Article 97 of the Saudi Commercial Court Law
المادة 97 من النظام التجاري نظام المحكمة التجارية · الفصل الثامن: في معاملة الإخطار
The article requires the notice instrument to contain a literal copy of the bill, a copy of the acceptance wording if any, a copy of all transfers and what must be written in them, and the official demand for payment of the value.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يجب أن تشتمل ورقة الإخطار على صورة السفتجة حرفيا وصورة صيغة القبول (إذا كانت شرحت بالقبول) وصورة جميع التحاويل وكافة ما يوجب فيها من الكتابات وعلى التنبيه الرسمي بدفع القيمة .
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 97 explained in plain English
This article specifies the contents of the notice instrument, which is the instrument the notary public draws up under Article 96 to establish non-acceptance or non-payment. It must contain:
- A copy of the bill, literally: that is, its text reproduced as it is, without summary.
- A copy of the acceptance wording, if the bill was endorsed with acceptance.
- A copy of all the transfers.
- All the writings that must be in them.
- The official demand for payment of the value.
The purpose of this content is for the notice instrument to be a complete document in itself: whoever reads it knows the text of the bill, whether it was accepted, to whom it passed by transfer, and that the debtor was officially called on to pay. This matters because the holder may afterwards have recourse against the drawer and endorsers, and so needs to prove the full condition of the bill.
Note that a copy of the acceptance wording is required only if the bill was accepted, as the text provides.
Before it, Article 96 provides that the notice is drawn up through the notaries public according to their own law, and where there is no notary public it is among the duties of the chief clerks of the Sharia court.
If you are reviewing a notice instrument and doubt that it is complete, consult a lawyer who specializes in commercial paper.
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 97 of the Saudi Commercial Court Law
What must a protest notice contain?
A literal copy of the bill, a copy of the acceptance wording if accepted, a copy of all the transfers and all the writings that must be in them, and the official demand for payment of the value.
Is the acceptance wording always stated in the notice?
It is stated if the bill was endorsed with acceptance.
More articles on Endorsement, Payment and Recourse on the Draft
- Article 51
The article makes the drawer of a bill of exchange and the endorsers who transferred it jointly liable for its acceptance and for payment on time, and jointly bound to pay its holder.
صاحب السفتجة والمحيلون المتناقلون لها مسئولون على وجه التضامن عن القبول والدفع في ميعاده وملزمون لحاملها بالوفاء على وجه التضامن
- Article 57
The article provides that the intervener is not bound to pay the bill's value on the due date except after notice of non-payment has been given within the set time.
لا يجب على المتوسط المذكور دفع قيمة السفتجة في ميعاد استحقاق الدفع إلا بعد عمل الإخطار بعدم الدفع في الميعاد المحدود .
- Article 60
The article provides that ownership of bills of exchange passes from one person to another by transferring them by endorsement on them.
تنتقل ملكية السفاتج من واحد لآخر بتحويلها شرحا عليها .
- Article 61
The article sets the particulars of a bill's transfer: the date, a statement that value has been received, the name and surname of the person to whose order it passes, and the endorser's signature or seal.
يؤرخ تحويل السفتجة ويذكر فيها أن قيمتها وصلت ويبين فيها اسم وشهرة من انتقلت تحت إذنه ويضع المحيل إمضاءه أو ختمه .
- Article 62
The article provides that a transfer of a bill of exchange that does not meet the conditions of Article 61 does not pass ownership but counts as an ordinary authorization to collect its value.
إذا لم يستوف تحويل السفتجة شرائطه المبينة في المادة السابقة فلا يوجب انتقال الملك بل يعد توكيلا اعتياديا في قبض قيمتها .
- Article 63
The article prohibits putting dates in transfers ahead of their true date, and treats that as forgery if it occurs.
تقديم التواريخ في التحاويل عن تاريخها الحقيقي ممنوع وإن حصل يعد ذلك تزويرا .
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.