Article 49 of the Saudi Environment Law

This Article sets the date the Environment Law comes into force, that is, the date its provisions begin to apply and bind.

The provision states that the Law takes effect 180 days after the date of its publication in the Official Gazette. What counts is the date of publication in the Official Gazette, not the date of its approval or issuance, and one hundred and eighty days are counted from that date, after which the Law begins to apply.

The purpose of this period is to give an opportunity to prepare before application:

• For the relevant government authorities to prepare what is needed to apply the Law.
• For individuals and facilities to bring their situations into line with its provisions.

This Article is linked to Article 48, which requires the Minister to issue the regulations within no more than 180 days of the date of the Law's publication in the Official Gazette, and provides that the regulations take effect from the date the Law comes into force. So the Law and its Implementing Regulations begin to apply at the same time, which is the end of 180 days from publication.

The text of the Article does not state the date of publication itself, so knowing the actual date the Law began to apply requires referring to the date it was published in the Official Gazette. The Article also does not address the status of acts or situations that preceded the date of effect, so anyone with a question about that may wish to consult a lawyer who specializes in environmental law.