Article 27 of the Saudi Enforcement Law
المادة 27 من نظام التنفيذ · الفصل الخامس: الحجز التنفيذي
The article requires the body supervising or registering property to carry out attachment immediately, lets the court order the competent force to use compulsion, and leaves attachment, deposit and custody procedures to the Implementing Regulations.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- على الجهة المشرفة على الأموال أو تسجيلها أن تنفذ فوراً الحجز الذي تأمر به المحكمة.
2- إذا اقتضى تنفيذ الحجز استعمال القوة الجبرية، فللمحكمة أن تأمر القوة المختصة بذلك.
3- تحدد اللائحة إجراءات الحجز على الأموال، وإيداعها، وإدارتها، والحراسة عليها، بما في ذلك إجراءات الحجز على الأموال التي تستحق للمدين مستقبلاً.
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 27 explained in plain English
This article governs carrying out attachment in practice after the court orders it, and has three paragraphs:
1- Immediate execution: The body supervising or registering the property must carry out the attachment ordered by the court immediately. That body does not wait a period before responding to this procedure, because delay could allow the enforcement debtor to dispose of the property.
2- Compulsion: If carrying out the attachment requires the use of compulsion, the court may order the competent force to do so.
3- Referral to the Implementing Regulations: The Implementing Regulations set the procedures for:
- Attaching property.
- Depositing it.
- Managing it.
- Placing it in custody.
- Attaching property that will fall due to the debtor in the future.
The article itself does not set out the details of these procedures, so they should not be drawn from its text.
This article follows Article 26, which sets out the property that may not be attached or enforced against, so the attachment that the bodies carry out immediately is over property that may be attached. It is followed by Article 28, which provides for referring incidents of concealing, smuggling or dissipating property to the investigating authority without stopping enforcement.
Practical example
The enforcement court ordered attachment of shares and vehicles owned by a debtor, so the bodies supervising or registering this property had to carry out the attachment immediately. When the debtor refused to hand over one of the attached vehicles, the court ordered the competent force to intervene and carry out the attachment using compulsion.
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 27 of the Saudi Enforcement Law
When do the authorities carry out an attachment order issued by the enforcement court?
The body supervising or registering the property must carry out the attachment ordered by the court immediately.
Can force be used to carry out an attachment?
Yes. If carrying out the attachment requires compulsion, the court may order the competent force to do so.
Can property that will fall due to the debtor in the future be attached?
The article refers to procedures for attaching property that will fall due to the debtor in the future, and leaves their specification to the Implementing Regulations.
More articles on Seizing Assets and Auctions
- Article 5
The article requires the holder of an asset of the enforcement debtor, where several bodies issued attachment orders on it, to notify the body that issued the later order of the first attachment.
إذا تعددت الجهات التي أصدرت أمر الحجز على مال من أموال المنفذ ضده، فعلى المحجوز لديه المال إشعار الجهة التي أصدرت أمر الحجز اللاحق بالحجز الأول. وتحدد اللائحة ا
- Article 6
The article provides that where enforcement attachments from two judicial bodies, or from a judicial and an administrative body, meet on the enforcement debtor's assets, all his assets are treated as attached for all requests, supervised by the judicial body that attached first.
1- استثناءً من أحكام الاختصاص المنصوص عليها في النظام ونظام التنفيذ أمام ديوان المظالم والأنظمة الأخرى ذات الصلة، إذا اجتمع حجز تنفيذي من جهتين قضائيتين أو من ج
- Article 18
The article provides that compulsory enforcement begins when 5 working days pass from notification without compliance, unless the debtor provides a bank guarantee, and permits a daily fine of up to SAR 5,000.
1- إذا مضت (خمسة) أيام عمل من تاريخ إبلاغ المنفذ ضده بأمر التنفيذ أو من تاريخ الإعلان وفق ما قضت به المادة (الرابعة عشرة) من النظام، ولم ينفذ المنفذ ضده التزامه
- Article 23
The article provides that all the enforcement debtor's assets stand as security for his debts from the date of notice or notification of the enforcement order or announcement, and allows enforcement attachment on an asset under precautionary attachment.
1- جميع أموال المنفذ ضده ضامنة لديونه من تاريخ إخطاره بطلب أداء الحق وفق ما قضت به المادة (الثانية عشرة) من النظام، أو من تاريخ إبلاغه بأمر التنفيذ أو من تاريخ
- Article 24
The article lets the enforcement applicant sue to annul the debtor's gifts, early repayments and unusual contracts made before attachment, and declares any disposal after an attachment order void.
1- يجوز لطالب التنفيذ أن يتقدم إلى المحكمة بدعوى إبطال تصرف المنفذ ضده، إذا ثبت أنه تصرف بأي مالٍ من أمواله من تاريخ إخطاره بطلب أداء الحق وفق ما قضت به المادة
- Article 25
The article limits attachment of the enforcement debtor's property to the amount of the debt unless the property is indivisible, and lets him designate property to be enforced against first.
1- لا يجوز حجز أموال المنفذ ضده إلا بمقدار الدين المطالب به، ما لم يكن المال المحجوز عليه غير قابل للتجزئة. 2- تحدد المحكمة أموال المنفذ ضده محل التنفيذ بما يحق
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.