Article 308 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
المادة 308 من نظام المعاملات المدنية · الفرع الأول: المبيع والثمن
The buyer must know the item sold by seeing it or by its description; if the contract states he knows it, he can seek annulment for lack of knowledge only by proving the seller deceived him.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- يجب أن يكون المبيع معلومًا للمشتري برؤيته أو ببيان صفاته المميزة له.
2- إذا تضمّن عقد البيع أن المشتري عالمٌ بالمبيع فلا حق له في طلب إبطال العقد لعدم العلم إلا إذا أثبت تغرير البائع به.
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 308 explained in plain English
This article requires the buyer to know what he is buying, and it contains two rulings:
First: the item sold must be known. The item must be known to the buyer in one of two ways:
- Seeing it: the buyer inspects the item himself.
- A statement of its distinguishing characteristics: the item is described in a way that distinguishes it from others, which matters when buying remotely or before inspection.
Second: the effect of a contract term stating that the buyer knows the item. If the sale contract states that the buyer is aware of the item sold, such as the common wording "the buyer inspected the item with an inspection that removes uncertainty", he may not afterward request annulment of the contract on the ground of lack of knowledge unless he proves that the seller deceived him. The burden of proof here is on the buyer.
The second paragraph implies that lack of knowledge of the item may be a ground for requesting annulment where the contract does not contain the buyer's acknowledgment that he knows it, whereas such an acknowledgment narrows his path so that all that remains is to prove deception.
This article is linked to Article 307, which defines a sale as the transfer of ownership of the item to the buyer for a cash price, and to Article 309, which regulates sale by sample and requires the item sold to conform to it.
The buyer should therefore read the clause about knowledge of the item before signing, and anyone who believes he was deceived should consult a lawyer specialized in civil cases.
Practical example
Ahmed bought a used car from a showroom in Riyadh and signed a contract stating that he had inspected the car and knew its condition. A few days later he wanted to annul the contract on the ground that he had not known the car's condition. Under this article he may not do so unless he proves that the seller deceived him.
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 308 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
Do I have to see the goods before buying them?
The item sold must be known to the buyer by seeing it or by a statement of its distinguishing characteristics; a distinguishing description takes the place of seeing it.
I signed that I inspected the item. Can I annul the sale?
You may not request annulment of the contract for lack of knowledge unless you prove that the seller deceived you.
Who bears the burden of proving deception?
The buyer. The text requires the buyer to prove that the seller deceived him.
More articles on Sale Contract
- Article 23
The article defines consumable things as those whose use, according to what they are prepared for, is limited to consuming or spending them, and treats everything prepared in stores for sale as consumable.
الأشياء القابلة للاستهلاك هي التي ينحصر استعمالها -بحسب ما أُعدّت له- في استهلاكها أو إنفاقها، ويعد قابلًا للاستهلاك كل ما أعد في المتاجر للبيع.
- Article 44
Paying earnest money gives only the payer the right to withdraw from the contract without recovering it, unless otherwise agreed; the court sets the withdrawal period if the parties have not.
1- دفع العربون عند إبرام العقد يفيد أن لدافع العربون وحده الحق في العدول عن العقد، وليس له إذا عدل أن يسترد مبلغ العربون، وذلك كله ما لم يتفق على خلافه. 2- إذا
- Article 109
The article provides that exchange contracts are concluded on the basis that the subject matter is free of defects except what custom tolerates, and that an intolerable defect is a breach of the obligation.
تُعدُّ عقود المعاوضات منعقدةً على أساس سلامة محل العقد من العيوب إلا ما جرى العرف على التسامح فيه، فإذا تبيَّن في المحل عيبٌ لم يجر العرف على التسامح فيه؛ عُدَّ
- Article 165
The article provides that a right to a thing specified by kind attaches to a particular item only once it is set apart, and lets the creditor, on non-performance, obtain a like item at the debtor's expense.
1- إذا تعلق الحق بشيء معين بالنوع لا بالذات، فإنه لا يختص بشيء بذاته من ذلك النوع إلا بإفرازه. 2- إذا لم يقم المدين بتنفيذ التزامه جاز للدائن أن يحصل على شيء من
- Article 166
The article places the risk of destruction or damage on the debtor who failed to deliver, in two cases: transfer of a real right and an obligation to perform work involving delivery, each on different conditions.
1- الالتزام بنقل حق عيني يتضمن الالتزام بتسليم الشيء والمحافظة عليه حتى تسليمه، فإذا لم يقم المدين بتسليمه حتى هلك أو تلف كانت تبعة ذلك عليه. 2- إذا كان محل الا
- Article 307
Article 307 defines sale as a contract under which the seller transfers ownership of the item sold to the buyer for a cash price.
البيع عقد يُمَلِّكُ بمقتضاه البائع المبيع للمشتري مقابل ثمنٍ نقدي.
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.