Article 4 of the Saudi Judicial Costs Law
المادة 4 من نظام التكاليف القضائية
If a case is struck out, treated as if not filed, or ruled inadmissible for not being properly drafted and is then heard again, additional costs of 25% are imposed, borne by the plaintiff.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
إذا قررت المحكمة شطب الدعوى، أو حكمت باعتبارها كأن لم تكن، أو بعدم قبولها لعدم تحريرها؛ فتفرض تكاليف قضائية إضافية في حال نظرها مجدداً بما يعادل نسبة (?25) من تكاليف نظر الدعوى في المرة الأولى، ويتحمل المدعي التكاليف الإضافية لنظرها ولو حكم لصالحه في موضوع الدعوى.
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 4 explained in plain English
This Article deals with the situation of a case that stalls because of the plaintiff and which the plaintiff then returns to have heard again. It sets three situations:
- The court decides to strike out the case.
- The court rules that it is treated as if it had not been filed.
- The court rules that it is inadmissible for not being properly drafted.
In any of these situations, if the case is heard again, additional judicial costs are imposed equal to 25% of the costs of hearing the case the first time. The original costs themselves are calculated under Article 3 (not exceeding 5% of the value of the claim, with a maximum of SAR 1 million).
The important point is that the plaintiff bears these additional costs even if judgment is given in their favor on the merits; winning the case does not shift this particular increase to the other party, according to the text of the Article.
The practical message for the plaintiff: taking care to draft the statement of claim clearly and following up on hearings avoids this additional cost. A lawyer specialized in litigation and procedure can be engaged to draft and follow up the case.
Practical example
Khaled filed a monetary claim whose costs were assessed at SAR 8,000, and then it was struck out. When he had it heard again, additional costs of 25% of the first-time costs were imposed on him, that is SAR 2,000. Even if Khaled wins the case in the end, this SAR 2,000 remains on him.
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 4 of the Saudi Judicial Costs Law
What is the fee for re-hearing a case after it was struck out?
Additional costs equal to 25% of the costs of hearing the case the first time are imposed.
Who pays the additional costs if the plaintiff wins the case?
The plaintiff bears the additional costs of hearing the case again even if judgment is given in their favor on its merits.
In what situations are the additional costs imposed?
When a case is struck out, ruled as if not filed, or ruled inadmissible for not being properly drafted, and is then heard again.
More articles on Fees for Filing a Claim
- Article 3
The Article imposes judicial costs on a case of no more than 5% of the value of the claim with a maximum of SAR 1 million, and refers the criteria for assessing them to the Implementing Regulations.
تفرض تكاليف قضائية على الدعوى بمبلغ لا يزيد على ما نسبته (?5) من قيمة المطالبة، وبحد أعلى مبلغ مليون ريال. وتحدد اللائحة معايير تقدير التكاليف القضائية والضوابط
- Article 5
The Article imposes costs on a person seeking annulment of an arbitral award of 1% of the amount awarded if their request is rejected, with a maximum of SAR 1 million.
تُفرض على دعوى بطلان حكم التحكيم تكاليف قضائية بما نسبته (?1) من قيمة المبلغ المحكوم به على مدعي البطلان، إذا حكم برفض طلبه، وبحد أعلى مليون ريال.
- Article 6
Independent judicial costs are imposed on the case of an intervening party seeking judgment for himself, and where there are several plaintiffs or defendants each bears the costs in proportion to his share of the claim.
دون إخلال بما ورد في المادتين (السابعة) و(الثامنة) من النظام: 1- تفرض تكاليف قضائية مستقلة على دعوى الخصم المتدخل طالباً الحكم لنفسه. 2- في حال تعدد المدعين أو
- Article 9
If an application changes the value of the case, up or down, the case's costs are calculated on the new value, without prejudice to the costs set for the application itself.
إذا ترتب على الطلب تغير في تقدير قيمة الدعوى سواء بالزيادة أو النقص، فتُحسب التكاليف القضائية للدعوى بناء على تقدير القيمة الجديدة لها، وذلك مع عدم الإخلال بالت
- Article 10
No new costs are imposed on the case if a ruling of lack of jurisdiction is made and the case is brought before the competent court, or if the judgment is cassated and the case returned.
لا تفرض تكاليف جديدة على الدعوى في أي من الحالتين الآتيتين: 1- إذا حكم بعدم الاختصاص وأقيمت الدعوى أمام المحكمة المختصة. 2- إذا قضت المحكمة المختصة بنقض الحكم و
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.