Article 77 of the Saudi Commercial Papers Law
المادة 77 من نظام الأوراق التجارية · الفصل الثامن: تعدد النسخ والصور والتحريف
The Article allows a bill to be drawn in several identical, numbered copies, and lets the holder request copies at their own expense through the endorsers up to the drawer, unless the bill states it is a sole copy.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يجوز سحب الكمبيالة من نسخ متعددة يطابق بعضها بعضا. ويجب أن يوضع في متن كل نسخة منها رقمها وإلا اعتبرت كل نسخة منها كمبيالة مستقلة. ولكل حامل كمبيالة لم يذكر فيها أنها وحيدة أن يطلب نسخا منها على نفقته، ويجب عليه تحقيقا لذلك أن يرجع إلى الشخص الذي ظهرها له، وعلى هذا أن يعاونه في الرجوع إلى المظهر السابق، ويتسلسل ذلك حتى ينتهي إلى الساحب. وعلى كل مظهر أن يدون تظهيره على النسخ الجديدة.
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 77 explained in plain English
This Article regulates multiple copies of a bill of exchange, meaning the issue of one bill in more than one copy.
- Multiple copies permitted: a bill may be drawn in several copies that are identical to one another.
- Numbering: the number of each copy must be placed in the body of that copy; otherwise each copy is considered a separate bill.
- The holder's right to request copies: any holder of a bill that does not state it is a sole copy may request copies at their own expense.
- How to obtain them: the holder applies to the person who endorsed the bill to them, who must assist in applying to the previous endorser, and so on in succession up to the drawer. Each endorser must record their endorsement on the new copies.
This Article is connected to Article 78, which explains that payment of a bill against one of its copies discharges the debt, while the drawee remains liable to pay on each copy it accepted and did not take back, and an endorser who endorsed copies to different persons, and the endorsers subsequent to them, remain liable on the copies bearing their signatures that they did not take back. This is why numbering and care in endorsing copies matter.
It is also connected to Article 76, in the context of the rules on payment by intervention, which bars a person who paid a bill by intervention from endorsing it again.
When dealing with a bill issued in several copies, it is advisable to consult a lawyer who specializes in commercial matters and commercial papers.
Practical example
An import company in Jeddah holds a bill that does not state it is a sole copy, and it needs an additional copy. The company requests the copy at its own expense from the company that endorsed the bill to it; that company assists it in applying to the previous endorser, and so on up to the drawer. Each endorser records their endorsement on the new copy, and the number of each copy is placed in its body.
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 77 of the Saudi Commercial Papers Law
May a bill of exchange be issued in more than one copy?
Yes. It may be drawn in several copies that are identical to one another, and the number of each copy must be placed in its body.
What if the copies of a bill are not numbered?
Each copy is then considered a separate bill.
How does a holder obtain an additional copy of a bill?
If the bill does not state that it is a sole copy, the holder requests it at their own expense by applying to the person who endorsed it to them, and so on through the endorsers up to the drawer; each endorser records their endorsement on the new copies.
More articles on Bill of Exchange
- Article 1
The article sets out the eight particulars a bill of exchange must contain, including the word "bill of exchange", the amount, the name of the drawee, the due date and the drawer's signature.
تشتمل الكمبيالة على البيانات الآتية: أ - كلمة (كمبيالة) مكتوبة في متن الصك وباللغة التي كتب بها. ب - أمر غير معلق على شرط بوفاء مبلغ معين من النقود. ج - اسم من
- Article 2
An instrument lacking the particulars of Article 1 is not a bill of exchange, except where the due date, place of payment, drawee's domicile or place of issue is missing, each of which has a substitute rule.
لا يعتبر الصك الخالي من البيانات المذكورة في المادة السابقة كمبيالة إلا في الأحوال الآتية: أ - إذا خلت الكمبيالة من بيان ميعاد الاستحقاق، اعتبرت مستحقة الوفاء ل
- Article 3
The article permits three ways of drawing a bill of exchange: to the drawer's own order, on the drawer himself, or for the account of another person.
يجوز سحب الكمبيالة لأمر الساحب نفسه، ويجوز سحبها على ساحبها، ويجوز سحبها لحساب شخص آخر.
- Article 4
The article permits stipulating that a bill of exchange be paid at the domicile of a person other than the drawee, whether in the drawee's town or in another.
يجوز اشتراط وفاء الكمبيالة في موطن شخص آخر غير المسحوب عليه سواء كان هذا الموطن في الجهة التي فيها موطن المسحوب عليه أو في جهة أخرى.
- Article 5
If the amount of a bill written in words differs from the amount in figures, the words prevail; if the amount is written several times and differs, the smaller amount prevails.
إذا كتب مبلغ الكمبيالة بالحروف وبالأرقام معا فتكون العبرة عند الاختلاف بالمكتوب بالحروف، وإذا كتب المبلغ عدة مرات بالحروف أو بالأرقام فتكون العبرة عند الاختلاف
- Article 6
Article 6 provides that any stipulation of interest on the amount of a bill of exchange is treated as if it had not been written.
اشتراط فائدة الكمبيالة يعتبر كأن لم يكن.
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.