Article 73 of the Saudi Law of the Judiciary
المادة 73 من نظام القضاء
The article provides that notary offices are established, and their jurisdictions and composition determined, by decision of the Minister of Justice, and that the head of each notary office supervises its notaries.
Official text after amendments (Arabic)
Compiled from the original text and every officially published amendment; the amendments are shown in full below for comparison.
يكون إنشاء كتابات العدل، وتحديد دوائر اختصاصها وتكوينها بقرار يصدره وزير العدل . ويشرف رئيس كل كتابة عدل على كتاب العدل التابعين لها.
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 73 explained in plain English
This article regulates the establishment of notary offices and supervision within them, and contains two provisions:
- Power of the Minister of Justice: Each of the following is done by a decision issued by the Minister of Justice:
- Establishing notary offices.
- Determining their jurisdictions.
- Determining their composition.
- Internal supervision: The head of each notary office supervises the notaries belonging to it.
Why does it matter to the reader? Because the jurisdiction of each notary office is determined by a decision of the Minister, the article itself does not set out these jurisdictions, and the Minister's decisions must be consulted to find them.
Relation to neighboring articles:
- Article (74) provides that notary offices are competent to notarize contracts and record acknowledgments, apart from endowments and wills, and that some of these functions may be entrusted to others under a regulation issued by decision of the Minister of Justice with the approval of the Supreme Judicial Council.
- It is preceded by Article (72), on the appointment of the Deputy Minister of Justice at the Excellent grade.
The article is essentially organizational, stating who makes the decision and who supervises, and it does not address the notarization procedures themselves. Anyone with a question about notarizing a contract or acknowledgment may consult a practicing lawyer in notarization and contracts.
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 73 of the Saudi Law of the Judiciary
Who has the power to establish a new notary office?
Notary offices are established, and their jurisdictions and composition determined, by a decision issued by the Minister of Justice.
Who supervises notaries?
The head of each notary office supervises the notaries belonging to it.
Amendment history
Royal Decree No. M/81 — 13/7/1440 AH
Official amendment text (Arabic)
•المادة الثانية والسبعين
-عُدلت هذه المادة بموجب المرسوم الملكي رقم (م81) وتاريخ 13 7 1440هـ، لتكون بالنص الآتي يُسمى نائب وزير العدل بأمر ملكي بناءً على اقتراح من وزير العدل من بين رجال القضاء العاملين، بشرط ألا تقل درجته عن درجة رئيس محكمة (ب)، على أن يستمر في السلك القضائي أثناء ذلك.
Original text before the amendments (Arabic)
يكون إنشاء كتابات العدل، وتحديد دوائر اختصاصها وتكوينها بقرار يصدره وزير العدل . ويشرف رئيس كل كتابة عدل على كتاب العدل التابعين لها.
More articles on Notaries Public
- Article 74
The article makes notary offices competent to notarize contracts and record acknowledgments, except endowments and wills, and allows some of these functions to be entrusted to others under a regulation issued by the Minister of Justice.
تختص كتابات العدل بتوثيق العقود وضبط الإقرارات فيما عدا الأوقاف والوصايا ، ويجوز أن يعهد ببعض هذه الاختصاصات إلى الغير، وذلك وفق لائحة تصدر بقرار من وزير العدل
- Article 75
The article assigns the notary function to the town's court where the town has no notary office, with the powers and authority of a notary office within the court's territorial jurisdiction.
تسند مهمة كتابة العدل - في البلد الذي ليس فيه كتابة عدل - إلى محكمة البلد. ويكون لها اختصاصات كتابة العدل وصلاحيتها في حدود اختصاص المحكمة المكاني.
- Article 76
The article requires anyone appointed as a notary to meet the conditions in paragraphs (a), (b), (c), (d) and (f) of Article 31, which sets the conditions for taking up judicial office.
يشترط فيمن يعين على وظيفة كاتب عدل أن تتوافر فيه الشروط المنصوص عليها في الفقرات (أ)، و(ب) و(ج)، و(د)، و(و) من المادة الحادية والثلاثين من هذا النظام.
- Article 77
The article keeps in force the regulation issued by agreement between the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Civil Service on the qualifications for notary post grades, and lets them amend it in accordance with the Law.
يستمر العمل باللائحة الصادرة بالاتفاق بين وزير العدل ووزير الخدمة المدنية ، المتعلقة بتحديد مؤهلات شغل فئات وظائف كتاب العدل، ويجوز لهما تعديل ما يلزم منها وفقً
- Article 78
The article subjects notaries to all the provisions that apply to civil service employees, without prejudice to what the Law of the Judiciary provides.
مع عدم الإخلال بالأحكام المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام، يخضع كتاب العدل لجميع الأحكام التي يخضع لها موظفو الخدمة المدنية.
- Article 79
The article subjects notaries to judicial inspection in accordance with the provisions of the Law of the Judiciary.
يخضع كتاب العدل للتفتيش القضائي، وفقا لأحكام هذا النظام.
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.