Article 14 of the Saudi Handicrafts and Manual Industries Law
المادة 14 من نظام الحرف والصناعات اليدوية · الفصل الخامس: المخالفات والعقوبات
The article requires the Commission to warn those who violate specified provisions and give them a period to correct; if they do not, the committee imposes a fine not exceeding SAR 20,000 or measures such as removal, suspension and cancellation.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- تنذر الهيئة كل من يخالف أحكام الفقرة (3) من المادة (الرابعة)، والفقرة (2) من المادة (الخامسة)، والمادتين (السابعة) و(الثامنة)، من النظام، وتمنحه مهلة تحددها اللائحة لتصحيح المخالفة.
2- في حال عدم قيام المخالف بتصحيح المخالفة خلال المدة المحددة وفقاً للفقرة (1) من هذه المادة، ودون إخلال بأي عقوبة منصوص عليها في نظام آخر؛ توقع اللجنة -المنصوص عليها في المادة (الثالثة عشرة) من النظام- عليه غرامة لا تزيد على (عشرين) ألف ريال، أو تتخذ إجراء أو أكثر بحسب الحال -مع الغرامة أو دونها- من الإجراءات الآتية:
أ- الحرمان من الامتيازات الممنوحة كليًّا أو جزئيًّا.
ب- شطب اسم الحرفي من السجل الوطني للحرفيين، لمدة لا تتجاوز (خمس) سنوات.
ج- تعليق الترخيص الحرفي لمدة لا تتجاوز (سنة). وتكون مدة شطب اسم صاحبه من السجل الوطني للحرفيين مماثلة لمدة التعليق عند الجمع بين هذا الإجراء والإجراء الوارد في الفقرة الفرعية (ب) من الفقرة (2) من هذه المادة.
د- إلغاء الترخيص الحرفي.
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 14 explained in plain English
This article is the core of the Law's penalty system, and it rests on the principle of warning before penalty.
Paragraph 1: the warning and the correction period
The Commission warns anyone who violates the following provisions and gives him a period the Regulations set to correct the violation:
- Article 4 (paragraph 3): practicing a craft for commercial purposes or trading as a main activity in craft products without a craft license from the Commission.
- Article 5 (paragraph 2): representing the Kingdom at conferences and exhibitions without meeting the controls.
- Article 7: failing to comply with the quality standards the Ministry adopts.
- Article 8: importing the craft products the Regulations specify or making models of them.
Paragraph 2: penalties if the violation is not corrected
If the violator does not correct the violation within the period, and without prejudice to any penalty in another law, the committee referred to in Article 13 imposes a fine not exceeding SAR 20,000, or takes one or more measures as the case may be, with or without the fine:
- (a) Deprivation of the privileges granted, in whole or in part.
- (b) Removal of the craftsperson's name from the National Register of Craftspeople for a period not exceeding five years.
- (c) Suspension of the craft license for a period not exceeding one year; if combined with removal, the removal period equals the suspension period.
- (d) Cancellation of the craft license.
Under Article 13, the committee consists of three members including a legal adviser and a specialist in crafts, and its decisions may be challenged before the Administrative Court.
Article 15 allows the maximum fine to be doubled in case of repetition, which is committing the same violation within three years of a final decision establishing it. Anyone who has received a warning from the Commission can consult a lawyer who specializes in administrative cases.
Practical example
Abdullah sells craft products in a shop in Medina without a craft license. Under this article, the Heritage Commission warns him and gives him a period the Regulations set to correct his situation; if he does not obtain the license within it, the committee may impose a fine not exceeding SAR 20,000 on him, or take another measure the article provides for, as the case may be.
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 14 of the Saudi Handicrafts and Manual Industries Law
What is the penalty for practicing a craft commercially without a license?
The Commission warns the violator and gives him a period to correct; if he does not, the committee may impose a fine not exceeding SAR 20,000, or measures including deprivation of privileges, removal from the Register, or suspension or cancellation of the license.
Is a violator punished immediately without a warning?
No. For the violations the article lists, the Commission first warns him and gives him a period the Regulations set to correct the violation.
What is the maximum period for removing a craftsperson from the National Register?
It may not exceed five years; if combined with suspension of the license, the removal period equals the suspension period.
What is the maximum period for suspending a craft license?
It may not exceed one year.
Articles this article refers to
- Article 4
The article allows a craftsperson to apply for entry in the National Register of Craftspeople as the Regulations specify, and prohibits practicing a craft commercially or trading in craft products as a main activity without a Commission license.
1- للحرفي طلب القيد في السجل الوطني للحرفيين. 2- يقدم الحرفي طلب القيد في السجل الوطني للحرفيين وفق الشروط والآليات التي تحددها اللائحة. 3- لا تجوز ممارسة حرفة
- Article 5
The article refers to the Regulations the controls for craftspeople who represent the Kingdom in conferences, events and exhibitions, and prohibits such representation before those controls are met.
1- دون إخلال بالأنظمة والقرارات ذات العلاقة، تحدد اللائحة ضوابط مشاركة الحرفيين الذين يمثلون المملكة في المؤتمرات والملتقيات والفعاليات والمعارض الداخلية والخار
- Article 7
The article requires craftspeople and those who trade in handmade craft products to comply with the quality standards for craft and handicraft products that the Ministry adopts.
على الحرفي، أو من يقوم بالاتجار بالمنتجات الحرفية اليدوية، الالتزام بمعايير جودة منتجات الحرف والصناعات اليدوية التي تعتمدها الوزارة.
- Article 8
The article prohibits importing the handmade craft products that the Regulations specify, or making models of them.
يحظر استيراد المنتجات الحرفية اليدوية التي تحددها اللائحة أو صناعة نماذج لها.
- Article 13
The article provides for one or more committees formed by decision of the Minister of Culture to consider violations of the Law and impose penalties, with a three-year term and a right to file a grievance against their decisions before the Administrative Court.
1- تُكوّن بقرار من الوزير لجنة (أو أكثر) من ثلاثة أعضاء، يكون من بينهم مستشارٌ نظامي، ومختصٌّ بالحرف والصناعات اليدوية؛ للنظر في المخالفات المنصوص عليها في النظ
More articles on Craft Violations and Penalties
- Article 12
The article assigns supervision, inspection and detection of violations of the Law to employees the Minister of Culture names by decision, who have law-enforcement capacity, and allows the Ministry to use public and private bodies for this.
1- يتولى أعمال الرقابة والتفتيش وضبط المخالفات المنصوص عليها في النظام موظفون يصدر بتسميتهم قرار من الوزير، وتكون لهم صفة الضبط. 2- للوزارة الاستعانة بأي جهة من
- Article 13
The article provides for one or more committees formed by decision of the Minister of Culture to consider violations of the Law and impose penalties, with a three-year term and a right to file a grievance against their decisions before the Administrative Court.
1- تُكوّن بقرار من الوزير لجنة (أو أكثر) من ثلاثة أعضاء، يكون من بينهم مستشارٌ نظامي، ومختصٌّ بالحرف والصناعات اليدوية؛ للنظر في المخالفات المنصوص عليها في النظ
- Article 15
The article allows the maximum fine in Article 14 to be doubled on repetition, and defines repetition as committing the same violation within three years of a final decision establishing it.
تجوز مضاعفة الحد الأعلى للغرامة المنصوص عليها في الفقرة (2) من المادة (الرابعة عشرة) من النظام، في حالة تكرار ارتكاب المخالف أيًّا من المخالفات المعاقب عليها بم
- Article 16
The article refers to the Regulations the procedures for re-entry in the National Register of Craftspeople after removal, and for obtaining the craft license again after cancellation.
تحدد اللائحة إجراءات إعادة القيد في السجل الوطني للحرفيين بعد شطبه، وإجراءات إعادة الحصول على الترخيص الحرفي بعد إلغائه.
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.