Article 49 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
المادة 49 من نظام المعاملات المدنية · الفرع الأول: أركان العقد أولًا: الرضى
The transactions of a minor unable to discern are void.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تصرفات الصغير غير المميز باطلة.
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 49 explained in plain English
This article lays down a definitive rule: the transactions of a minor unable to discern are void. The text is general: it does not distinguish between a beneficial and a harmful transaction, and does not exempt any kind of transaction.
So if a minor unable to discern concludes a contract or any other transaction, that transaction is void by the text of the article.
This rule differs from that for a minor able to discern, which Article 50 regulates; that article distinguishes in the minor's transactions between:
- transactions purely beneficial: valid.
- transactions purely harmful: void.
- transactions that fall between benefit and harm: valid, and the guardian, the executor or the minor after reaching majority may seek to annul them.
Discernment is therefore the difference between the two cases: all transactions of a minor unable to discern are void, while the rules on the transactions of a minor able to discern vary by their kind.
Article 48 provides that a minor, even if able to discern, a person who is insane and a person with diminished mental capacity are under interdiction by operation of law.
This article does not specify the age below which a minor is unable to discern. If you dealt with a minor in a sale or purchase and want to know the effect of that, consult a lawyer who specializes in civil or personal status cases.
Practical example
A young child unable to discern sold his tablet to a neighbor in a Riyadh district for a small sum. This transaction is void by the text of the article because it was made by a minor unable to discern.
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 49 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
Is a sale by a child unable to discern valid?
No. The transactions of a minor unable to discern are void.
Are the transactions of a minor unable to discern valid if they benefit him?
The text does not distinguish between a beneficial and a harmful transaction, so the transactions of a minor unable to discern are void.
What is the difference between a minor able to discern and one unable to discern in transactions?
The transactions of one unable to discern are void, whereas for one able to discern Article 50 distinguishes between transactions purely beneficial, purely harmful, and those between benefit and harm.
More articles on Capacity and General Provisions
- Article 1
The Article sets the order of what applies to civil matters: the Law's provisions, then the general rules in the final provisions, then the most suitable rulings of Sharia, without prejudice to special statutory provisions.
1- تُطبق نصوص هذا النظام على جميع المسائل التي تناولتها في لفظها أو في فحواها، فإن لم يوجد نص يمكن تطبيقه طُبقت القواعد الكلية الواردة في الأحكام الختامية، فإن
- Article 2
The Article provides that all periods and time limits in the Civil Transactions Law are calculated by the Hijri calendar.
تحسب المدد والمواعيد الواردة في هذا النظام بالتقويم الهجري.
- Article 3
The Article provides that a person's legal personality begins with complete live birth and ends with death, and that the rights of an unborn child in the womb are determined by statutory provisions.
1- تبدأ شخصية الإنسان بتمام ولادته حيًّا وتنتهي بموته. 2- حقوق الحمل المستكن تحددها النصوص النظامية.
- Article 4
The Article refers the rules on the missing person, the absent person and the person of unknown parentage to the statutory provisions specific to them rather than regulating them in the Civil Transactions Law.
تسري على المفقود والغائب ومجهول النسب النصوص النظامية الخاصة بهم.
- Article 5
The Article refers the rules on persons' names, titles, families, kinship and nationalities to the statutory provisions specific to them.
تسري على أسماء الأشخاص وألقابهم وأسرهم وقراباتهم وجنسياتهم النصوص النظامية الخاصة بها.
- Article 6
The article defines direct kinship as the link between ascendants and descendants, and indirect kinship as the bond between persons who share a common ancestor without one being a descendant of the other.
1- القرابة المباشرة هي الصلة بين الأصول والفروع. 2- القرابة غير المباشرة هي الرابطة بين أشخاصٍ يجمعهم أصلٌ مشتركٌ دون أن يكون أحدهم فرعًا للآخر.
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.