Article 19 of the Saudi Penal Law on Forgery Crimes
المادة 19 من النظام الجزائي لجرائم التزوير · الفصل الخامس: أحكام عامة
The article punishes anyone who uses any of what the law criminalizes while knowing it was forged, and anyone who brings into the Kingdom or possesses in it certain specified items, with the same penalty as forgery.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يعاقب بالعقوبة نفسها المقررة لجريمة التزوير المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام، كل من استعمل أيًّا مما نص على تجريمه في هذا النظام مع علمه بتزويره، وكل من جلب إلى المملكة أو حاز فيها أيًّا مما نص على تجريمه في المواد (الثالثة) و(الرابعة) و(السادسة) و(الثامنة) و(العاشرة) و(الحادية عشرة) و(الثالثة عشرة) مع علمه بتزويره.
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 19 explained in plain English
Punishment under this law is not limited to those who commit the forgery themselves, but this article extends it to two groups:
- The user: anyone who uses any of what the law criminalizes while knowing it was forged is punished with the same penalty prescribed for the forgery offense.
- The importer or possessor: anyone who brings into the Kingdom or possesses in it, knowing of the forgery, something criminalized by these articles only:
- Article 3: the seal of the State and the seal of the King, the Crown Prince, the Prime Minister or one of his deputies, the Royal Court and the Crown Prince's Court.
- Article 4: the seal or mark of a public entity or its employee, or of a person of public international law that has authority in the Kingdom.
- Article 6: stamps.
- Article 8: documents attributed to a public entity or its employee, or to an international body if it has authority in the Kingdom.
- Article 10: documents attributed to the King, the Crown Prince, the Prime Minister or one of his deputies.
- Article 11: public treasury bonds and valuable papers.
- Article 13: commercial, financial and bank papers and insurance policies.
The condition of knowing of the forgery is in both cases; whoever uses or possesses a forged item without knowing it was forged is not covered by the article. The penalty is that of the original offense, so a user of a forged government document is punished with the penalty in Article 8 (imprisonment of one to 5 years and a fine of up to SAR 500,000).
Anyone facing an accusation of using or possessing a forged document is advised to consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases.
Practical example
A person bought from an intermediary a certificate attributed to a government entity, knowing it was forged, and submitted it with a job application. Even if he did not forge it himself, he is punished for knowingly using the forgery with the penalty in Article 8: imprisonment of one to 5 years and a fine of up to SAR 500,000.
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 19 of the Saudi Penal Law on Forgery Crimes
Is someone who used a forged document without forging it himself punished?
Yes. If he used it knowing it was forged, he is punished with the same penalty prescribed for the forgery offense.
Is merely possessing a forged document an offense?
Possessing it or bringing it into the Kingdom while knowing of the forgery is punishable if the forged item is one covered by Articles 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11 and 13.
What if the user did not know the document was forged?
The article requires knowledge of the forgery for use, importing and possession.
Articles this article refers to
- Article 3
The article punishes forging the seal of the State, the King, the Crown Prince, the Prime Minister or his deputies, or the two Courts, with imprisonment of 3 to 10 years and a fine of up to SAR 1,000,000.
من زوّر خاتم الدولة، أو خاتم الملك أو ولي العهد أو رئيس مجلس الوزراء أو أحد نوابه، أو خاتم الديوان الملكي أو ديوان ولي العهد؛ يعاقب بالسجن من ثلاث إلى عشر سنوات
- Article 4
The article punishes forging the seal or mark of a public entity or its employee, or of an international body with authority in the Kingdom, with imprisonment of one to 7 years and a fine of up to SAR 700,000.
من زوّر خاتماً أو علامةً منسوبة إلى جهة عامة، أو إلى أحد موظفيها بصفته الوظيفية، أو زوّر خاتماً أو علامة لها حجية في المملكة عائدة لأحد أشخاص القانون الدولي الع
- Article 6
The article punishes forging a stamp with imprisonment of up to 5 years and a fine of up to SAR 500,000, and requires the offender to pay what he cost the public treasury.
من زوّر طابعاً يعاقب بالسجن مدة لا تتجاوز خمس سنوات، وبغرامةٍ لا تزيد على خمسمائة ألف ريال، مع إلزامه بدفع ما فوته على الخزينة العامة من مبالغ.
- Article 8
The article punishes forging a document attributed to a public entity or its employee, or to an international body with authority in the Kingdom, with imprisonment of one to 5 years and a fine of up to SAR 500,000.
من زوّر محرراً منسوباً إلى جهة عامة أو أحد موظفيها بصفته الوظيفية، أو إلى أحد أشخاص القانون الدولي العام أو أحد موظفيه بصفته الوظيفية إذا كان للمحرر حجية في الم
- Article 10
The article punishes forging a document attributed to the King, the Crown Prince, the Prime Minister or one of his deputies with imprisonment of 3 to 10 years and a fine of up to SAR 1,000,000.
من زوّر محرراً منسوباً إلى الملك، أو ولي العهد، أو رئيس مجلس الوزراء، أو أحد نوابه؛ يعاقب بالسجن من ثلاث إلى عشر سنوات وبغرامة لا تزيد على مليون ريال.
- Article 11
The article punishes forging bonds or valuable papers issued by the public treasury with imprisonment of 2 to 7 years and a fine of up to SAR 1,000,000, plus paying what the treasury lost.
من زوّر سنداتٍ أو أوراقاً ذات قيمة مما تصدره الخزينة العامة، يعاقب بالسجن من سنتين إلى سبع سنوات وبغرامة لا تزيد على مليون ريال، مع إلزامه بدفع ما فوته على الخز
- Article 13
The article punishes forging commercial or financial papers, bank papers or insurance policies with imprisonment of one to 5 years and a fine of up to SAR 400,000.
من زوّر أوراقاً تجارية أو مالية أو الأوراق الخاصة بالمصارف، أو وثائق تأمين؛ يعاقب بالسجن من سنة إلى خمس سنوات وبغرامة لا تزيد على أربعمائة ألف ريال.
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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.