Article 43 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
المادة 43 من نظام المعاملات المدنية · الفرع الأول: أركان العقد أولًا: الرضى
A promise to conclude a future contract is binding only if its essential matters, the period for concluding it and its conditions are met; if the promisor refuses, the court's judgment, once issued, stands in place of the contract.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- لا يكون الوعد الذي يتعهد بمقتضاه أحد الطرفين أو كلاهما بإبرام عقدٍ في المستقبل ملزمًا إلا إذا عُيّنت المسائل الجوهرية في العقد المراد إبرامه، والمدة التي يجب إبرامه فيها، وتوفرت شروطه عند إنشاء الوعد، بما في ذلك أيّ شروطٍ شكلية تشترطها النصوص النظامية لذلك العقد.
2- إذا امتنع الواعد عن تنفيذ الوعد وطالبه الآخر وكانت شروط العقد متوفرةً؛ قام حكم المحكمة في حال صدوره مقام العقد.
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 43 explained in plain English
This article regulates the promise to contract, in which one party or both undertake to conclude a contract in the future.
Conditions for the promise to be binding under paragraph 1, all of which must be met together:
- The essential matters of the contract to be concluded are specified.
- The period within which the contract must be concluded is specified.
- The conditions of the contract are met when the promise is made, including any formal requirements that statutory texts impose for that contract.
If any of these conditions is missing, the promise is not binding. The meaning of the third condition is that if statutory texts impose formal requirements for the contract promised, they must be met when the promise itself is made.
Effect of the promisor's refusal under paragraph 2: if the promisor refuses to perform the promise, the other party demands it, and the conditions of the contract are met, then the court's judgment, if issued, stands in place of the contract. That is, the judgment takes the place of the contract the promisor refused to conclude.
This article is connected to Article 42, which treats agreement of the parties on the essential matters, with postponement of the non-essential ones, as enough to conclude a contract, and to Article 44, which provides that paying earnest money when the contract is concluded indicates that only the payer has the right to withdraw from the contract without recovering the earnest money, unless otherwise agreed.
If you have a promise to sell or buy and the other party refuses to perform it, consult a lawyer who specializes in civil or real estate cases.
Practical example
Saad signed a written promise with the owner of a shop in Riyadh to sell him the shop within 6 months, specifying the shop and the price, and the conditions of the sale contract were met when the promise was made. Then the owner refused to complete the sale, and Saad demanded it. Because the conditions of the contract are met, the court's judgment, if issued, stands in place of the sale contract.
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 43 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
Is a promise to sell binding?
A promise to conclude a contract is binding if the essential matters of the contract and the period within which it must be concluded are specified, and its conditions, including any formal requirements imposed by statutory texts, are met when the promise is made.
What is the rule if the promisor refuses to conclude the contract?
If the other party demands it and the conditions of the contract are met, the court's judgment, if issued, stands in place of the contract.
Is a promise binding without a specified period?
No. Specifying the period within which the contract must be concluded is one of the conditions for the promise to be binding.
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.