Promissory Note Enforcement in Saudi Arabia via Najiz

The note fell due two months ago, and every time you call, the maker gives you a new date. The note is for SAR 60,000, and you received two small payments from him.

The short answer: you do not need to file a lawsuit for the amount and wait for a judgment. The promissory note itself opens the door of the Enforcement Court directly, provided you come with a valid paper and the correct figure.

Enforcement today is governed by the Enforcement Law of 1433H. The new Enforcement Law published on 14/11/1447H (1 May 2026) comes into force 180 days after publication, in late October 2026. It requires promissory notes to be registered electronically, with a one-year grace period for earlier paper notes.

Does a promissory note need a lawsuit before enforcement?

As a rule, no. Article 9 of the Enforcement Law treats commercial papers, including promissory notes, as executive instruments (documents enforceable directly at the Enforcement Court), provided the right is for a fixed amount that is already due. The enforcement judge checks that the instrument meets its legal conditions and stamps it with the enforcement seal, "instrument for enforcement" (Article 34).

A promissory note is different from a cheque. In a note, the maker personally promises to pay. A cheque is an order to the bank to pay (Articles 87 and 91 of the Commercial Papers Law). Both are executive instruments today, but the new law links only the promissory note to electronic registration, and leaves cheques without that condition.

What details must be in the note?

Article 87 of the Commercial Papers Law sets out the details of a promissory note:

• The words "promissory note" or the order clause, written in the body of the note and in the language in which it is written.
• An unconditional promise to pay a fixed sum of money.
• The due date and the place of payment.
• The name of the person to be paid, or to whose order payment is made.
• The date and place of issue, and the maker's signature.

Article 88 cures some gaps so the note keeps its status. With no due date, it is payable on sight, and paragraph 9/6 of the Enforcement Law regulations treats it as due immediately. With no place of payment, the place of issue is the place of payment. With no place of issue, it is treated as issued at the place shown next to the maker's name. Any other missing detail, such as the amount or the signature, removes its status as a promissory note.

Losing that status does not cancel the debt. Paragraph 9/4 of the regulations then allows the paper to be treated as an ordinary document, and the debtor is called to acknowledge it. If he does not, the route is a lawsuit before the competent court. So do not sign a note with blank boxes, especially the amount, due date or beneficiary name. A person who signs for a company or for someone else without authority, or beyond their authority, is personally bound by the note (Articles 10 and 89).

How do you calculate the correct balance before you start?

Every payment you received for this note must be deducted, even if the original figure is still written on the paper. Claiming money you already received does not help you. It opens a dispute that delays the whole file, and the defence of payment is decided by the enforcement judge (paragraph 3/3 of the regulations).

A note for SAR 60,000. The creditor received SAR 12,000 and then SAR 8,000 by transfers that mention the note number.

The correct balance for the request is SAR 40,000.

Entering SAR 60,000 gives the debtor a ready-made dispute backed by two receipts, and delays steps that could have started within days.

Keep the original note in a safe place, even if you submit a copy with the request. Article 48 of the Enforcement Law requires the original to be annotated with what was actually enforced. If it is enforced in full, the original is handed to the debtor (paragraph 48/2).

How do you file an enforcement request on Najiz?

Today the enforcement request is electronic, through Najiz (the Ministry of Justice e-services portal). The enforcement services guide published on the Ministry of Justice website describes the path: choose "financial enforcement", then the type of instrument, then the applicant's capacity, then the details of the applicant, the debtor and the request, and attach the required documents in colour PDF. Field names may change when the platform is updated.

Paragraph 34/2 of the regulations requires details including your name, ID number and address, the debtor's details, the amount, and the bank account number where collected money should be deposited. If the request is incomplete, you have thirty days to complete it, or it is archived (paragraph 34/4). For the court with territorial jurisdiction, you may choose the court of the area where the document was created, the debtor's place of residence, or the location of his real estate or assets (Article 4 and paragraph 4/1 of the regulations). If the note sets a place of payment, the enforcement circuit in that place has jurisdiction unless the parties agree otherwise (paragraph 4/5).

What happens after the request is accepted?

The enforcement judge issues the enforcement order and the debtor is notified. If he cannot be notified within twenty days of the order, notice is published in the most widely read daily newspaper in the court's area (Article 34).

If five days pass after notice or publication and the debtor does not pay or disclose enough assets, Article 46 treats him as a defaulter (mumatil). The judge immediately orders a travel ban, a stop on issuing powers of attorney by him for financial matters, disclosure and seizure of his current and future assets, disclosure of his licences and commercial registrations, and notice to the credit information company (SIMAH). Depending on the case, the judge may add further measures, including barring government bodies and financial institutions from dealing with him, and imprisonment under the law.

These measures do not mean the money will arrive within five days. Collection depends on whether there are assets to enforce against. No note, however valid, can guarantee that.

What if you received an enforcement order and you disagree?

If you paid all or part of the amount, or the signature is not yours, or the note is not yet due, the route is an enforcement dispute before the enforcement judge with your evidence. Article 3 of the Enforcement Law gives the enforcement judge jurisdiction over enforcement disputes whatever their value, under the rules for urgent matters. A message to the creditor stops nothing.

Under the new law, Article 47 provides that a dispute does not stop enforcement unless the authority hearing it decides otherwise. So file your dispute early, and ask expressly for the proceedings to be stayed if your reason is strong.

What changes under the new Enforcement Law?

The key changes for promissory note enforcement are:

• A promissory note is an executive instrument only if it is registered on the national electronic platforms, and the regulations will set the registration conditions (Article 7). Cheques remain executive instruments without this condition.
• Promissory notes issued before the law takes effect and meeting their conditions remain executive instruments for one year after it takes effect, even if not registered (Clause Five of Royal Decree M/237).
• An enforcement request is not accepted for an instrument whose due date passed more than ten years ago (Article 11).
• If the request is incomplete, the applicant has ten working days to complete it, or it is treated as rejected (Article 13).
• After five working days from notice or announcement without payment: notice to credit information companies, and seizure of the debtor's assets and future income. The court may also impose a fine of up to SAR 5,000 per day, up to a cap set by the regulations. If the debtor provides a bank guarantee sufficient to pay, he gets ten more working days (Article 18).
• A travel ban is issued at the creditor's request, for up to three years, extendable by a new request, but not beyond six years in total (Article 19).
• For debts other than family maintenance (nafaqa), only one third of a salary can be seized (Article 26). Imprisonment to force the debtor appears in the chapter on direct enforcement of an obligation to do or not do something, not in enforcement against assets (Article 37).

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 requesting enforcement:

• Check the note's details now, especially the signature, amount, due date and beneficiary name.
• Deduct every payment you received, attach a balance statement and keep proof of the payments.
• Choose the competent court carefully, especially if the note names a place of payment, and complete any missing information within the deadline.
• If your note is on paper, file before the new law takes effect or within the one-year grace period after it, and use registered electronic notes for future deals.
• If the paper has lost its status as a promissory note, collect evidence of the debt and take the lawsuit route.

If you are the maker the enforcement is against:

• Link each payment to the note number in the transfer description. Ask for partial payment to be recorded on the note itself, and take back the original marked as settled when you pay in full (Articles 44 and 89 of the Commercial Papers Law).
• Do not ignore the enforcement order. The five days start from notice or publication.
• If you receive an enforcement order for an amount you paid or for a note not yet due, file a dispute before the enforcement judge with your receipts immediately.
• If you cannot pay in full, offer a settlement with a written payment schedule and ask for it to be recorded with the enforcement judge.
• Disclose your assets honestly. Hiding them is a crime under both the old and the new law.

If you hold a note that is now due and want to make sure it is ready for enforcement, or you received an enforcement request you think is wrong, send us a copy of the note and what has been paid on WhatsApp and we will review it with you before any step.