Article 347 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
المادة 347 من نظام المعاملات المدنية · الفرع الثاني: آثار عقد البيع أولًا: التزامات البائع
If the buyer takes the item before paying the immediately due price with the seller's knowledge and without objection, it is permission to take it; without permission the seller may recover it and claim compensation.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- إذا تسلّم المشتري المبيع قبل أداء الثمن الحال على علم من البائع ولم يمنعه كان ذلك إذنًا بالتسلم.
2- إذا تسلّم المشتري المبيع قبل أداء الثمن الحال دون إذن البائع كان للبائع استرداده، وإذا هلك أو تلف في يد المشتري عُدَّ متسلمًا له، وللبائع إن اختار استرداده مطالبة المشتري بالتعويض.
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 347 explained in plain English
This article deals with what happens if the buyer receives the item before paying the immediately due price, that is, the price due at once. It distinguishes between two cases:
First case: receipt with the seller's knowledge. If the buyer receives the item and the seller knows of that and does not prevent him, the seller's silence is treated as permission to receive it.
Second case: receipt without the seller's permission. Here:
- the seller may recover the item;
- if the item perishes or is damaged in the buyer's hands, the buyer is treated as having received it, and bears the result;
- the seller, if he chooses to recover the item, may claim compensation from the buyer.
This article is linked to Article 346, which permits the seller to withhold the item until he receives what is due to him of the price even if the buyer provided a pledge or a guarantee, a right that lapses if the seller accepts deferral of the price. If the buyer takes the item without the seller's permission, he has overridden the seller's right of withholding, which is why the article gives the seller the right of recovery.
The place of payment of the price is regulated by Article 348, which makes a price due at the time of delivery payable at the place of delivery unless otherwise agreed.
A seller who does not wish to deliver before payment should make his refusal clear, because his knowledge and silence count as permission. In a dispute a lawyer specialized in civil cases may be consulted.
Practical example
A trader in Dammam sold goods to a neighboring shop on the basis that the price would be paid at once, and the shop's worker took the goods from the warehouse without the trader's permission and without paying. The trader may recover the goods and claim compensation. Had the trader seen the worker taking them and not prevented him, that would count as permission to receive them.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
How we write and review contentA question about Article 347 of Civil Transactions Law?
Describe what happened and specialist lawyers answer. You can write in English.
- Completely free
- Lawyers from the directory answer
- Your name stays hidden
Civil Litigation & Compensation lawyers: ask a specialist about your case
Describe your situation briefly and we'll suggest a lawyer who specialises in this law
Civil Litigation & Compensation lawyers
Lawyers who handle this kind of case
Dr. Ali Al-Rubaie Law Office and Ittihad Al-Asr Legal Company
Active contributor
Unwan Law Firm
Frequently asked questions about Article 347 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
What is the seller entitled to if the buyer takes the item without paying and without his permission?
The seller may recover the item, and if he chooses to recover it he may claim compensation from the buyer.
Is the seller's silence when the buyer takes the item considered consent?
Yes. If the buyer received it before paying the immediately due price with the seller's knowledge and the seller did not prevent him, that is permission to receive it.
Who bears damage to the item if the buyer took it without permission?
If it perishes or is damaged in the buyer's hands, he is treated as having received it.
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.