Article 13 of the Saudi Electronic Transactions Law
المادة 13 من نظام التعاملات الإلكترونية · الفصل الثالث: انعقاد التعامل الإلكتروني
An electronic record is treated as sent when it enters a data system outside the originator's control; the Regulations set the technical criteria, the time and place of sending and receipt, and the form of acknowledgment unless the parties agree.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- يعد السجل الإلكتروني قد أرسل عندما يدخل منظومة بيانات لا تخضع لسيطرة المنشئ، وتوضح اللائحة المعايير الفنية لمنظومة البيانات، وطريقة تحديد وقت ومكان إرسال السجل الإلكتروني أو تسلمه.
2- يكون الإقرار بالتسلم بأي شكل من الأشكال التي تحددها اللائحة، ما لم يتفق المنشئ مع المرسل إليه على تحديد هذا الشكل.
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 13 explained in plain English
This article determines the moment an electronic record is sent and how receipt is acknowledged, which matter for calculating deadlines and knowing when a message left its sender's hands.
Paragraph 1 - sending: an electronic record is treated as having been sent when it enters a data system that is not under the originator's control. As long as a message remains within a system the sender controls (such as a draft in their email), it is not treated as sent. The article refers to the Implementing Regulations to clarify:
- the technical criteria for the data system,
- and the method of determining the time and place of sending or receiving an electronic record.
Paragraph 2 - acknowledging receipt: receipt of the record may be acknowledged in any form specified by the Regulations, unless the originator and the addressee agree on a form. If the parties agree, for example, that acknowledgment is to be by a particular reply message, their agreement is followed.
The originator and the addressee are defined in Article 1: the originator is the one who sends the transaction, and the addressee is the person to whom the originator directed it; neither is the intermediary. This article comes after Article 12, which determines when a record is attributed to its originator.
Because the details of time and place are left to the Regulations, parties contracting electronically would do well to agree in advance on how receipt is to be acknowledged where timing matters in their dealings.
Practical example
A company in Riyadh agreed with a supplier that receipt of purchase orders would be acknowledged by an automated confirmation message from the supplier's system. Under this article that agreement is followed as to the form of acknowledgment, and a purchase order is treated as sent when it enters a data system outside the company's control.
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 13 of the Saudi Electronic Transactions Law
When is an electronic message treated as sent?
When it enters a data system outside the originator's control; the Regulations set the technical criteria and how the time and place of sending and receipt are determined.
How is receipt of an electronic record acknowledged?
In any form specified by the Regulations, unless the originator and the addressee agree on a particular form.
May the parties agree on how receipt is acknowledged?
Yes. The article gives priority to the originator's and addressee's agreement on the form of acknowledgment over what the Regulations specify.
More articles on The Electronic Contract
- Article 10
Offer and acceptance may be expressed electronically, and a contract is valid and enforceable if made in accordance with the Law; it does not lose validity merely because it was concluded through one or more electronic records.
1- يجوز التعبير عن الإيجاب والقبول في العقود بوساطة التعامل الإلكتروني ، ويعد العقد صحيحًا وقابلا للتنفيذ متى تم وفقًا لأحكام هذا النظام. 2- لا يفقد العقد صحته
- Article 11
Contracts may be made through automated electronic data systems programmed in advance without direct human intervention, and between an automated system and a natural person who knows, or is presumed to know, that they are dealing with it.
1- يجوز أن يتم التعاقد من خلال منظومات بيانات إلكترونية آلية أو مباشرة بين منظومتي بيانات إلكترونية أو أكثر تكون معدة ومبرمجة مسبقًا للقيام بمثل هذه المهمات بوص
- Article 12
An electronic record is treated as issued by the originator if the originator sent it personally, someone else sent it on their behalf, or an automated system they programmed sent it; an intermediary is not the originator.
يعد السجل الإلكتروني صادرًا من المنشئ إذا أرسله بنفسه، أو أرسله شخص آخر نيابة عنه، أو أرسل بوساطة منظومة آلية برمجها المنشأ لتعمل بشكل تلقائي بالنيابة عنه، ولا
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.