Article 53 of the Saudi Notarization Law

This article gives the Minister of Justice the power to assign some notarization work to the private sector.

Elements of the rule:

• The instrument: a decision of the Minister; under Article 1, the Minister is the Minister of Justice.
• Scope: "some" notarization work, not all of it.
• Nature: the rule is phrased as "may", so it is a power of the Minister rather than an obligation.

The article does not state which work may be assigned, or the method or conditions of assignment; that is left to the Minister's decision.

Under the Law's definitions, notarization is the set of procedures that ensure a right is established in a form that can be relied on as evidence in accordance with the provisions of the Law, and this article allows the private sector to take part in some of that work as the Minister decides.

Link to neighboring articles: Article 54 allows fees to be collected for notarization work carried out by the notary, set by the Council of Ministers on the Minister's proposal, and provides that the Regulations set a financial consideration of no less than SAR 100 and no more than SAR 5,000 for the licensee's work. Article 52 punishes anyone who practices the licensee's work without a license with imprisonment of no more than one year or a fine of no more than SAR 100,000, or both.

Anyone who wants to know what notarization work has actually been assigned, and on what terms, should refer to the Minister's decisions, and may consult a lawyer who specializes in notarization and contracts.