Article 1 of the Saudi Voluntary Service Law

This is the definitions article, and their meanings apply wherever these terms appear in the Law unless the context of the text requires otherwise. Understanding them is necessary to know who the Law covers:

• Voluntary work: any effort or work provided by a natural person (an individual) or a legal person (such as a company or institution) of their own free will and choice, out of a desire to serve and develop society. The decisive element is free choice and the aim of serving society.
• The Law: the Voluntary Service Law.
• The Committee: the National Committee for Voluntary Service.
• The volunteer: anyone who provides voluntary work without requiring any material or moral reward. The test is that the volunteer does not require a reward for the work.
• The beneficiary body: any non-profit body that benefits from voluntary work, whether public or civil. A for-profit body is therefore not within this definition.
• The volunteer team: a group of individuals who carry out voluntary work under unified leadership, to achieve common and specific objectives, and on the basis of legal frameworks of described policies and procedures under the supervision of the beneficiary body.

These definitions serve the objectives of the Law set out in Article 2, including regulating the relationship between the parties to voluntary work and setting their rights and duties; rights and duties cannot be set without defining who the volunteer is and who the beneficiary body is.

Anyone who wants to be sure the Law applies to a particular voluntary activity can consult a general practice lawyer.