Article 26 of the Saudi Notarization Law
المادة 26 من نظام التوثيق · الفصل الأول: الواجبات والمحظورات
The article prohibits practicing notarization work except after obtaining the license in accordance with the provisions of the Notarization Law and its Implementing Regulations.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يحظر ممارسة أعمال التوثيق إلا بعد الحصول على الرخصة وفقاً لأحكام النظام واللائحة.
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 26 explained in plain English
This article sets the basic rule of prohibition in the Law: no one may practice notarization work except after obtaining the license, and obtaining it must be in accordance with the provisions of the Law and the Regulations.
Notarization, under Article 1, is the set of procedures that ensure a right is established in a way that may be relied upon in accordance with the Law. The license is the license of the licensed notary or marriage officiant.
What this means in practice:
- Anyone who wants to work as a licensed notary or marriage officiant must first obtain the license; meeting the conditions is not enough.
- The license must be issued in accordance with the Law and Regulations, not by any other route.
This article comes after Article 25, which sets the fee for issuing a licensed notary's license at SAR 2,000 and SAR 1,000 on renewal. The text of the article itself does not set a penalty for breaching this prohibition, so no specific sanction is inferred from it alone. Anyone who has dealt with a person practicing notarization without a license and wants to know their position would do well to consult a lawyer specializing in notarization work.
Practical example
A person in Riyadh offered to notarize a power of attorney for Turki in return for a sum of money, without holding a licensed notary license. This article prohibits him from practicing notarization work before obtaining the license in accordance with the Law and 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 26 of the Saudi Notarization Law
May notarization be practiced without a license?
No. Practicing notarization work is prohibited except after obtaining the license in accordance with the provisions of the Law and Regulations.
Is meeting the licensed notary's conditions enough to practice notarization?
No. The prohibition remains until the license itself is obtained in accordance with the Law and Regulations.
More articles on The Notarization License
- Article 20
The article provides that the license of a licensed notary or marriage officiant is issued by decision of the Minister of Justice on the recommendation of the competent department.
تصدر الرخصة بقرار من الوزير بناء على توصية من الإدارة المختصة.
- Article 21
The article creates a committee to decide notarization license applications within 30 days, requires a refusal decision to be reasoned, and allows a grievance before the competent court against refusal or failure to decide in time.
يشكل الوزير لجنة للبت في طلبات الحصول على الرخص، تؤلف برئاسة وكيل من الوزارة، وعضوية مستشار شرعي ومستشار نظامي من الوزارة لا تقل مرتبة كل منهما عن المرتبة (العا
- Article 22
The article sets the term of a notarization license at five years, renewable, and leaves the Regulations to set the procedures and controls for issuing, renewing and reissuing the license.
تكون مدة الرخصة خمس سنوات قابلة للتجديد، وتحدد اللائحة الإجراءات والضوابط الواجب اتخاذها عند إصدار الرخصة، أو تجديدها، أو إعادة إصدارها.
- Article 23
The article provides that notarization licenses are entered in the register with the competent department, and leaves the Regulations to state how the entry is made and the data it includes.
تقيد الرخص في الجدول لدى الإدارة المختصة، وتبين اللائحة كيفية القيد، وما يدرج فيه من بيانات.
- Article 24
The article allows licensed notaries and marriage officiants to advertise their profession in accordance with controls prepared by the competent department and issued by decision of the Minister of Justice.
للمرخص له الإعلان عن مهنته وفق ضوابط تعدها الإدارة المختصة، وتصدر بقرار من الوزير.
- Article 25
The article sets the fee for issuing a licensed notary's license at SAR 2,000 and for renewing it at SAR 1,000.
يستحصل على إصدار الرخصة للموثق رسم قدره ألفا ريال، وألف ريال عند التجديد.
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.