Article 5 of the Saudi Donation Collection Law

This article contains two prohibitions on the licensed entity:

1- Monetary donations: it is prohibited from receiving monetary donations except through direct deposit into its approved bank accounts at banks and their branches. It may not take cash hand to hand; rather the donor deposits it directly into the entity's approved account.

2- Donations from outside the Kingdom: it is prohibited from receiving donations from outside the Kingdom except after the approval of the licensing authority. Under Article 1, the licensing authority is the National Center for Non-Profit Sector Development and any other entity legally competent to issue licenses. The Implementing Regulations set the mechanism of coordination between the licensing authority and the related entities in this regard.

Note that the second prohibition is not absolute; it is lifted by the licensing authority's approval. The text also does not distinguish, in the second prohibition, between monetary and in-kind donations.

This article comes after Article 4, which governs in-kind donations and requires them to be recorded in serial receipts. Article 6 follows, requiring the entity, before any campaign, to submit a request to the licensing authority stating the purpose, date, duration and amount. Someone with a donation from outside the Kingdom for a Saudi entity would do well to first confirm that the entity has obtained the approval.