# Enforcing an arbitration award in Saudi Arabia

An arbitration award against a debtor with assets in Saudi Arabia can often be enforced there, but not automatically. A Saudi lawyer asks the court to enforce it, and the court reviews it first. For a foreign award, the New York Convention shapes that review. An award made in Saudi Arabia, such as an SCCA award, follows a Saudi route.

Published by RAED ALI ALJOHANI COMPANY FOR Lawyership and Legal Consultations · Last updated 2026-10-21. General information about Saudi law — not advice on your situation.

## At a glance

- **Who this is for:** Companies holding an arbitration award against a debtor with assets in Saudi Arabia, and their foreign lawyers.
- **Can it be handled from outside Saudi Arabia?:** Yes. You sign a power of attorney and have the award stamped where it was made. A Saudi lawyer then files it in Saudi Arabia. We tell you early if any step needs someone in person.
- **What usually decides the route:** Where the award was made, whether it is final, and what the arbitration agreement and the award documents show.
- **What you usually need first:** A short outline: where and when the award was made, under which rules, and who the debtor is. No copy yet.
- **First step with us:** Send that outline by WhatsApp, phone or email.


The new Enforcement Law applies from 28 October 2026. See [what the new Enforcement Law changes for creditors](https://saudilaw.co/debt-recovery/new-enforcement-law/).

## Can you enforce an arbitration award in Saudi Arabia without travelling there?

Usually, yes. You sign a power of attorney in your own country, and the award is stamped for use in Saudi Arabia. A licensed Saudi lawyer then files the request and follows it. If any step needs someone in person, we tell you early.

A [power of attorney](https://saudilaw.co/glossary/power-of-attorney/) is a signed document that lets someone, such as a lawyer, act for you. If you sign it abroad, it usually needs official stamps before Saudi courts accept it. For the details, see [power of attorney for Saudi Arabia, signed abroad](https://saudilaw.co/from-abroad/power-of-attorney/).

A foreign award usually needs the same kind of stamps: an [apostille](https://saudilaw.co/glossary/apostille/) or legalisation, depending on the country where it was made. To check which one applies, see [apostille or legalisation? Documents for Saudi Arabia by country](https://saudilaw.co/documents-from-abroad/).

[Najiz](https://saudilaw.co/glossary/najiz/) is the Ministry of Justice's online platform for cases, enforcement and powers of attorney. To sign in, Najiz uses Nafath, the Saudi government's login app, which needs a Saudi digital identity. This is why a creditor abroad usually acts through a lawyer.

## Does Saudi Arabia enforce foreign arbitration awards?

Yes, through a court review. Saudi Arabia joined the New York Convention in 1994, according to the status table kept by UNCITRAL, the United Nations body for international trade law. The [New York Convention](https://saudilaw.co/glossary/) is the treaty under which member countries recognise and enforce arbitration awards made in other member countries. So a foreign award is not treated like a foreign court judgment. It has its own route. Even so, it is never enforced automatically. A Saudi lawyer files it with the court, the court reviews it, and only then can enforcement reach the debtor's assets in Saudi Arabia. We check the award against that review before you spend money on stamps and translations.

An arbitration award is a binding decision made by arbitrators, not by a court. If you hold a court judgment from abroad instead, see [enforcing a foreign judgment in Saudi Arabia](https://saudilaw.co/debt-recovery/foreign-judgments/).

## How is an award made in Saudi Arabia, such as an SCCA award, enforced?

Through the Saudi route for local awards. An award made in an arbitration seated in Saudi Arabia is not a foreign award. It usually first needs an order from the competent Saudi court allowing it to be enforced. The [Enforcement Court](https://saudilaw.co/glossary/enforcement-court/) can then act on it.

The [Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration](https://saudilaw.co/glossary/) (SCCA) runs commercial arbitration and mediation in Saudi Arabia. According to the SCCA, it offers standard, expedited and emergency arbitration under its own rules. Arbitrations under other institutions' rules can also be seated in Saudi Arabia.

## What does the Saudi court usually check before enforcing an award?

The court reviews the award before it allows enforcement. The official text sets out every ground on which it may refuse, and we check your award against them. In practice, we look first at these points:

- **The award is final and binding.** It can no longer be challenged in the usual way where it was made.
- **There was a valid arbitration agreement.** Both sides agreed in writing to arbitrate the dispute.
- **The debtor had a fair chance to take part.** It was properly notified of the arbitration and could present its case.
- **The papers are complete.** An authenticated copy of the award and of the arbitration agreement, with certified Arabic translations.

The court can also look at whether the award fits Saudi rules on public order. We tell you which points matter for your award before you prepare anything.

## What if the debtor has no assets in Saudi Arabia?

Then enforcing in Saudi Arabia may not help. Enforcement works on what the debtor owns there: bank accounts, property, shares or money owed to it. So we look at where the debtor's assets are before anything else.

If the debtor has assets in more than one country, you may enforce in several places. Your lawyer at home can deal with other countries while we handle Saudi Arabia. If you are still in the arbitration, it helps to think about enforcement before the award is made.

## How enforcing an arbitration award usually works, step by step

Enforcing an award in Saudi Arabia usually moves through six steps. The order can change, and some steps run side by side.

1. **Send us a short outline.** Tell us where and when the award was made, under which rules, against whom, and where the debtor's assets are, if you know. Don't send the award yet.
2. **Get our first view.** We tell you whether we can help and which route the award is likely to take. We also say what we need and how fees are agreed.
3. **Sign the engagement letter and the power of attorney.** Work starts only after an engagement letter, the written agreement between you and the firm, is signed.
4. **Have the award and the agreement authenticated and translated.** Get the apostille or legalisation where needed, then a certified Arabic translation. *Where a lawyer helps:* telling you which documents need stamps and translation before you pay for them.
5. **File the request with the court.** We file through Najiz and answer the court's questions during its review.
6. **Follow the enforcement file.** If the court allows enforcement, the file moves on to the debtor's assets, stage by stage. *Where a lawyer helps:* acting at each stage and reporting to you.

Contact: WhatsApp or phone +966 54 797 7285 · email office@raedlawyer.com · undefined

## What to prepare

A short outline is enough for a first message. Have these documents ready:

- The award, as the tribunal issued it, with any later correction or decision on a challenge.
- The arbitration agreement: the clause in the contract, or the separate agreement.
- Proof that the debtor was notified of the arbitration, if it took no part.
- The apostille or legalisation, once we tell you which documents need one.
- A certified Arabic translation, once we tell you which documents need one.
- The debtor's details in Saudi Arabia: the full name, and the [commercial registration](https://saudilaw.co/glossary/commercial-registration/) (CR) number if you have it.
- Any assets of the debtor that you know of, and any payments made since the award.

Keep them ready — don't send them yet. We tell you which ones to send after we agree to act.


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Saudi Arabia a party to the New York Convention?

Yes. According to UNCITRAL's status table, Saudi Arabia is a party to the New York Convention, the treaty on recognising and enforcing foreign arbitral awards. The table also shows the declarations each country made when it joined, and Saudi Arabia made one. Being a party does not mean every award is enforced, so we check yours against the Convention and Saudi rules first.

### Is an SCCA arbitration award enforced the same way as a foreign award?

Not exactly. An arbitration award is an enforcement instrument, so it can usually go to the Enforcement Court without a new lawsuit. A foreign award first needs an authenticated copy and a certified Arabic translation. An award made in Saudi Arabia, for example under the SCCA's rules, does not go through that step abroad. We check which route yours takes before any filing.

### Can you tell us in advance whether our award will be enforced?

No. No one can promise how the court will decide. We review the award, the arbitration agreement and the papers around them. Then we tell you plainly what the court usually looks at and where we see risks, so you can decide whether to go ahead.

### We are a foreign law firm. Can we instruct you to enforce our client’s award?

Yes. You stay your client's counsel in the arbitration, and we act in Saudi Arabia under a power of attorney from your client. We agree with you who reports to the client and how documents move between us. See [working with foreign law firms, insurers and advisers](/for-advisers/).

### Does an arbitration award need an Arabic translation in Saudi Arabia?

Usually, yes. Court work in Saudi Arabia is done in Arabic, so a foreign award usually needs a certified Arabic translation and an authenticated copy before it can be enforced. Depending on your country, authentication means an apostille or legalisation; the HCCH status table shows which countries use the apostille. Ask us where to have both done before you pay.

### How much does it cost, and how long does it take, to enforce an arbitration award in Saudi Arabia?

There is no standard figure or timeline, and we don't publish one. Court and government fees are set by the authority concerned, not by the lawyer, and the official page has the current details. Other costs, such as certified translation and apostilles, often sit outside the lawyer's fee. Our own fees are agreed in writing before any work starts. See [how legal fees work in Saudi Arabia](/find-a-lawyer-in-saudi-arabia/how-legal-fees-work/).

## Official sources

- UNCITRAL (United Nations): [Status: Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (New York, 1958)](https://uncitral.un.org/en/texts/arbitration/conventions/foreign_arbitral_awards/status2) (checked 2026-10-21)
- Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA): [Arbitration](https://sadr.org/en/services/arbitration-services) (checked 2026-10-21)
- Ministry of Justice: [Ministry of Justice (MOJ)](https://www.moj.gov.sa/) (checked 2026-10-21)
- Ministry of Justice: [Najiz (Ministry of Justice e-services)](https://najiz.sa/applications/landing) (checked 2026-10-21)
- HCCH: [Apostille Convention status table](https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41) (checked 2026-10-21)

General information about Saudi law, not legal advice on your situation. For your own case, speak to a licensed lawyer. Contacting us does not create a lawyer–client relationship until an engagement letter is signed.

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Saudi Law is operated by RAED ALI ALJOHANI COMPANY FOR Lawyership and Legal Consultations, licensed in Saudi Arabia. https://saudilaw.co/debt-recovery/arbitration-awards/