Electronic Promissory Note Saudi Arabia: Nafith Checklist

You receive a message from Nafith asking you to approve a promissory note in favour of a car showroom where you bought a car on instalments. The amount is close to what you agreed. But the due date is two months before your first instalment, and the beneficiary is a company you have never heard of. Approving here is not just confirming you got a message. It is your signature on a financial obligation that can be submitted for enforcement.

The short answer: before you click "approve", check four things in the final version: the amount, the due date, the beneficiary's name, and whether the note covers the whole debt or only one instalment.

The Enforcement Law of 1433H is the law in force today. The new Enforcement Law, published on 14/11/1447H (1 May 2026) and in force 180 days after publication (around 28 October 2026), requires a promissory note to be registered on the national electronic platforms to be an executive instrument (a document enforceable directly at the Enforcement Court). Paper notes issued before it takes effect have a one-year grace period after that date (Clause Five of Royal Decree M/237).

What does the Nafith platform do?

According to the official service page, Nafith lets you create a promissory note and register it electronically with the elements required by the Commercial Papers Law. It links the parties electronically, stores the note and connects directly with the Enforcement Courts. In practice, the note does not get lost and does not reach the Enforcement Court with missing details.

But the platform documents the paper. It does not check the reason for the debt. Was the money really handed over? Were any payments made? Were the goods in good condition? The evidence of the deal itself answers these questions. So keep the contract and transfers even if the note is electronic.

Why does electronic registration matter more now?

Under the current Enforcement Law of 1433H, all commercial papers are executive instruments (Article 9). The new Enforcement Law published on 14/11/1447H, in force 180 days after publication, treats bills of exchange and promissory notes as executive instruments only when they are registered on the national electronic platforms. Its regulations will set the registration conditions (Article 7). Clause Five of Royal Decree M/237, which issued the new law, makes an exception for bills of exchange and promissory notes issued before the law takes effect and meeting their conditions: they remain executive instruments for one year after it takes effect, even if not registered. After that year, a creditor who wants direct enforcement will need a registered note, not a handwritten paper.

What details should you prepare before you start?

The platform shows the fields, but what you put in them is your responsibility. Article 87 of the Commercial Papers Law is the reference: the words "promissory note", an unconditional promise to pay a fixed amount, the due date, the place of payment, the beneficiary's name, the date and place of issue, and the maker's signature. Before you log in, decide:

• Who is the real creditor: an individual or a company? And who is the debtor who must pay?
• The correct amount, without mixing different deals into one figure.
• The due date as agreed, or that it is payable on sight.
• Is the debt in instalments? If yes, use a separate note for each instalment. Article 38 invalidates a paper with successive due dates, and it applies to promissory notes through Article 89.
• If either party is a business: who is authorised to sign for it? A person who signs for someone else without authority is personally bound (Article 10).

What should you check before you approve a note on Nafith?

If you are the debtor, your approval on the platform is your signature. Read the amount, due date, beneficiary name and place of payment in the final version, not in the short notification message. Ask: does this note cover the whole debt or one instalment? Was an earlier note already issued for the same deal?

If you notice a mistake, ask for it to be corrected before you approve, and keep the messages. Do not rely on a verbal promise that the written date "will not be used". Never give the verification code you receive to anyone, even the seller. Whoever approves with your code signs in your name.

If you receive an approval request for a deal you do not recognise, or from a party you never dealt with, do not approve just because the message came from an official platform. The platform is official, but the person who created the request may not be. Contact the supposed creditor using a number you already know, and ask where the request came from before you do anything.

An electronics store sells goods to a customer for SAR 24,000, payable in four monthly instalments.

Correct drafting: four notes, each for SAR 6,000 with its own due date.

The customer pays the first instalment by transfer and writes the first note's number in the transfer description. The store keeps the receipt and closes the first note.

If the store had used one note for SAR 24,000 with four dates, the whole paper would risk being invalid as a promissory note.

After issue: payment and enforcement

Creating a note on Nafith does not automatically open an enforcement request. If the due date passes without payment, the creditor files an enforcement request with the Enforcement Court. Today this is an electronic request through Najiz (the Ministry of Justice e-services portal). The request must show the real balance after deducting what was paid. If you hold several instalment notes from one deal, the Implementing Regulations of the Enforcement Law do not allow combining unrelated executive instruments in one request (paragraph 34/6). So keep the contract that links the instalment notes, to show the connection between them.

When paying, link each payment to the note number, record whether it was full or partial payment, and make sure the note's status on the platform reflects it. A bank transfer alone does not update the note's details automatically.

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 creditor:

• Create a separate note for each instalment with its own date.
• Check the authority of the person approving for a debtor company.
• Link the note to the contract by its number or date.
• Update the note's status as soon as you receive any payment, and do not claim what you have already received.

If you are the debtor:

• Do not approve before reading the full final version.
• Compare the amount and date with the contract line by line.
• Pay by a transfer that mentions the note number, and keep the receipt.
• Do not share the verification code with anyone, whatever your relationship.

If you have received a request to approve a note and want an opinion before you click "approve", send us its details and the contract on WhatsApp and we will review it with you.