Article 4 of the Saudi Enforcement Law
المادة 4 من نظام التنفيذ · الباب الثاني: الاختصاص
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- عدا تنفيذ العقوبات الجزائية وما تختص به محاكم ديوان المظالم، تختص المحكمة بالإشراف على التنفيذ وإجراءاته، وبالتنفيذ الجبري وإجراءاته، وتتولى الفصل في منازعات التنفيذ، وإصدار الأحكام والأوامر والقرارات المتعلقة بالتنفيذ.
2- مع مراعاة ما قضت به المادة (التاسعة) من النظام، تتولى المحكمة التحقق من استيفاء السند التنفيذي شروطه النظامية دون النظر إلى أصل الحق محل السند التنفيذي.
3- تحال طلبات التنفيذ وفق قواعد التوزيع التي تحددها اللائحة.
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 4 explained in plain English
This article is the basis of the Enforcement Court's jurisdiction, and it has three paragraphs:
- Scope of jurisdiction: the court is competent to supervise enforcement and its procedures, to carry out compulsory enforcement and its procedures, to decide enforcement disputes, and to issue judgments, orders and decisions relating to enforcement. Two matters are excepted: the execution of criminal penalties, and what the courts of the Board of Grievances are competent for.
- Limits of the court's review of the instrument: the court verifies that the enforcement instrument meets its legal requirements, but it does not look at the underlying right the instrument contains. The Enforcement Court does not retry the dispute or examine whether the debt is owed in the first place; it enforces the instrument as long as it is valid in form and conditions. This is subject to what Article 9 of the law provides, as the same paragraph states.
- Distribution of requests: enforcement requests are referred according to distribution rules the Implementing Regulations specify, and the article does not state these rules.
It follows that someone who wants to contest the debt itself does not find a place to do so before the Enforcement Court under paragraph 2, whereas the court is competent to decide enforcement disputes. To determine the nature of an objection in a particular case, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specializing in enforcement cases.
This article is linked to Article 3, which obliges the authorities to respond to the court's orders within 3 working days, and to Article 5, which deals with multiple attachment orders on the same asset.
Practical example
A company in Jeddah filed a request to enforce a notarized contract against one of its customers. The customer objected before the Enforcement Court that the amount was not owed by him in the first place. Under this article the court verifies that the notarized contract is an enforcement instrument that meets its legal requirements, without looking at the underlying right established in it.
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 4 of the Saudi Enforcement Law
Does the Enforcement Court examine the validity of the debt itself?
No. The court verifies that the enforcement instrument meets its legal requirements without looking at the underlying right in the instrument, subject to what Article 9 provides.
What is the Enforcement Court not competent for?
It is not competent for the execution of criminal penalties, or for what the courts of the Board of Grievances are competent for.
Does the Enforcement Court decide enforcement disputes?
Yes. The court decides enforcement disputes and issues the judgments, orders and decisions relating to enforcement.
Articles this article refers to
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 3
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.
على جميع الجهات المختصة -ومنها الجهات المشرفة على الأموال أو تسجيلها- الاستجابة لأوامر وقرارات المحكمة ذات الصلة بالتنفيذ وإجراءاته خلال مدة لا تتجاوز (ثلاثة) أ
- 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.