Article 51 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
المادة 51 من نظام المعاملات المدنية · الفرع الأول: أركان العقد أولًا: الرضى
The guardian or executor may hand over to a minor who has completed 15 years a portion of his property and authorize him to act; the court may authorize him if they refuse; an authorized minor is like an adult in what he is authorized to do.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- إذا أتمَّ الصغير (الخامسة عشرة) من عمره فلوليه أو وصيه -دون إخلال بما تقضي به المادتان (الرابعة والخمسون) و(الخامسة والخمسون) من هذا النظام- أن يسلم الصغير مقدارًا من ماله ويأذن له في التصرفات المالية. ولا يبطل الإذن بموت الآذن أو عزله. وللمحكمة أن تأذن له في التصرف عند امتناع وليه أو وصيه عن الإذن.
2- الصغير المميز المأذون له -وفقًا لأحكام الفقرة (1) من هذه المادة- بمنزلة من بلغ سن الرشد في التصرفات التي أُذِن له فيها.
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 51 explained in plain English
This article allows a minor to conduct financial transactions before reaching majority, on specified conditions.
Paragraph 1 provides the following:
- If the minor has completed 15 years of age, his guardian or executor may hand over to him a portion of his property and authorize him to conduct financial transactions.
- This is without prejudice to what Articles 54 and 55 provide.
- The authorization is not void by the death or removal of the person who gave it, so it remains in force even if the guardian or executor who issued it dies or is removed.
- The court may authorize the minor to act if his guardian or executor refuses to authorize him.
Paragraph 2 sets out the effect of the authorization: a minor able to discern who is authorized under paragraph 1 is treated as one who has reached majority, in the transactions he was authorized to conduct.
Within the limits of what he was authorized to do, the position of the authorized minor therefore differs from the rule Article 50 sets for the transactions of a minor able to discern, which makes his purely beneficial transactions valid, his purely harmful ones void, and those between benefit and harm valid, with his guardian, his executor or the minor after reaching majority entitled to seek annulment. Article 52 treats the transactions of a person with diminished mental capacity as the transactions of a minor able to discern, and the transactions of a person who is insane as the transactions of a minor unable to discern.
The article does not specify the amount of property handed over to the minor or the form of the authorization. If you want to authorize your son to conduct financial transactions or to request that from the court, consult a lawyer who specializes in personal status cases.
Practical example
Salman has completed 16 years and wants to sell handmade products online from Riyadh. His father, as his guardian, handed him a sum of his money and authorized him to buy and sell. Salman is treated as one who has reached majority in these transactions he is authorized to conduct, and the authorization is not void if his father dies.
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 51 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
When may a guardian authorize a minor to deal with his property?
If the minor has completed 15 years of age, his guardian or executor may hand over to him a portion of his property and authorize him to conduct financial transactions, without prejudice to what Articles 54 and 55 provide.
Is the authorization void if the guardian dies?
No. The article provides that the authorization is not void by the death or removal of the person who gave it.
What if the guardian or executor refuses to authorize the minor?
The court may authorize him to act if his guardian or executor refuses to authorize him.
What is the effect of authorizing a minor?
A minor able to discern who is authorized is treated as one who has reached majority in the transactions he was authorized to conduct.
Articles this article refers to
- Article 54
Matters relating to guardianship and executorship are governed by the statutory texts specific to them.
تسري على المسائل المتعلقة بالولاية والوصاية النصوص النظامية الخاصة بها.
- Article 55
Transactions by guardians and executors are treated as valid within the limits set by statutory texts.
تعدُّ التصرفات الصادرة عن الأولياء والأوصياء صحيحةً في الحدود التي تقررها النصوص النظامية.
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.