In force
Saudi Emergency Law
نظام الطوارئ
The law governing emergencies. The text is set out in 32 articles.
- Articles
- 32
- In force
- 32
- Amended
- 0
- Issued
- 17/4/1446 AH
Issued by: مرسوم ملكي رقم (م/89) وتاريخ 1446/4/17هـ · قرار مجلس الوزراء رقم (297) وتاريخ 1446/4/12هـ
Each article shows the official Arabic text, which is the only legally binding version, followed by our plain-English explanation.
Browse Emergency Law by topic
Definition of Emergency Event and Law Objectives3 articlesSupreme Emergency Council and Crisis Room2 articlesDeclaring a State of Emergency and Its Duration3 articlesEffects of Declaring and Ending an Emergency3 articlesNational Emergency Management Authority2 articlesEmergency Orders, Publication and Enforcement6 articlesConfidentiality of Emergency Information2 articlesExemption of Enforcers from Liability1 articleInability to Perform Contracts During an Emergency1 articleCompensation for Emergency Measures2 articlesChallenging Emergency Decisions3 articlesPenalties for Violating the Emergency Law5 articles
Articles of the Saudi Emergency Law
الفصل الأول: التعريفاتArticles 1–1
الفصل الثاني: الحدث الطارئArticles 2–2
الفصل الثالث: الهدف من النظامArticles 3–3
الفصل الرابع: المجلس الأعلى للطوارئArticles 4–5
- Article 4This article establishes the Supreme Emergency Council chaired by the King with the Crown Prince as deputy, sets its membership, and establishes the Crisis Room chaired by the National Security Adviser, and regulates the secretary, meetings and committees.
- Article 5This article sets the competences of the Supreme Emergency Council, such as recommending the declaration of a state of emergency and policies during it, makes its decisions final after the King's approval, and sets the competences of the Crisis Room.
الفصل الخامس: إعلان حالة الطوارئArticles 6–10
- Article 6This article provides that the King declares a state of emergency by royal order when an emergency event occurs, if he considers that it requires this.
- Article 7This article sets what the royal order declaring a state of emergency contains: the emergency event, the effective date, the duration and the geographic scope, with default rules for the effective date and duration when the order is silent.
- Article 8This article requires public entities to continue carrying out their duties while a state of emergency is in force, including reducing risks, responding to the emergency event and recovering from it, in accordance with approved plans.
- Article 9This article provides that the mere declaration of a state of emergency gives no one a right against the Kingdom, public entities, their personnel or others, except what is stated in the law or provided in the declaration.
- Article 10This article provides that the end of a state of emergency does not affect rights, positions and obligations acquired during it, the completion of procedures begun, or final court judgments issued under the law.
الفصل السادس: الهيئة الوطنية لإدارة الطوارئArticles 11–11
الفصل السابع: أوامر الطوارئArticles 12–14
- Article 12This article allows royal orders called “emergency orders” to be issued while a state of emergency is declared, containing necessary temporary measures that have the force of laws, to reduce risks, respond to the emergency event and recover from it.
- Article 13This article requires the royal order declaring a state of emergency and emergency orders to be published through official media and the Official Gazette, allows publication by any means, and exempts orders stated to be classified.
- Article 14This article makes emergency orders effective from their date of issue unless they set another date, and they end on their stated dates or when the state of emergency ends or is terminated, whichever is earlier.
الفصل الثامن: الحصول على المعلومات والوثائقArticles 15–17
- Article 15This article requires public and private entities, and any entity the Council specifies, to provide the National Emergency Management Authority with information or documents it requests for planning, preparedness and evaluating plans.
- Article 16This article classifies information and documents obtained under the Emergency Law as classified under the Law of Penalties for Publishing and Disclosing Classified Documents and Information, unless they are available to the public.
- Article 17The article requires everyone involved in applying the Emergency Law to keep confidential what they have seen, disclosing it only where necessary for purposes set by the competent authorities, and not without a legal justification.
الفصل التاسع: واجبات وصلاحيات القائمين على تنفيذ أوامر الطوارئ، وحدود مسؤولياتهمArticles 18–20
- Article 18The article requires emergency orders to specify the public bodies tasked with carrying them out and which of those bodies' personnel have judicial police powers.
- Article 19The article requires those tasked with carrying out emergency orders to take the necessary steps for the safety, security and property of individuals, to reduce the negative impact of measures, and to treat individuals fairly.
- Article 20The article exempts personnel of the public bodies tasked with carrying out emergency orders, and those they enlist, from civil and criminal liability, on condition that they comply with the Law, the orders and the regulations, without prejudice to compensation.
الفصل العاشر: تعذر تنفيذ الالتزامات بسبب حالة الطوارئArticles 21–21
الفصل الحادي عشر: التعويض عن الإجراءات المتخذة بموجب أوامر الطوارئArticles 22–23
- Article 22The article establishes fair compensation for anyone assigned a task, required to provide money, or whose property was taken, expropriated or destroyed under emergency orders, and for anyone harmed by an unlawful measure.
- Article 23The article allows committees of at least 3 members to be formed to assess Article 22 compensation; they decide within 30 working days, and their decisions may be objected to before the administrative court within 60 days of notification.
الفصل الثاني عشر: الاعتراض على الإجراءات المتخذة بموجب أوامر الطوارئArticles 24–26
- Article 24The article makes the competent administrative court the forum for annulment actions against decisions relating to applying emergency orders, such as detention, house arrest, confiscation and suspension of activity, with appeal and cassation permitted.
- Article 25The article requires the competent administrative court to decide annulment actions against emergency order decisions within no more than 15 days of the date the action is registered, subject to completing the procedural requirements.
- Article 26The article bars hearing annulment actions against decisions relating to applying the Emergency Law or its orders after 60 days from the end of the state of emergency, except in cases of forgery or an excuse proved to the court.
الفصل الثالث عشر: الجرائم والعقوباتArticles 27–30
- Article 27The article punishes violating the Emergency Law with up to one year in prison or a fine of up to SAR 100,000, or both, and violating emergency orders with the penalties the order states, failing which a lighter default penalty applies.
- Article 28The article provides that the penalties in the Emergency Law and emergency orders do not prejudice the hadd penalties prescribed by Sharia or the more severe penalties in any other law.
- Article 29The article subjects the public criminal action in crimes of violating the Emergency Law or its orders to the Law of Criminal Procedure, and makes the Public Prosecution responsible for investigating, bringing and pursuing the action.
- Article 30The article allows emergency orders to include special periods and procedures for hearing crimes of violating the Law or emergency orders, within the limits the state of emergency requires, provided the safeguards in the relevant laws are not prejudiced.
الفصل الرابع عشر: أحكام ختاميةArticles 31–32
- Article 31The article makes powers conferred or delegated under the Law or emergency orders additional to any other powers conferred by any other law or regulation in force, unless the emergency order provides otherwise.
- Article 32The article provides that the Emergency Law takes effect from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.