Law of Saudi Arabia

Module 7

Civil law, family and succession: the Civil Transactions Law, contract and civil liability, property and real rights, the Personal Status Law, and inheritance and wills

Private law is where most individuals and businesses meet the Saudi legal system: a contract signed or broken, a loss caused by someone’s act, a property held or mortgaged, a marriage made or ended and an estate to be shared. For a long time these matters were decided by judges applying classical Islamic jurisprudence with wide discretion. Since 2021 the Kingdom has codified much of it: the Personal Status Law (2022) and the Civil Transactions Law (2023) state the rules in written form, drawing on Sharia and, in places, on comparative law, so that a reader can now find the rules in a text and predict outcomes better. The codes do not replace Sharia: they express it, and where a code is silent, Sharia principles apply. A reader should therefore always ask two questions: what does the code say, and does a Sharia principle shape or limit it? Because these laws are new, the way courts apply them is still developing, so the current text and recent practice must be checked.

General education on the law of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, using invented people and businesses. It states laws and procedures in simplified form and is not legal advice. The law and its practice change, and every case turns on its facts, the current regulations and the authority concerned. It does not offer legal representation or a legal opinion on any case. Consult a lawyer licensed in the Kingdom for any real matter.

This course was written on 6 November 2026. To the best of our knowledge, it describes the law of Saudi Arabia as it stood on that date. Laws change, and we may have missed or misunderstood something. If you notice a change, or have other information, please do not hesitate to contact us: we will review it and update the course. We do not claim to be the final source of the law.