Article 50 of the Saudi Notarization Law

المادة 50 من نظام التوثيق · الفصل الثاني: العقوبات

The article sets the penalties for the licensee, a licensed notary or marriage officiant: a warning, a fine not exceeding SAR 500,000, suspension of the license for no more than 3 years, and cancellation of the license, without prejudice to any more severe penalty.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

مع عدم الإخلال بأي عقوبة أشد منصوص عليها في نظام آخر، يعاقب المرخص له بعقوبة أو أكثر من العقوبات الآتية:

1- الإنذار.

2- غرامة لا تزيد على خمسمائة ألف ريال.

3- إيقاف الرخصة مدة لا تتجاوز ثلاث سنوات.

4- إلغاء الرخصة.

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 50 explained in plain English

This article sets out the penalties imposed on the licensee, meaning the licensed notary who carries out notarization under a license, or the marriage officiant who notarizes marriage contracts under a license.

The penalties: he is punished with one or more of the following:

A warning.
A fine not exceeding SAR 500,000.
Suspension of the license for no more than 3 years.
Cancellation of the license.

More than one penalty may therefore be combined, such as a fine together with suspension. The article does not say which violation corresponds to each penalty.

More severe penalties in other laws: the article begins with the phrase "without prejudice to any more severe penalty provided for in another law", meaning these penalties do not prevent applying a more severe penalty if another law provides for one.

After the penalty: under Article 51, the final decision imposing the penalty is noted in the table, which is the register of licensees. A person whose license has been cancelled may, after 5 years from the date of the decision, apply to have his name re-entered in the table and to be licensed.

The difference from the notary: Article 49 sets the penalties for the notary, which are job-related: a reprimand, a salary deduction, deprivation of an increment, and dismissal.

Anyone facing a penalty as a licensed notary or marriage officiant may consult a lawyer who specializes in administrative matters.

Practical example

After an investigation, a violation was established against a licensed notary in Makkah, and he was punished with a fine and suspension of his license for one year. Combining the two penalties is permitted because the article allows punishment with one or more penalties, provided the fine does not exceed SAR 500,000 and the suspension does not exceed 3 years.

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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