Article 23 of the Saudi Judicial Costs Law
المادة 23 من نظام التكاليف القضائية
The Judicial Costs Law takes effect 180 days after its publication in the Official Gazette.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يعمل بالنظام بعد (مائة وثمانين) يوماً من تاريخ نشره في الجريدة الرسمية.
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 23 explained in plain English
This Article sets the date the Judicial Costs Law takes effect: it is put into effect after 180 days from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
This means:
- The Law does not apply as soon as it is issued or published, but after a period of 180 days from publication has passed.
- This period allows the bodies concerned and litigants to prepare for applying it.
The Article itself does not state the publication date, nor explain how cases filed before the Law took effect are treated, so the rule for cases that were being heard before that date cannot be inferred from its text alone.
It is linked to Article 22, which requires the Ministry of Justice to prepare the Implementing Regulations within 60 days of the date the Law is issued, to be issued by a decision of the Council of Ministers. There are thus two different dates: the date of issuance, from which the period for preparing the Implementing Regulations is counted, and the date of publication in the Official Gazette, from which the period before the Law takes effect is counted. The meaning of "the Law" and "the Implementing Regulations" is found in Article 1.
If you have a case filed close to the effective date and want to know whether it is subject to the Law, you can consult a lawyer specialized in litigation and procedure.
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 23 of the Saudi Judicial Costs Law
When did the Judicial Costs Law take effect?
It takes effect 180 days after its publication in the Official Gazette.
Is the effective period counted from the date the Law was issued?
No. The Article counts it from the date of publication in the Official Gazette.
More articles on Scope of Judicial Costs
- Article 1
The Article defines the key terms of the Judicial Costs Law, such as judicial costs, the case, requests, the competent department and the Implementing Regulations.
يكون للألفاظ والعبارات الواردة في هذا النظام المعاني المبيَّنة أمامها، ما لم يقتض السياق معنى آخر: النظام: نظام التكاليف القضائية. اللائحة: اللائحة التنفيذية لل
- Article 2
The Article makes the Judicial Costs Law apply to all cases and requests before the courts, and excepts six categories of cases and requests.
تسري أحكام النظام على جميع الدعاوى والطلبات التي تقدم إلى المحاكم، فيما عدا ما يأتي: 1- الدعاوى الجزائية العامة، والدعاوى التأديبية، والطلبات المتعلقة بها. 2- ا
- Article 19
The collected judicial costs are deposited in the current account of the Ministry of Finance at the Saudi Central Bank.
تودع مبالغ التكاليف القضائية المحصلة في حساب جاري وزارة المالية لدى البنك المركزي السعودي.
- Article 20
The Minister of Justice determines by decision the competent department in the court for collecting judicial costs and refunding them where grounds for refund exist.
يحدد وزير العدل بقرار منه الإدارة المختصة -في المحكمة المرفوع إليها الدعوى، أو المقدم إليها الطلب- بتحصيل التكاليف القضائية، وردِّها إذا توافرت مسوغات الرد.
- Article 21
The Article permits the Minister of Justice to license the private sector to carry out supporting work for applying the Law, and refers licensing provisions, work procedures and supervision to the Implementing Regulations.
لوزير العدل الترخيص للقطاع الخاص بالقيام بالأعمال المساندة لتطبيق النظام. وتحدد اللائحة أحكام التراخيص له وقواعد إجراءات عمله والإشراف عليه.
- Article 22
The Ministry of Justice must prepare the Implementing Regulations within 60 days of the Law's issuance, to be issued by a decision of the Council of Ministers.
تعد وزارة العدل اللائحة خلال (ستين) يوماً من تاريخ صدور النظام، وتصدر بقرار من مجلس الوزراء.
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.