Article 21 of the Saudi Electronic Transactions Law
المادة 21 من نظام التعاملات الإلكترونية · الفصل السابع: واجبات مقدم خدمات التصديق ومسؤولياته
A certification services provider must revoke or suspend a certificate at its holder's request or in the cases the Regulations set, notify the holder immediately and lift the measure when its cause ends, and is liable for harm to good-faith persons.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يجب على مقدم خدمات التصديق إلغاء الشهادة أو إيقاف العمل بها عند طلب صاحبها ذلك أو في الحالات التي تحددها اللائحة. كما يجب عليه إبلاغ صاحب الشهادة فورا بالإلغاء أو الإيقاف وسبب ذلك، ورفع أي منهما فورا إذا انتفى السبب، ويكون مقدم خدمات التصديق مسؤولا عن الضرر الذي يحدث لأي شخص حسن النية نتيجة لعدم وقف العمل بالشهادة أو إلغائها.
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 21 explained in plain English
This article regulates revoking or suspending a digital certification certificate, and imposes four obligations on the certification services provider:
- Revocation or suspension: it must revoke the certificate or suspend it in two cases: when its holder requests it, or in the cases the Regulations specify.
- Immediate notice: it must notify the certificate holder immediately of the revocation or suspension and its reason.
- Lifting the measure: it must lift the revocation or suspension immediately if its cause ends.
- Liability: it is liable for harm that occurs to any good-faith person as a result of not suspending or revoking the certificate.
Practical effect: if a certificate holder loses control of their signature, or wants to end the certificate for any reason, they may ask the provider to revoke or suspend it, and the provider must comply. If the provider delays and a good-faith person who relied on the certificate is harmed, the provider bears liability for the harm.
This article complements Article 20, which makes the provider a guarantor of the validity of the certified information at the time of delivery of the certificate; Article 20 deals with the validity of the certificate when issued, and this article deals with what arises afterwards. It is also connected to Article 22, which prevents the holder of a suspended or revoked certificate from reusing its signature elements with another certification services provider.
Practical example
Noura lost her device containing her electronic signature elements, so she asked the certification services provider to suspend her certificate. It must suspend it and notify her immediately of this and its reason. If it delayed in suspending it and the certificate was used in a transaction with a good-faith merchant who was harmed as a result, the provider would be liable for that harm.
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 21 of the Saudi Electronic Transactions Law
Can I ask for my digital certificate to be revoked?
Yes. The certification services provider must revoke the certificate or suspend it when its holder requests it.
Must I be notified if my digital certificate is suspended?
Yes. The provider must notify the certificate holder immediately of the revocation or suspension and its reason, and lift either immediately if its cause ends.
Who bears the harm if a certificate is not revoked in time?
The certification services provider is liable for the harm that occurs to any good-faith person as a result of not suspending or revoking the certificate.
More articles on Certification Services and Digital Certificates
- Article 15
The article divides oversight of the Law: the Ministry sets policies and plans and represents the Kingdom; the Authority applies the Law, licenses and monitors certification services providers, and sets the fee with the Minister's approval.
يتم الإشراف على تطبيق أحكام هذا النظام وفقا للآتي: 1 - تقوم الوزارة بوضع السياسات العامة ورسم الخطط والبرامج التطويرية للتعاملات والتواقيع الإلكترونية ، ورفع مش
- Article 16
The article establishes a National Center for Digital Certification in the Ministry to oversee the tasks of issuing and managing digital certification certificates, and refers the details of its seat, composition and competences to the Regulations.
1- ينشأ في الوزارة - بموجب هذا النظام - مركز وطني للتصديق الرقمي، يتولى الإشراف على المهمات المتعلقة بإصدار شهادات التصديق الرقمي وإداراتها. 2- تحدد اللائحة الق
- Article 17
The National Center for Digital Certification is competent to approve digital certification certificates issued by foreign bodies, which are treated like their domestic counterparts in accordance with the Regulations' controls and procedures.
يختص المركز باعتماد شهادات التصديق الرقمي الصادرة من الجهات الأجنبية خارج المملكة وتعامل هذه الشهادات معاملة نظيراتها بداخل المملكة، وذلك وفقا للضوابط والإجراءا
- Article 18
The article lists eight obligations of a certification services provider, including prior licensing, issuing and protecting certificates, an accessible database, confidentiality, and handing documents to the Authority when its activity stops.
يجب على مقدم خدمات التصديق الالتزام بما يأتي: 1 - الحصول على الترخيص اللازم من الهيئة قبل البدء في ممارسة نشاطه. 2 - إصدار شهادات التصديق الرقمي ، وتسليمها وحفظ
- Article 19
A certification services provider may not stop its licensed activity, assign its license or merge into another entity without the Authority's prior written approval, in accordance with the Regulations' procedures.
لا يجوز لمقدم خدمات التصديق التوقف عن مزاولة نشاطه المرخص به أو التنازل عن الترخيص الصادر له أو الاندماج في جهة أخرى إلا بعد الحصول على موافقة كتابية مسبقة من ا
- Article 20
A certification services provider guarantees the validity of the certified information in the certificate at the time of delivery and the validity of the link between the holder and their electronic data, and is liable for harm to anyone who relied on it in good faith.
يتحمل مقدم خدمات التصديق مسؤولية ضمان صحة المعلومات المصدقة التي تضمنتها الشهادة وقت تسليمها وصحة العلاقة بين صاحب الشهادة وبياناتها الإلكترونية، وتقع عليه مسؤو
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.