Article 57 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
المادة 57 من نظام المعاملات المدنية · الفرع الأول: أركان العقد أولًا: الرضى
A contracting party may seek annulment of the contract if he made a material mistake without which he would not have agreed to the contract, particularly a mistake in a quality of the subject matter, in the other party's person or quality, or in a statutory ruling.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
للمتعاقد طلب إبطال العقد إذا وقع في غلط جوهري لولاه لم يرض بالعقد، وبخاصة إذا كان الغلط الجوهري في صفة المحل أو شخص المتعاقد معه أو صفته أو الحكم النظامي.
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 57 explained in plain English
This article deals with mistake that affects a contracting party's consent, and gives him the right to seek annulment of the contract on two conditions:
- that the mistake be material.
- that it be such that the contracting party would not have agreed to the contract without it.
The article mentions prominent forms of material mistake using the word "particularly", meaning the list is not exhaustive:
- Mistake in a quality of the subject matter: that is, in a quality of the thing contracted for.
- Mistake in the person of the other contracting party or his quality.
- Mistake in a statutory ruling.
Note that the article speaks of a right to seek annulment, which belongs to the contracting party who made the mistake.
This article is not read alone; Article 58 adds an important restriction: a contracting party's mistake is taken into account only if the other contracting party made the same mistake, knew he had made it, or could easily have discovered it. So to seek annulment the mistake must be material under this article, and one of the cases in Article 58 must be met.
On a related subject, Article 56 provides that a partially incapacitated person who resorts to fraudulent means to conceal his incapacity must compensate the harm caused to the other contracting party by the annulment of the contract.
If you discover after contracting that you made a material mistake, consult a lawyer who specializes in civil cases to assess whether annulment can be sought.
Practical example
Hamad bought a painting from a gallery in Riyadh as an original by a well-known artist, then found out that it was an imitation, and he would not have bought it had he known. This is a material mistake in a quality of the subject matter, so Hamad may seek annulment of the contract if what Article 58 requires is also met, such as the gallery having known of his mistake or being able to discover it easily.
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 57 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
When may I seek annulment of a contract because of a mistake?
If you made a material mistake without which you would not have agreed to the contract, subject to what Article 58 requires regarding the other contracting party.
What are examples of a material mistake?
The article mentions in particular a mistake in a quality of the subject matter, in the other contracting party's person or quality, or in a statutory ruling.
Who may seek annulment of the contract for mistake?
The contracting party who made the material mistake; the article gives him the right to seek annulment of the contract.
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.