Article 35 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
المادة 35 من نظام المعاملات المدنية · الفرع الأول: أركان العقد أولًا: الرضى
The offeror may withdraw his offer before acceptance is made unless the offer has a fixed period, and if he does not inform the other party he compensates him for the harm suffered but not the expected profit.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- للموجب أن يعدل عن الإيجاب قبل صدور القبول؛ ما لم تكن للإيجاب مدةٌ معينة.
2- إذا لم تكن للإيجاب مدة معينة؛ فعلى الموجب إذا عدل إعلام من وجه إليه الإيجاب بذلك، وإلا لزم الموجب تعويضه عما لحقه من ضرر، ولا يشمل ذلك ما فاته من كسب متوقع من العقد الذي عُدِل عن إبرامه.
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 35 explained in plain English
This article regulates the right of the person who made the offer (the offeror) to go back on it before the other party accepts it.
Paragraph 1 provides that the offeror may withdraw the offer before acceptance is made. The exception is where the offer has a fixed period; if the offer has a fixed period, the offeror does not have the right of withdrawal set in this paragraph.
Paragraph 2 concerns an offer that has no fixed period, and requires the offeror, if he withdraws, to inform the person to whom the offer was directed of his withdrawal. If he does not inform him, he must compensate him for the harm he suffered. But the compensation is limited: it does not include the expected profit lost from the contract that was withdrawn from, that is, there is no compensation for the profit he hoped to make had the contract been concluded.
Article 36 refers to this article expressly, making the offeror's withdrawal under its provisions one of the cases in which the offer lapses. It is also linked to Article 34, which explains that displaying goods and services with their price stated is an offer unless there are indications to the contrary.
If you suffered harm because a party withdrew his offer without informing you, consult a lawyer who specializes in civil cases and compensation to assess your position.
Practical example
A warehouse owner in Kharj offered a merchant to rent his warehouse without setting a period for the offer, then withdrew his offer before the merchant accepted it and did not tell him, and the merchant hired trucks to transport his goods to the warehouse. The warehouse owner must compensate the merchant for the harm he suffered, without the profit the merchant expected from the contract.
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 35 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 35 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
May an offer be withdrawn before the other party accepts?
Yes. The offeror may withdraw the offer before acceptance is made, unless the offer has a fixed period.
What if the offeror withdraws without telling the other party?
If the offer has no fixed period and the offeror does not inform the person to whom the offer was directed of his withdrawal, he must compensate him for the harm he suffered.
Does the compensation include the profits expected from the contract?
No. The article provides that the compensation does not include the expected profit lost from the contract that was withdrawn from.
More articles on Elements of the Contract
- Article 11
The article allows a chosen domicile to be adopted for a particular act, serving as the domicile for everything relating to it unless expressly limited, and requires writing to prove it.
1- يجوز اتخاذ موطنٍ مختارٍ لعملٍ معيَّن، ويكون هو الموطن لكل ما يتعلق بهذا العمل؛ ما لم يُشترط صراحةً قصر هذا الموطن على أعمالٍ دون أخرى. 2- لا يجوز إثبات وجود
- Article 30
The article provides that the rules of the contract chapter apply to named and unnamed contracts, without prejudice to the legal provisions that regulate contracts of a special nature.
تطبق الأحكام الواردة في هذا الفصل على العقود المسماة وغير المسماة، وذلك دون إخلال بالأحكام الواردة في النصوص النظامية التي تنظم عقودًا ذات طبيعة خاصة.
- Article 31
A contract arises when one party's offer is joined to the other's acceptance to produce a legal effect, subject to the particular forms the legal provisions set for the formation of certain contracts.
ينشأ العقد بارتباط الإيجاب بالقبول لإحداث أثر نظامي، مع مراعاة ما تقرره النصوص النظامية من أوضاعٍ معيّنةٍ لانعقاد العقد.
- Article 32
Consent in a contract is achieved when the wills of two or more contracting parties who have capacity to contract coincide and the will is expressed by what indicates it.
يتحقق الرضى إذا توافقت إرادتا متعاقدين (أو أكثر) لديهما أهلية التعاقد وعُبِّر عن الإرادة بما يدل عليها.
- Article 33
Offer and acceptance may be by anything that indicates the will: words, writing, an understood gesture or mutual exchange, explicit or implicit, unless the legal provisions, the agreement or the nature of the transaction require otherwise.
1- يكون الإيجاب والقبول بكل ما يدل على الإرادة. 2- يجوز أن يكون التعبير عن الإرادة باللفظ أو بالكتابة أو بالإشارة المفهومة أو بالمعاطاة، وأن يكون صريحًا أو ضمني
- Article 34
Displaying goods and services with their price stated is an offer, and an advertisement with the prevailing prices is not an offer, unless there are indications to the contrary in either case.
1- يعد عرض البضائع والخدمات مع بيان ثمنها إيجابًا، إلا إذا قامت دلائل تفيد خلاف ذلك. 2- لا يعدُّ الإعلان مع بيان الأسعار المتعامل بها إيجابًا، إلا إذا قامت دلائ
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.