Article 3 of the Saudi Enforcement Law
المادة 3 من نظام التنفيذ · الباب الأول: أحكام عامة
The article obliges all competent authorities, including those supervising or registering assets, to respond to the Enforcement Court's orders and decisions within 3 working days of being notified, unless a special provision exists.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
على جميع الجهات المختصة -ومنها الجهات المشرفة على الأموال أو تسجيلها- الاستجابة لأوامر وقرارات المحكمة ذات الصلة بالتنفيذ وإجراءاته خلال مدة لا تتجاوز (ثلاثة) أيام عمل من تاريخ إبلاغ تلك الجهات بها، وذلك فيما لم يرد في شأنه نص خاص في النظام.
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 3 explained in plain English
This article sets a general time limit for authorities to respond to the Enforcement Court's orders, so that enforcement is not held up by authorities' delay in dealing with what the court issues.
The elements of the rule are as follows:
- Who is bound? All competent authorities, expressly including the authorities supervising or registering assets.
- What are they bound to do? Respond to the court's orders and decisions relating to enforcement and its procedures.
- Within how long? Within a period not exceeding 3 working days.
- When does the period start? From the date the authority is notified of the order or decision.
This time limit is the general rule, so it does not apply if the law contains a special provision setting a different rule for a particular procedure. If the law sets another period or method for a particular procedure, the special provision governs.
This article complements what Article 4 provides on the court's competence to supervise enforcement and issue the orders and decisions relating to it, since these orders have no practical value unless the authorities carry them out within a set time.
Practical example
The Enforcement Court in Riyadh issued an order concerning enforcement procedures against a debtor, and a competent public authority was notified of it on Sunday. Under this article, the authority must respond to the order within a period not exceeding 3 working days from the date it was notified, unless the law has a special provision setting another rule for this procedure.
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 3 of the Saudi Enforcement Law
How long do authorities have to respond to Enforcement Court orders?
No more than 3 working days from the date the authority is notified of the order or decision, unless the law has a special provision.
Does the time limit cover banks and the authorities supervising assets?
The article states that the obligation covers all competent authorities, including those supervising or registering assets.
Are there cases where the three-day period does not apply?
Yes. If the law has a special provision on a particular procedure, that provision applies in place of this general time limit.
More articles on Enforcement Court and Its Jurisdiction
- Article 1
The article defines the terms used in the Enforcement Law, such as the court, the competent department, the competent force, direct enforcement and enforcement expenses.
يُقصد بالألفاظ والعبارات الآتية -أينما وردت في هذا النظام- المعاني المبيّـنة أمام كل منها، ما لم يقتض السياق غير ذلك: النظام: نظام التنفيذ. اللائحة: اللائحة الت
- Article 2
The article explains that the Enforcement Court consists of first-instance and appeal circuits, or first-instance circuits only, and says where judgments are appealed where the court has no appeal circuits.
1- تتكون المحكمة من دوائر ابتدائيّة ودوائر استئناف، أو من دوائر ابتدائيّة فقط. 2- يكون استئناف الأحكام الصادرة من الدوائر الابتدائيّة في المحكمة التي ليس فيها د
- Article 4
The article sets the Enforcement Court's jurisdiction over supervising enforcement, compulsory enforcement and enforcement disputes, except for criminal penalties and the Board of Grievances' matters, without looking at the underlying right.
1- عدا تنفيذ العقوبات الجزائية وما تختص به محاكم ديوان المظالم، تختص المحكمة بالإشراف على التنفيذ وإجراءاته، وبالتنفيذ الجبري وإجراءاته، وتتولى الفصل في منازعات
- 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 16
The article obliges the authorities supervising or registering assets, or the entities they supervise, to set up a department for enforcement orders, build ownership databases and enable electronic links with the Ministry.
على الجهة المشرفة على الأموال أو تسجيلها أو الكيانات التي تشرف عليها وفق النصوص النظامية ذات العلاقة -بحسب الأحوال- القيام بالآتي: 1- إنشاء أو تحديد إدارة (أو أ
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.