Article 79 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
المادة 79 من نظام المعاملات المدنية · الفرع الثاني: إبطال العقد وبطلانه أولًا: حق الإبطال
An action to annul a contract is not heard after one year from knowledge of its ground, or from attaining full capacity or the end of duress, nor after ten years from contracting except in the case of partial incapacity.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- لا تسمع دعوى إبطال العقد إذا انقضت (سنة) من تاريخ العلم بسبب الإبطال، وإذا كان إبطال العقد لنقص الأهلية أو الإكراه فبانقضاء (سنة) من تاريخ اكتمال الأهلية أو زوال الإكراه.
2- فيما عدا حال نقص الأهلية، لا تسمع دعوى إبطال العقد إذا انقضت (عشر) سنوات من تاريخ التعاقد.
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 79 explained in plain English
This article sets out the periods within which an action to annul a contract must be brought; once they pass, the action is not heard.
First: the one-year period
- General rule: an action for annulment is not heard once one year has passed from the date of knowledge of the ground for annulment, such as when the contracting party discovers the matter that entitles him to annulment.
- Partial incapacity: the year starts from the date of attaining full capacity.
- Duress: the year starts from the date the duress ends.
Second: the ten-year period
An action for annulment is not heard once ten years have passed from the date of contracting, even if the contracting party did not know of the ground for annulment. The case of partial incapacity is excepted, so this maximum period does not apply to it.
In addition to these periods there are two other ways the right may lapse: Article 78 provides that it lapses by express or implied ratification by the person who holds the right, and Article 80 allows any interested person to give the holder of the right formal notice to state his wish to ratify or annul within a period of not less than 90 days from the date of the notice, failing which his right lapses if he does not state his wish without excuse.
Because passing of the period prevents the action from being heard, a person who has a ground for annulling a contract is advised to consult a lawyer who specializes in civil cases and contracts without delay.
Practical example
Yasser discovered in Muharram a ground entitling him to seek annulment of a contract to buy an apartment in Riyadh. Yasser must bring the action for annulment before one year passes from the date he learned of the ground, and provided that ten years have not passed from the date of contracting, otherwise his action will not be heard.
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 79 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
What is the period for bringing an action to annul a contract?
One year from the date of knowledge of the ground for annulment, and in partial incapacity or duress, one year from the date of attaining full capacity or the end of the duress.
Can an action for annulment be brought after ten years?
An action for annulment is not heard once ten years have passed from the date of contracting, except in the case of partial incapacity.
When does the annulment period start in a case of duress?
The year starts from the date the duress ends.
More articles on Voidness and Termination of Contracts
- Article 49
The transactions of a minor unable to discern are void.
تصرفات الصغير غير المميز باطلة.
- Article 50
The purely beneficial transactions of a minor able to discern are valid and the purely harmful ones void; those between benefit and harm are valid, and his guardian, executor or he after majority may seek to annul them.
1- إذا كانت تصرفات الصغير المميز نافعةً نفعًا محضًا فهي صحيحة، وإذا كانت ضارةً ضررًا محضًا فهي باطلة. 2- إذا كانت تصرفات الصغير المميز دائرةً بين النفع والضرر ف
- Article 53
The transactions of a spendthrift and of a person of impaired judgment after interdiction are treated like those of a minor able to discern; before interdiction they are valid unless they resulted from exploitation or collusion.
تصرفات السفيه وذي الغفلة بعد الحجر عليهما في حكم تصرفات الصغير المميز، أما تصرفاتهما قبل الحجر فصحيحةٌ إلا إذا كانت نتيجة استغلالٍ أو تواطؤٍ.
- Article 56
If a partially incapacitated person resorts to fraudulent means to conceal his incapacity, he must compensate the other contracting party for the harm caused by the annulment of the contract.
إذا لجأ ناقص الأهلية إلى طرقٍ احتياليَّةٍ لإخفاء نقص أهليته لزمه التعويض عن الضرر الذي أصاب المتعاقد معه بسبب إبطال العقد.
- Article 57
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.
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.
- Article 58
A contracting party's mistake is taken into account only if the other party made the same mistake, knew he had made it, or could easily have discovered it.
لا يُعتد بغلط المتعاقد إلا إذا كان المتعاقد الآخر قد وقع معه في الغلط نفسه أو علم بوقوعه فيه أو كان من السهل عليه أن يتبينه
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.