In force
Saudi Enforcement Law before the Board of Grievances
نظام التنفيذ أمام ديوان المظالم
The Enforcement Law before the Board of Grievances of Saudi Arabia. This page presents the official Arabic text of each article with plain-English explanations for residents and businesses.
- Articles
- 37
- In force
- 37
- Amended
- 0
- Issued
- 27/1/1443 AH
Issued by: مرسوم ملكي رقم (م/15) وتاريخ 1443/1/27هـ · قرار مجلس الوزراء رقم (73) وتاريخ 1443/1/23هـ
Each article shows the official Arabic text, which is the only legally binding version, followed by our plain-English explanation.
Browse Enforcement Law before the Board of Grievances by topic
Administrative Enforcement Court7 articlesAdministrative Enforcement Documents2 articlesEnforcement Request and Time Limits5 articlesEnforcement Against Administrative Bodies7 articlesEnforcement in Favor of Administrative Bodies4 articlesDelay Fine in Enforcement2 articlesSuspending Enforcement Time Limits2 articlesEnforcement Disputes and Stay of Enforcement6 articlesPenalty for Refusing to Enforce Judgments5 articles
Articles of the Saudi Enforcement Law before the Board of Grievances
الباب الأول: أحكام عامةArticles 1–5
- Article 1The article defines the key terms used in the Enforcement Law before the Board of Grievances, such as the Court, the instrument and the enforcement dispute.
- Article 2The article requires the judgment debtor to act on its own to enforce final judgments and judgments covered by provisional enforcement issued by the courts of the Board of Grievances.
- Article 3The article establishes the Administrative Enforcement Court by decision of the Administrative Judiciary Council to enforce instruments and decide enforcement disputes, with enforcement circuits in the administrative courts where no such court exists.
- Article 4The article requires an enforcement instrument for a right of fixed amount that is due before compulsory enforcement, lists the instruments the Law covers, and refers the related provisions to the Regulations.
- Article 5The article makes the Administrative Enforcement Court's decisions and orders final and not open to objection, while all its judgments are subject to objection before the competent administrative court of appeal.
الباب الثاني: إجراءات التنفيذArticles 6–24
- Article 6The article provides that an enforcement request is filed by a statement lodged with the competent court, including the applicant's or representative's details, the instrument's details, and whatever the Regulations specify.
- Article 7The article regulates registering the enforcement request statement and referring it, a twenty-day period to make up deficiencies, and a grievance against non-registration before the president of the Court within fifteen days.
- Article 8The article requires demanding performance from the debtor before an enforcement request within ten years, does not accept the request before thirty days from the demand, and sets five days for urgent judgments.
- Article 9The article provides that non-acceptance of an enforcement request because the Article 8 periods passed does not extinguish the obligation or prevent applying the provisions of Part Four of the Law.
- Article 10The article requires the enforcement circuit to warn the administrative authority immediately on referral to enforce within five days for urgent judgments and thirty days otherwise, with the option of notifying the oversight body.
- Article 11The article gives the enforcement circuit authority to order administrative authorities to take the measures necessary for enforcement, including access to budgets, posts, procedures and any document, and requires them to comply within the periods set.
- Article 12The article requires an enforcement order to the administrative authority if the Article 10 period ends without enforcement or the authority states refusal, specifying the necessary procedures and notifying the competent body for criminal proceedings.
- Article 13The article allows the enforcement circuit to send the enforcement warning to the Ministry of Finance and apply the Law's procedures against it, where the authority obliged to pay a sum of money completed its procedures and the delay is due to the Ministry.
- Article 14The article allows the administrative body, before the enforcement order in Article 12 is issued, to ask the Enforcement Circuit to guide it on how to enforce, and the Circuit issues an order setting out the procedures where appropriate.
- Article 15The article provides that requesting guidance on how to enforce, and ruling on the request, do not suspend the procedures or time limits set out in the Law.
- Article 16The article requires the Enforcement Circuit, when enforcing an instrument issued in favor of the administrative body, to order the party against whom enforcement is sought, immediately on referral, to enforce within a period not exceeding thirty days from being notified.
- Article 17The article requires the Enforcement Circuit, if the Article 16 time limit expires without enforcement, to immediately order disclosure and attachment of the assets of the party against whom enforcement is sought, and allows it to order a travel ban or a bar on dealing with him.
- Article 18Where the Law and its Regulations contain no specific provision, the article refers to the procedures of the Enforcement Law for enforcing instruments in favor of administrative bodies, and gives enforcement circuits the powers of the enforcement judge.
- Article 19The article allows the Enforcement Circuit to assign the requesting administrative body or others to carry out whatever procedures it sees fit, except the procedures in Articles 17 and 20.
- Article 20The article allows the Enforcement Circuit, other than in enforcement to collect sums of money and after the Article 10 or Article 16 time limit has expired, to impose a fine not exceeding ten thousand riyals for each day of delay.
- Article 21The article requires the Enforcement Circuit to settle the delay fine when enforcement is completed or becomes impossible or six months pass, by a judgment obliging the party against whom enforcement is sought to pay it to the enforcement requester or canceling it in whole or in part.
- Article 22The article allows the time limits in Articles 10 and 16 to be suspended for compelling reasons for up to six months in total, or by agreement of the parties for up to twelve months, and explains the effect of the suspension.
- Article 23The article requires a request to suspend the time limits to contain, in addition to the particulars required under Article 6, its reasons, a statement of the procedures and the periods needed for enforcement.
- Article 24The article allows the enforcement requester to abandon his request before the Enforcement Circuit at any stage; the request and the procedures taken on its basis lapse, without preventing a new request from being filed.
الباب الثالث: منازعات التنفيذ والدعاوى الناشئة عنهArticles 25–29
- Article 25The article allows any interested person, among the parties to enforcement or others, to file an enforcement dispute by a statement of claim lodged with the competent court under the procedures for filing a lawsuit, and sets out its contents.
- Article 26The article requires an enforcement dispute to be heard expeditiously, subjects a provisional request to suspend or continue enforcement to the rules on urgent lawsuits, and makes a judgment suspending enforcement stop all procedures and time limits.
- Article 27The article prevents an enforcement dispute from including an objection to the judgment whose enforcement is disputed, and stops procedures, time limits and the admission of new requests if the objection court orders enforcement suspended.
- Article 28The article allows enforcement to be suspended where ambiguity or confusion in the judgment prevents its enforcement, until its interpretation is decided, and gives fifteen days from notice of the suspension order to request interpretation.
- Article 29The article allows the Enforcement Circuit to rule that enforcement of an instrument has become impossible for any reason, and provides that lack of appropriations or posts in the administrative body's budget is not impossibility.
الباب الرابع: الجرائم والعقوباتArticles 30–33
- Article 30The article punishes with imprisonment and a fine a public employee who uses his influence to prevent enforcement of an instrument or deliberately refrains from enforcing it intending to obstruct it, and applies the penalties of the Enforcement Law's offenses where they occur.
- Article 31The article punishes anyone who participates in committing an offense under Article 30 with the penalty set for that same offense.
- Article 32The article allows the court to provide in the penalty judgment for publishing its summary, at the expense of the convicted person, in a local newspaper or other suitable means, after the judgment becomes final.
- Article 33The article treats the offenses of Article 30, relating to preventing or refusing the enforcement of instruments, as corruption offenses and as serious offenses requiring detention.
الباب الخامس: أحكام ختاميةArticles 34–37
- Article 34The article allows resort to enforcement service providers licensed under the Enforcement Law, and leaves it to the Administrative Judiciary Council to issue the necessary rules for this.
- Article 35The article allows the procedures set out in the Enforcement Law before the Board of Grievances to be carried out electronically, under rules issued by the Administrative Judiciary Council.
- Article 36The article applies the provisions of the Law of Procedure before the Board of Grievances to the requests and disputes set out in the Law, where there is no specific provision and to the extent not inconsistent with their nature.
- Article 37The article requires the Administrative Judiciary Council to issue the Implementing Regulations of the Law within thirty days of the date it takes effect, with publication in the Official Gazette and effect after publication.