Article 5 of the Saudi Real Estate Registration Law
المادة 5 من نظام التسجيل العيني للعقار · الفصل الثالث: السجل العقاري
The article bars amending the real estate register's data except under the Law and the Regulations, and obliges the competent authority to correct purely clerical and material errors on request or on its own initiative, notifying those concerned.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- لا تعدل بيانات السجل العقاري ولا يجرى أي تغيير عليه، إلا وفقاً لأحكام النظام واللائحة.
2- تصحح الجهة المختصة الأخطاء الكتابية والمادية البحتة بناءً على طلب من أي ذي مصلحة أو من تلقاء نفسها، مع إشعار ذوي الشأن بذلك بالوسيلة التي تحددها اللائحة.
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 5 explained in plain English
This article protects the stability of the real estate register, and contains two provisions:
1- No amendment except under the Law: The register's data may not be amended and no change may be made to it except in accordance with the provisions of the Law and the Regulations. The agreement or wish of a person is not enough to change the data; the change must be made by the route the Law lays down.
2- Correcting clerical and material errors: The competent authority corrects purely clerical and material errors, in one of two ways:
- At the request of any interested person.
- Or on its own initiative, without a request.
In both cases it must notify those concerned of the correction by the means set by the Regulations.
The word "purely" matters: the correction meant here concerns pure clerical and material errors, and does not extend to changing the substance of rights, for which the Law has other routes. This is consistent with Article 4, which gives the register absolute authority and allows it to be challenged only for a clerical error or forgery.
Anyone who discovers an error in the data of his property may submit a correction request to the competent authority. If the matter goes beyond a clerical or material error, he may need to consult a lawyer specialized in real estate matters.
Practical example
Sarah noticed that her father's name in her property's data in the real estate register was written with a wrong letter. This is a purely clerical error, so she may ask the competent authority, as an interested person, to correct it, and the authority must notify those concerned of the correction by the means set by the 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 5 of the Saudi Real Estate Registration Law
How do I correct a clerical error in the real estate register?
Any interested person may ask the competent authority to correct purely clerical and material errors, and the authority may also correct them on its own initiative.
Will the competent authority notify me if it corrects my property's data?
Yes. The article obliges the competent authority to notify those concerned of the correction by the means set by the Regulations.
Can the real estate register's data be changed by agreement of the parties alone?
No. The register's data may not be amended and no change may be made to it except in accordance with the provisions of the Law and the Regulations.
More articles on Evidentiary Force of the Real Estate Register and Access to It
- Article 4
The article gives the real estate register absolute authority as evidence before the courts and all bodies, allows it to be challenged only for a clerical error or forgery, and sets out its contents.
1- يكون للسجل العقاري الحجية المطلقة في الإثبات وفقاً لأحكام النظام، ويعمل بمضمونه أمام القضاء والجهات كافة بلا بينة إضافية، ولا يجوز الطعن فيه إلا إذا كان الطع
- Article 6Amended by M/123
The article makes the real estate register's data open to inspection by everyone, except the data of owners of real rights and data of properties that the relevant bodies determine to be confidential.
يكون الاطلاع على بيانات السجل العقاري متاحاً للكافة، ويستثنى من ذلك الآتي: 1- بيانات ملاك الحقوق العينية، وفقاً لما يحدده النظام واللائحة. 2- بيانات العقارات ال
- Article 9Amended by M/123
The article obliges the competent authority to prepare lists of properties registered in rem and publish them by the means the Regulations set, including each property's number, location, area and planning data.
تعد الجهة المختصة قوائم بالعقارات المسجلة عينياً بناءً على صكوك تسجيل الملكية الصادرة بموجب أحكام النظام، وتنشرها بالوسائل المناسبة التي تحددها اللائحة، على أن
- Article 11Amended by M/123
The article requires cases on first in rem registration to be annotated in the real estate register, provides that the registration acquires absolute authority within a period not exceeding one year, and limits the harmed person to compensation afterwards.
1- في حال قيد دعوى قضائية تتعلق بالتسجيل العيني الأول وفق ما قضت به المادة (العاشرة) من النظام، فيتم التأشير بها في السجل العقاري، وقوائم العقارات المسجلة عينيا
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.