Article 36 of the Saudi Water Law
المادة 36 من نظام المياه · الفصل السابع: التصرف بحقوق استخدام المياه
The article prohibits importing or exporting unbottled water except by a decision of the Council of Ministers, and tasks the Ministry with identifying the water-consuming agricultural and animal products whose export is banned.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- لا يجوز استيراد المياه غير المعبأة، أو تصديرها إلا بقرار من مجلس الوزراء.
2- تحدد الوزارة -بالتنسيق مع الجهات ذات العلاقة- المنتجات الزراعية والحيوانية ومشتقاتها المستهلكة للمياه، التي يُحظر تصديرها إلى خارج المملكة.
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 36 explained in plain English
This article protects the Kingdom's water resources from depletion through foreign trade, with two provisions:
First: unbottled water (paragraph 1). Unbottled water may not be imported or exported except by a decision of the Council of Ministers. The default is prohibition, and the only exception is what a decision of the Council of Ministers allows. The provision is limited to unbottled water; bottled water is not covered by the text of this paragraph.
Second: water-consuming products (paragraph 2). The Ministry, in coordination with the relevant bodies, determines the water-consuming agricultural and animal products and their derivatives whose export outside the Kingdom is banned. The article gives no list of these products but leaves their determination to the Ministry, so the ban covers only what the Ministry determines.
The idea is that exporting a product whose production needs large quantities of water amounts in practice to exporting the water itself. Farmers and exporters should therefore check what the Ministry has determined before contracting to export. Anyone with an export business who wants to know his position can consult a lawyer who specializes in water regulations and administrative cases.
Practical example
A company in Hail owns a farm and wants to export one of its agricultural products. Before contracting with a buyer abroad, it must check whether this product is one of the water-consuming products that the Ministry, in coordination with the relevant bodies, has determined and banned from export.
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 36 of the Saudi Water Law
May water be exported from Saudi Arabia?
Unbottled water may not be exported or imported except by a decision of the Council of Ministers, under paragraph (1) of Article 36.
Which agricultural products are banned from export because of water use?
The article gives no list. It tasks the Ministry, in coordination with the relevant bodies, with determining the water-consuming agricultural and animal products and their derivatives whose export is banned.
Does the ban cover bottled water?
The text of paragraph (1) concerns unbottled water only.
More articles on Transfer and Export of Water Use Rights
- Article 11
The article provides that licenses to use well water sources do not pass with the transfer of ownership of the land containing the source except with the Ministry's approval.
لا تنتقل تراخيص استخدام مصادر مياه الآبار تبعًا لنقل ملكية الأرض المشتملة على المصدر إلا بعد موافقة الوزارة.
- Article 34
The article requires the Ministry, before transferring a source use license from one user to another, to verify there is no higher-priority or more viable request and that the new use fits the strategy and safe yield, and to coordinate with the Authority where needed.
1- على الوزارة -قبل نقل رخصة استخدام المصدر من مستخدم إلى آخر- التحقق من عدم وجود طلب آخر أكثر أولوية أو أكثر جدوى من الاستخدام المطلوب النقل إليه، وأن يكون الا
- Article 35
The article authorizes the Ministry or the Authority, each within its jurisdiction, to impose a financial charge on licenses and on applications to transfer water use rights.
تفرض الوزارة أو الهيئة -بحسب الاختصاص- مقابلاً ماليًا على الرخص وطلبات نقل حقوق الاستخدام.
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.