Article 14 of the Saudi Judicial Costs Law
المادة 14 من نظام التكاليف القضائية
If a case ends in judgment without the judicial costs being collected, the final assessment issued by the competent department is an enforceable instrument, collected as the Implementing Regulations provide.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
في حال انتهاء الدعوى بالحكم فيها دون تحصيل التكاليف القضائية، فيعد التقدير النهائي الصادر عن الإدارة المختصة سنداً تنفيذيًّا، ويُستوفى وفقاً لما تحدده اللائحة.
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
We saw in Article 13 that the party against whom judgment is given in principle bears the judicial costs. But a case may end in judgment before the costs have yet been collected. This Article comes to guarantee their collection.
- The condition: that the case ends in judgment without the judicial costs being collected.
- The effect: the final assessment issued by the competent department is treated as an enforceable instrument.
- The method of collection: as the Implementing Regulations specify.
That the assessment is an "enforceable instrument" means enforcement can be carried out on its basis to collect the amount, without needing to file a new case to prove the debt. The details of the collection procedures are not mentioned in the Article, which refers them to the Implementing Regulations.
The competent department under Article 1 is the department concerned with collecting and refunding judicial costs. It is followed by Article 15, which reduces costs to a quarter on settlement after the first hearing and before judgment.
If you receive an enforcement request for judicial costs and have comments on it, you can consult a lawyer specialized in enforcement cases.
Practical example
A judgment was issued against a business in Dammam in a monetary case, and the case ended without the judicial costs assessed against it being collected. The final assessment of the competent department becomes an enforceable instrument by which the amount is collected under the procedures of the Implementing Regulations.
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 Judicial Costs Law
What happens if judicial costs are not paid by the time of judgment?
The final assessment issued by the competent department is treated as an enforceable instrument, and is collected as the Implementing Regulations specify.
Does the department need a new case to collect judicial costs?
The Article makes the final assessment an enforceable instrument, and refers the method of collecting it to the Implementing Regulations.
More articles on Assessing Costs and Objecting to Them
- Article 11
The competent department sets the amount of costs and notifies it on filing; it may be objected to within 15 days before the court president or their delegate, whose decision is final.
تقوم الإدارة المختصة بتحديد مبلغ التكاليف القضائية للدعوى أو الطلب المقدم للمحكمة وفقاً لما يقضي به النظام واللائحة، وتبلغ به المدعي أو صاحب الطلب عند قيد الدعو
- Article 12
Non-payment of costs does not prevent filing and deciding a case or request, except cassation and reconsideration requests, whose applicant has 30 days to pay or loses the right.
1- فيما عدا طلب النقض وطلب التماس إعادة النظر، لا يحول عدم دفع التكاليف القضائية دون قيد المحكمة للدعوى أو قيد الطلب والبت فيهما، ويكون تحصيلها وفقاً للإجراءات
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.