Article 65 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
المادة 65 من نظام المعاملات المدنية · الفرع الأول: أركان العقد أولًا: الرضى
Duress is established if the threat is of a grave and imminent danger to the person, honor or property of the person coerced, or is directed at another and the person coerced would not have concluded the contract without it.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يتحقق الإكراه إذا كان التهديد بخطرٍ جسيمٍ محدقٍ يلحق بنفس المكرَه أو عرضه أو ماله، أو كان التهديد مسلَّطًا على غيره ولم يكن المكرَه ليُبرم العقد لولا وجود الإكراه.
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 65 explained in plain English
After Article 64 defined duress as threatening a person without right by a physical or moral means that frightens him and leads him to act, this article determines when duress is established.
The article mentions two forms:
- Threat to the person coerced himself: where the threat is of a grave and imminent danger, that is, one that is great and close to occurring, affecting his person, honor or property.
- Threat to another person: where the threat is directed at someone other than the person coerced, and the person coerced would not have concluded the contract without the duress.
It follows that a minor or remote threat is not enough in the first form; the danger must be grave and imminent. In the second form the criterion is that the duress is what drove the person coerced to conclude the contract.
Article 66 completes this rule by providing that in assessing duress, the age of the person on whom it was exerted, his social and health condition and any other circumstance affecting its gravity are taken into account, so what is duress for one person may not be for another.
Assessing the gravity and imminence of the danger depends on the facts of each case, so a person who believes he concluded a contract under threat is advised to consult a lawyer who specializes in civil cases and contracts.
Practical example
A person threatened Fahd that he would destroy his business premises in Dammam within hours unless he signed a contract waiving his share in a project. This is a threat of a grave and imminent danger to Fahd's property, so duress is established under 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 65 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
Is a threat to harm one of my relatives duress?
Yes. The article provides that duress is established if the threat is directed at someone other than the person coerced and the person coerced would not have concluded the contract without the duress.
Is any threat enough for duress to be established?
Where the person coerced himself is threatened, the danger must be grave and imminent and affect his person, honor or property.
Does duress include a threat to property?
Yes. The article mentions property expressly alongside the person and honor.
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.