Debt Rescheduling in Saudi Arabia: Enforcement Grace on Najiz

You owe SAR 24,000 in an enforcement request, your account is seized, and you can pay SAR 4,000 a month. You sent the creditor a message with this offer and he replied "OK". Two months later, the seizure and the travel ban are still in place.

The short answer: "OK" in a chat is not a grace period in the enforcement file. A grace period is filed on Najiz (the Ministry of Justice e-services portal) by the creditor, or your instalment agreement is recorded by the enforcement judge so it becomes an executive instrument. Either way, the agreement must say which orders are lifted and what happens if you miss a payment.

The new Enforcement Law comes into force 180 days after its publication in the Official Gazette on 14/11/1447H (1 May 2026), around the end of October 2026, and replaces the Enforcement Law of 1433H (Article 65). This guide is based on the law in force today. A separate section explains what changes.

What is the grace period service on Najiz?

The Ministry of Justice offers an electronic service called "grace request - postponement of the executive instrument". It describes it as allowing the applicant (the creditor) or his agent to request a grace period or postponement of the instrument, in full or in part. The applicant sets the length of the grace period and its reason. If there are several applicants in the request, all of them must submit it. The page states that the issued orders selected for lifting in the request are lifted during the grace period.

This means two things. First, a grace period through this service goes through the creditor, so your offer to him is the starting point. Second, only the orders selected in the request are lifted. So if you reach an agreement, also agree which orders are lifted during the grace period.

Can the enforcement judge give the debtor more time or split the debt into instalments?

The Implementing Regulations refer to this in paragraph 6/5: if the enforcement judge gives the debtor time to pay, postpones enforcement or splits the amount into instalments, his decision can be challenged under the rules for urgent matters. So the door is not closed to the debtor, but it is a judicial decision based on the circumstances of the file, not an automatic right for anyone who asks.

If the parties agree on something different from the instrument, such as instalments or a reduction, the enforcement judge records their agreement, and the agreement itself becomes an executive instrument, noted on the original one (paragraph 9/8 of the regulations). This is the strongest form of rescheduling, because the creditor can enforce it directly if you breach it. If you agree to end the seizure and enforcement, the agreement must state who pays the enforcement costs (paragraph 22/5).

Which terms prevent a new dispute?

• The remaining balance after all earlier payments, as a figure.
• The amount of each instalment, its date and the payment method.
• Which orders are lifted during the grace period and which remain.
• What happens if an instalment is late: does the whole balance become due, and do the orders come back?
• Whether the agreement waives part of the debt, or is only a deferral.

A grace period alone does not reduce the debt. If the creditor accepted a reduction, it must be written expressly. Check the authority of the person signing for the creditor. A power of attorney to follow the request does not always include authority to waive part of the debt.

The balance is SAR 24,000, and the offer is six payments of SAR 4,000 each.

The agreement sets the date of each payment and states, for example, that the travel ban is lifted during the grace period while the account seizure stays until the third payment.

If the debtor pays the first instalment before the agreement is approved, it counts as payment, but it does not prove on its own that the creditor accepted the other five dates.

What if the creditor refuses?

The creditor does not have to accept any schedule. He may refuse because the period is too long or because of an earlier default. A larger first payment, a shorter period or a guarantee can help. The creditor may also ask the enforcement judge not to carry out some of the Article 46 measures without a full grace period, for example lifting the travel ban while keeping the seizure (paragraph 46/1 of the regulations).

If the problem is genuine inability to pay, not a temporary delay, a grace request is not the right route. The debtor may claim insolvency (i'sar), and the enforcement judge hears the claim after disclosure of assets, questioning and asset tracing are completed (Article 77).

What changes under the new Enforcement Law?

The new law has no specific provision on grace periods or instalments, but some provisions touch on this issue:

• Article 18: if the debtor provides a bank guarantee sufficient to pay, he gets ten more working days after the five days before forced enforcement starts.
• Article 43: an enforcement request ends if the applicant closes it based on an agreement with the debtor. This does not stop the creditor from resuming the request later if there is a reason.
• Article 32: the applicant bears the enforcement costs if he closes the request by agreement, unless they agree otherwise.
• Article 7: settlement agreements notarised under the Notarization Law are executive instruments.
• Article 29: the court may allow the debtor to sell his assets voluntarily in a way that serves the enforcement.

This is general information based on the official Arabic texts of Saudi laws, which prevail over any translation. It is not legal advice for your specific case.

Practical solutions for both sides

If you are the debtor:

• Calculate what you can really pay each month after your living costs, not what you wish you could pay.
• Make a written offer with the balance, instalments, dates and the orders you ask to be lifted.
• Ask for the agreement to be recorded by the enforcement judge, or for the creditor to file the grace request on Najiz.
• Pay each instalment in a way that links it to the request, and keep proof.
• If you are completely unable to pay, ask about an insolvency claim instead of a schedule you cannot keep.

If you are the creditor:

• Compare the offer with what you can actually collect through seizure. A secured schedule may be faster.
• Ask for a meaningful first payment or a guarantee before lifting orders.
• Make the agreement an executive instrument by having it recorded by the enforcement judge.
• State in writing what happens on late payment and which orders come back.
• Do not cancel all orders at once. Lifting the travel ban while keeping the seizure may be enough.

If you are about to agree a rescheduling and want to make sure its terms protect you, send the draft agreement and the request details on WhatsApp and we will review them with you before you sign.