Article 42 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
المادة 42 من نظام المعاملات المدنية · الفرع الأول: أركان العقد أولًا: الرضى
Agreement on the essential matters while postponing the non-essential ones is enough to conclude a contract, unless the parties make its conclusion depend on agreeing on them; the court determines them if there is no agreement.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- إذا اتفق المتعاقدان على المسائل الجوهرية في العقد وعلى إرجاء الاتفاق على المسائل غير الجوهرية؛ كان ذلك كافيًا لاعتبار القبول مطابقًا للإيجاب، ولا يؤثر اختلافهما في المسائل غير الجوهرية في انعقاد العقد ما لم يكونا قد ربطا انعقاده بالاتفاق اللاحق على تلك المسائل.
2- إذا لم يتفق المتعاقدان على المسائل غير الجوهرية؛ حدَّدتها المحكمة وفقًا لأحكام النصوص النظامية وطبيعة المعاملة والعرف.
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 42 explained in plain English
This article deals with a common situation: the parties agree on the basic matters of a contract and postpone the details. Is the contract concluded?
Paragraph 1 provides that if the contracting parties agree on the essential matters and agree to postpone agreement on the non-essential matters, that is enough for the acceptance to be treated as matching the offer. Their disagreement on the non-essential matters does not affect the conclusion of the contract.
The exception is where the parties have made the conclusion of the contract depend on later agreement on those matters; in that case their disagreement on them does affect whether the contract is concluded.
Paragraph 2 deals with what happens if the parties do not agree on the non-essential matters: the court determines them according to three criteria:
- the provisions of statutory texts.
- the nature of the transaction.
- custom.
The article does not specify what counts as an essential matter and what does not.
This article is connected to Article 41, which provides that negotiating does not oblige the parties to conclude the contract, while a person who negotiates or ends negotiations in bad faith is liable for the harm. It also relates to Article 43, which requires, for a promise to conclude a future contract to be binding, that the essential matters of the contract to be concluded and the period within which it must be concluded be specified, and that its conditions be met when the promise is made.
If you disagree with the other party over the details of a contract after agreeing on its essentials, consult a lawyer who specializes in civil or commercial cases.
Practical example
The owner of a restaurant in Taif agreed with an equipment supplier on the type, number and price of the ovens, and they agreed to postpone setting the installation date as a non-essential matter, without making the conclusion of the contract depend on it. Then they disagreed on the date. The contract remains concluded, and if they do not agree on the date, the court determines it according to the provisions of statutory texts, the nature of the transaction and custom.
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 42 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
Is a contract concluded if we have not agreed on every detail?
Yes, if the contracting parties agree on the essential matters and agree to postpone the non-essential ones, unless they make the conclusion of the contract depend on later agreement on them.
Who determines the non-essential details if the parties do not agree?
The court determines them according to the provisions of statutory texts, the nature of the transaction and custom.
When does a disagreement over details affect the conclusion of the contract?
When the contracting parties have made the conclusion of the contract depend on later agreement on the non-essential matters.
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.