Article 64 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
المادة 64 من نظام المعاملات المدنية · الفرع الأول: أركان العقد أولًا: الرضى
The article defines duress as threatening a person without right by a physical or moral means that frightens him and leads him to act.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
الإكراه تهديد شخصٍ دون حقٍّ بوسيلةٍ ماديَّةٍ أو معنويَّةٍ تُخيفه فتحمله على التصرف.
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 64 explained in plain English
This article sets out the definition of duress, one of the defects of consent that affect a person's freedom when contracting or acting. According to the article, duress is threatening a person without right by a physical or moral means that frightens him and leads him to act.
The definition shows that duress rests on several elements:
- Threat: that is, pressure exerted on the person.
- Without right: the article does not treat every threat as duress, but requires that the threat be made without right.
- By a physical or moral means: duress is not limited to physical harm, but includes psychological and moral pressure.
- Fear that leads to action: that is, the fear is the motive that made the person proceed with the transaction.
Article 65 states when duress is established, as it requires that the threat be of a grave and imminent danger to the person, honor or property of the person coerced, or be directed at another person and the person coerced would not have concluded the contract without the duress. The definition in this article is therefore the starting point, and the following article sets the conditions for it to be established.
A person who was subjected to pressure or a threat that drove him to sign a contract or carry out a transaction is advised to consult a lawyer who specializes in civil cases and contracts to find out whether what he was subjected to falls within the meaning of duress.
Practical example
A man threatened his neighbor Saad that he would publish private photographs of his family unless he sold him a plot of land at a low price, and Saad signed the sale contract out of fear of that. This is a threat without right by a moral means that frightened him and led him to act, so it falls within the definition of duress in the article.
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 64 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
What is duress under the Civil Transactions Law?
It is threatening a person without right by a physical or moral means that frightens him and leads him to act.
Does duress include psychological threats?
Yes. The article provides that the means of threat may be physical or moral.
Is every pressure duress?
No. The definition requires that the threat be without right and that it frighten the person and lead him to act.
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.