Article 137 of the Saudi GCC Unified Customs Law
المادة 137 من نظام قانون الجمارك الموحد لدول مجلس التعاون لدول الخليج العربية · الفصل الثالث: تدابير احتياطية
Arrest is permitted only for smuggling caught in the act or for resistance to customs or security officers that obstructs seizure; it is ordered by authorized officials and the arrested person is brought before the court within 24 hours.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
لا يجوز القبض إلا في الحالات التالية :
1 - جرائم التهريب المتلبس بها .
2 - مقاومة رجال الجمارك أو رجال الأمن التي تعوق ضبط المخالفات الجمركية أو جرائم التهريب أو تحقيقها أو ضبط المتهمين فيها . ويصدر قرار القبض من موظفي الجمارك المخولين صفة مأموري الضبط القضائي أو من السلطات الأمنية . ويقدم المقبوض عليه إلى المحكمة المختصة خلال 24 ساعة من وقت القبض عليه .
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 137 explained in plain English
This article sets controls on arrest in the customs field, and opens with an exclusive formula: "Arrest is not permitted except in the following cases."
Only two cases of arrest:
- Smuggling crimes caught in the act, meaning caught while being committed.
- Resistance to customs officers or security officers that obstructs the seizure or investigation of customs violations or smuggling crimes or the seizure of the accused in them.
Who issues the arrest decision: customs employees authorized as judicial police officers, or the security authorities.
A time safeguard: the arrested person is brought before the competent court within 24 hours of the time of arrest.
What this means: an ordinary customs violation, such as an error in a declaration, does not in itself permit arrest according to the text, because arrest is limited to the two cases mentioned. The time limit is an express safeguard for the arrested person.
Article 136 allows the Director General to impose a customs guarantee on the funds of those liable or their partners where necessary. Article 138 allows the Director General or his delegate to request that violators or those accused of smuggling be banned from traveling if the value of the seized materials is not enough to cover duties and fines. A person arrested in a customs case needs a lawyer specializing in criminal and customs cases immediately.
Practical example
Customs employees catch a person in the act removing smuggled goods from a hiding place in his car at a border crossing, and an arrest decision is issued by an employee authorized as a judicial police officer. He must be brought before the competent court within 24 hours of the arrest.
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 137 of the Saudi GCC Unified Customs Law
When is arrest permitted in customs cases?
Only for smuggling crimes caught in the act, or resistance to customs or security officers that obstructs seizing violations or smuggling crimes, investigating them or seizing the accused.
When must the arrested person be brought before the court?
Within 24 hours of the time of arrest.
Who issues the arrest decision?
Customs employees authorized as judicial police officers, or the security authorities.
More articles on Seizure Report and Customs Detention
- Article 126
Smuggling may be investigated and goods seized across the state in the land and maritime zones, customs offices, ports and airports, and outside the zones in continuous pursuit.
يجوز إجراء التحري عن التهريب وحجز البضائع وتحقيق المخالفات الجمركية بشأن جميع البضائع على امتداد أراضي الدولة في الحالات التالية: 1 - في النطاقين الجمركيين البر
- Article 128
Customs employees may detain anyone they suspect of committing, attempting or being connected with smuggling, or transporting or possessing smuggled goods.
يجوز لموظفي الإدارة التحفظ على أي شخص إذا كان لديهم اشتباه بأنه ارتكب أو حاول ارتكاب جريمة أو كان ذا علاقة بارتكاب جريمة من الجرائم التالية: 1 - التهريب. 2 - نق
- Article 129
A seizure report is drawn up for customs violations and smuggling offenses in accordance with the procedures set in this law.
يُحرر محضر الضبط لمخالفات وجرائم التهريب الجمركي وفق الأصول المحددة في هذا النظام "القانون ".
- Article 130
A seizure report is drawn up by at least two customs employees when the violation or smuggling offense is discovered, and one employee may draw it up where necessary.
ينظم محضر الضبط موظفان على الأقل من الجمارك حال اكتشاف المخالفة أو جريمة التهريب ، ويجوز عند الضرورة أن ينظم محضر الضبط موظف واحد .
- Article 131
The article lists ten items that must be stated in the seizure report, including the place, date, hour, names of the officers, violators, goods, facts, statements, reading of the report and handover.
يذكر في محضر الضبط ما يلي : 1 - مكان تنظيمه وتاريخه وساعته بالأحرف والأرقام . 2 - أسماء ضابطي الواقعة ومنظمي محضر الضبط وتوقيعهم وطبيعة أعمالهم . 3 - أسماء المخ
- Article 132
A seizure report drawn up under Articles 130 and 131 is evidence of the material facts its drafters personally observed unless the contrary is proven, and a formal deficiency does not invalidate it.
أ - يعد محضر الضبط المنظم وفق المادتين 130 - 131 من هذا النظام " القانون" حجة فيما يتعلق بالوقائع المادية التي عاينها منظموه بأنفسهم ما لم يثبت العكس . ب - لا ي
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.