Article 26 of the Saudi Penal Law on Forgery Crimes
المادة 26 من النظام الجزائي لجرائم التزوير · الفصل الخامس: أحكام عامة
The article applies the law to anyone who commits the offenses of Articles 3, 4, 8, 10, 11 and 13 outside the Kingdom, unless a foreign judgment of acquittal, or of conviction with the penalty served, is established.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تطبق أحكام هذا النظام على كل من ارتكب خارج المملكة جريمةً من الجرائم المنصوص عليها في المواد (الثالثة) و(الرابعة) و(الثامنة) و(العاشرة) و(الحادية عشرة) و(الثالثة عشرة) من هذا النظام، إلا إذا ثبت أنه سبق أن صدر حكمٌ قضائي في الخارج بعدم إدانته بما أسند إليه أو حكم بإدانته عن الفعل نفسه واستوفى عقوبته.
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 26 explained in plain English
This article extends the application of the law to certain offenses committed outside the Kingdom, which are:
- Article 3: forging the seal of the State, or the seal of the King, the Crown Prince, the Prime Minister or one of his deputies, or the Royal Court or the Crown Prince's Court.
- Article 4: forging the seal or mark of a public entity or its employee, or the seal or mark of one of the persons of public international law that has authority in the Kingdom.
- Article 8: forging a document attributed to a public entity or its employee, or to an international body if it has authority in the Kingdom.
- Article 10: forging a document attributed to the King, the Crown Prince, the Prime Minister or one of his deputies.
- Article 11: forging bonds or valuable papers issued by the public treasury.
- Article 13: forging commercial or financial papers, bank papers or insurance policies.
The text covers "anyone" who commits these offenses abroad, without distinguishing between a citizen and others.
The exception: the provisions of the law do not apply if it is established that a judicial judgment has already been issued abroad:
- acquitting him of what was attributed to him, or
- convicting him of the same act and he has served the penalty; conviction alone is not enough without the penalty having been served.
Note that other offenses in the law, such as forging a private document or stamps, are not among the offenses mentioned in this article.
Anyone facing a matter of this kind is advised to consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases.
Practical example
A person outside the Kingdom fabricated documents attributed to a Saudi government entity. The provisions of the law apply to him because the act is among the offenses of Article 8, unless it is established that a court abroad acquitted him, or convicted him of the same act and he served the penalty.
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 26 of the Saudi Penal Law on Forgery Crimes
Is someone who forged a Saudi government document outside the Kingdom punished?
Yes. The provisions of the law apply to the offenses of Articles 3, 4, 8, 10, 11 and 13 committed outside the Kingdom, unless a foreign judgment of acquittal, or of conviction with the penalty served, is established.
If he was tried abroad, is he tried again?
The provisions of the law do not apply if it is established that a judgment was issued abroad acquitting him, or convicting him of the same act with the penalty served.
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 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.