Article 25 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
المادة 25 من النظام البحري التجاري · الفصل الخامس: قيد الوحدات البحرية المعفاة من التسجيل
The article provides that the competent registration office issues the marine unit an entry certificate after an ownership document is submitted, stating its name, specifications, entry number, owner or owners and their shares, and the service it is assigned to.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يصدر مكتب التسجيل المختص سند قيد للوحدة البحرية بعد تقديم وثيقة تملكها، ويوضح في هذا السند اسم الوحدة، ومواصفاتها، ورقم قيدها، واسم مالكها -أو ملاكها، وحصصهم- والخدمة المخصصة لها.
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 25 explained in plain English
This article deals with the entry certificate, the document issued for a marine unit exempt from registration once it has been entered in the register.
Issuing authority: the competent registration office.
Condition for issuance: submitting a document of ownership of the marine unit.
The certificate's details:
- The unit's name.
- Its specifications.
- Its entry number.
- The name of its owner, or the names of its owners and their shares if there are several.
- The service it is assigned to.
In practical terms, the owner of an exempt boat or marine unit obtains a certificate proving its basic details and ownership, after providing proof of ownership. If the unit is owned by several people, the certificate shows each one's share. The certificate also states the service the unit is assigned to, such as fishing or pleasure.
This article implements Article 24, which requires marine units exempt from registration to be entered and refers the conditions and procedures for entry to the regulations. A person who needs to enter a jointly owned marine unit can consult a lawyer specializing in commercial cases.
Practical example
Two brothers own a pleasure boat in Jeddah in equal shares. After they submit the ownership document, the registration office issues an entry certificate stating the boat's name, specifications, entry number, the names of both owners and each one's share, and the service it is assigned to.
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 25 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
What is required to issue a marine unit's entry certificate?
Submitting the unit's ownership document to the competent registration office.
What details does the entry certificate contain?
The unit's name, specifications, entry number, the name of its owner or owners and their shares, and the service it is assigned to.
More articles on Registration of Ships and Maritime Units
- Article 7
Article 7 bars a self-propelled ship from sailing under the Kingdom's flag without registration, refers the procedures to the regulations, and exempts specific vessels by length, tonnage and type.
1- لا يجوز لأي سفينة ذاتية الدفع أن تبحر رافعة علم المملكة إلاَّ إذا كانت مسجلة وفقاً لأحكام هذا النظام, وتحدد اللوائح إجراءات التسجيل وشروطه, وإصدار الشهادة. 2
- Article 8
Article 8 regulates ship registration offices approved by the Chairman, the ship register and its entries, the registration record and its publication and announcement at the owner's expense, and registration fees.
1- تسجل السفن في مكاتب التسجيل المعتمدة بقرار من الرئيس في أيٍّ من موانئ المملكة. 2- ينشأ في كل مكتب من مكاتب التسجيل سجل خاص يسمى (سجل السفن)، ترقم صفحاته، وتخ
- Article 9
Article 9 bars a ship from sailing under the flag of more than one state, registering a ship already registered in another state before its deletion, and changing flag while sailing or stopped except for a transfer of ownership or registration change.
1- لا يجوز للسفينة أن تبحر، وهي رافعة علم أكثر من دولة. 2- لا يجوز أن تسجل سفينة في سجل السفن إذا كانت مسجلة في سجل سفن دولة أخرى، ما لم تكن قد شطبت من ذلك السج
- Article 10
Article 10 requires, for a ship to be registered, that the Authority or a delegated approved classification society inspect, survey and measure it and assess its tonnage, after the ownership document is submitted.
يشترط لتسجيل السفينة فحصها ومعاينتها وقياسها وتقدير حمولتها من قبل الهيئة أو من تفوضه من إحدى هيئات التصنيف المحلية أو الدولية المعتمدة بعد تقديم وثيقة ملكيتها.
- Article 11
Article 11 requires every Saudi ship to have a name, written at its bow and stern in clear Arabic and Latin letters with its port of registration, and bars the same name for more than one ship in the Kingdom.
أ- يجب على كل سفينة سعودية أن تتخذ لها اسماً، ويجب أن يكتب اسمها على مقدمتها من الجانبين وعلى مؤخرتها بحروف عربية ولاتينية ظاهرة وبلون مختلف عن لونها، ويجب كذلك
- Article 12
Article 12 empowers the registration office to issue a temporary registration certificate valid for one or more voyages, or for six months renewable for up to two years.
يصدر مكتب التسجيل شهادة تسجيل مؤقتة للسفينة، تكون صالحة لرحلة واحدة أو أكثر، أو لمدة ستة أشهر قابلة للتجديد لمدة أقصاها سنتان.
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.