Article 20 of the Saudi Donation Collection Law
المادة 20 من نظام جمع التبرعات
The article excludes from the Donation Collection Law the entities subject to the rules governing oversight of government bodies' receipt of gifts and donations, issued by Council of Ministers Resolution No. (365) dated 14/8/1436 AH.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
لا تسري أحكام النظام على الجهات التي تخضع للقواعد التي تنظم وتحكم الرقابة على تلقي الجهات الحكومية هبات وتبرعات، الصادرة بقرار مجلس الوزراء رقم (365) وتاريخ 14 / 8 / 1436هـ.
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 20 explained in plain English
This article sets an exception to the scope of the Law. The provisions of the Donation Collection Law do not apply to:
- Entities that are subject to the rules governing and regulating oversight of government bodies' receipt of gifts and donations.
- Those being the rules issued by Council of Ministers Resolution No. (365) dated 14/8/1436 AH.
The aim is to avoid duplicate regulation: entities whose receipt of gifts and donations is governed by special rules remain subject to those rules, not to this Law.
Note that the criterion for the exception is being subject to those rules: the text does not exclude every government body by name, but the entities subject to the rules of the resolution mentioned. This Law does not contain the text of those rules, so anyone wanting to know the entities subject to them and their provisions should refer to the resolution itself.
The scope of the Law as such is clear from the definitions in Article 1, under which the licensed entity means associations, civil foundations and other non-profit sector bodies that hold a license to collect donations. This article comes after Article 19, which entitles the chief officer of the licensing authority to identify those of its staff who have law-enforcement capacity, and Article 21 follows, governing the issuance of the Implementing Regulations by decision of the Council of Ministers.
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 20 of the Saudi Donation Collection Law
Does the Donation Collection Law apply to government bodies?
Its provisions do not apply to entities subject to the rules governing oversight of government bodies' receipt of gifts and donations, issued by Council of Ministers Resolution No. (365) dated 14/8/1436 AH.
What is the criterion for the exception in this article?
The criterion is the entity being subject to the rules issued by Council of Ministers Resolution No. (365), not merely being a government body.
More articles on Licensing Donation Collection
- Article 1
This article defines the terms of the Donation Collection Law, such as collecting donations, calling for them, the campaign, the licensing authority, the licensed entity and the donor.
لأغراض هذا النظام، يقصد بالألفاظ والعبارات الآتية -أينما وردت فيه- المعاني المبينة أمام كل منها: النظام: نظام جمع التبرعات. اللائحة: اللائحة التنفيذية للنظام. ا
- Article 2
The article limits donation collection to the licensed entity and requires those who collect and spend donations for it to be Saudis.
1- يُقصر جمع التبرعات على الجهة المرخَّص لها. 2- يجب أن يكون القائمون على جمع التبرعات وصرفها لدى الجهة المرخَّص لها من السعوديين.
- Article 21
The article provides that the Implementing Regulations are issued by Council of Ministers decision after being prepared by the National Center for Non-Profit Sector Development in coordination with specified bodies, within 90 days of the Law's publication.
تصدر اللائحة بقرار من مجلس الوزراء، وذلك بعد إعدادها من المركز الوطني لتنمية القطاع غير الربحي بالتنسيق مع وزارة الداخلية، ووزارة الشؤون الإسلامية والدعوة والإر
- Article 22
Under this article the Law repeals the Charitable Donation Collection Regulation issued by Council of Ministers Resolution No. (547) dated 30/3/1396 AH, and all provisions that conflict with it.
يلغي النظام لائحة جمع التبرعات للوجوه الخيرية -الصادرة بقرار مجلس الوزراء رقم (547) وتاريخ 30 / 3 / 1396هـ- وجميع ما يتعارض معه من أحكام.
- Article 23
The article provides that the Donation Collection Law takes effect after 180 days from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
يعمل بالنظام بعد مضي (مائة وثمانين) يوماً من تاريخ نشره في الجريدة الرسمية.
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.