Achieving Legal Certainty in Civil Dealings: An Overview of the Saudi Civil Transactions Regulation

Nisreen Mahasneh

 

Abstract: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has adopted its first general code governing civil matters, which was enacted as the Civil Transactions Regulation in June 2023 and will come into force on 22 December 2023. Previously, civil matters were governed by non-codified rules and principles of Shariah. The new Regulation not only seeks to achieve consistency in court decisions in civil transactions but also to create a legal environment that is conducive to attracting investment and meeting the needs of businesses and individuals. This note provides a high level review of the structure of the new Regulation and highlights some aspects that reveal how the Saudi legislature aligned with contemporary legal developments and business models, while maintaining the compatibility of the adopted solutions with Shariah principles.