوات من تاريخ التصرف.
- Article 230
The Article provides that non-hearing of a claim due to lapse of time as to one jointly liable debtor benefits the others only to the extent of his share, and that suspension or interruption of the period for one cannot be asserted against the others.
1- لا يفيد عدم سماع الدعوى لمرور الزمن بالنسبة إلى أحد المدينين المتضامنين باقي المدينين إلا بقدر حصة ذلك المدين. 2- ليس للدائن أن يتمسك بوقف سريان مرور الزمن أ
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.