Article 18 of the Saudi Penal Law on Forgery Crimes

المادة 18 من النظام الجزائي لجرائم التزوير · الفصل الرابع تزوير المحررات أولاً: الصور العادية

The article punishes anyone who forges a historical document with imprisonment of up to 8 months and a fine of up to SAR 80,000, or either.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

من زوّر وثيقة تاريخية، يعاقب بالسجن مدة لا تتجاوز ثمانية أشهر وبغرامة لا تزيد على ثمانين ألف ريال، أو بإحدى هاتين العقوبتين.

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 18 explained in plain English

This article protects historical documents, which Article 1 defined as an old and rare document containing facts and information about the history of the Kingdom, that has historical value and no legal authority.

A historical document is not used to prove rights, as official or private documents are, but its value is that it is a source for knowing the Kingdom's history; for that reason the law made forging it a separate offense.

The penalty is:

Imprisonment for a period not exceeding 8 months.
And a fine of up to SAR 80,000.
Or either of these two penalties.

The elements of forgery set out in Article 1 must be present: an alteration of the truth by one of the methods provided for in the law, in bad faith, with intent to use, and capable of causing material, moral or social harm, which includes the social harm resulting from distorting historical information.

This article is followed by Article 19, which punishes anyone who uses any of what the law criminalizes while knowing it was forged, with the same penalty prescribed for the forgery offense.

Anyone facing an accusation or dispute over a document of this kind is advised to consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases.

Practical example

A person wrote a letter on old paper and attributed it to a figure from the period of the Kingdom's founding, so that it recorded an event that did not happen, and then displayed it at a collectibles exhibition as genuine. This may fall under forging a historical document, and its penalty is imprisonment of up to 8 months and a fine of up to SAR 80,000, or either.

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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