Promissory notes, cheques and the Nafith platform in Saudi Arabia

Can you enforce a Saudi promissory note or cheque from outside Saudi Arabia?

Usually, yes. A Saudi lawyer can file and follow the enforcement request at the Enforcement Court under a power of attorney you sign in your own country. You do not need to travel for this. If any step needs someone in person, we tell you early.

Enforcement requests are made on Najiz, the Ministry of Justice’s online platform for cases and powers of attorney. To sign in, Najiz uses Nafath, the Saudi government’s login app. Nafath needs a Saudi digital identity, which is linked to an ID issued in Saudi Arabia. Nafith, the promissory-note platform, uses Nafath to confirm identity too. So a creditor abroad usually acts through a lawyer, who files and follows the matter.

A 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 an apostille or legalisation before Saudi bodies accept it. See power of attorney for Saudi Arabia, signed abroad and apostille or legalisation? Documents for Saudi Arabia by country.

Paper notes and cheques are originals. Keep them safe where they are. We tell you how to send them, and when, after we agree to act.

What is a promissory note in Saudi Arabia?

A promissory note is a signed, written promise to pay a set amount of money. The person who signs it (the debtor) promises to pay the person named in it (the creditor), on a date or when asked.

Suppliers and lenders use promissory notes when they give a customer time to pay. A note is a kind of commercial paper, the same family of documents as a cheque. Nafith’s own guidance describes a promissory note as an enforcement document. That means the Enforcement Court can act on it without a new judgment.

Under the new Enforcement Law, whether a note can be enforced directly depends on how it is held: on Nafith or on paper. The next two sections explain the difference. Our guide to enforcement instruments explains which other documents let you skip a full lawsuit.

What is Nafith, and why does it matter for promissory notes?

Nafith is the national electronic platform for promissory notes in Saudi Arabia. Under the new Enforcement Law, which applies from 28 October 2026, promissory notes need to be on Nafith to be enforced directly. The official Arabic text sets out the exact rule.

On Nafith, the creditor asks for a note and the debtor approves it on the platform. The note is then stored electronically, with its own number. Nafith says an approved note needs no signature or stamp, because it is an electronic document.

According to Nafith, the platform is linked to the Ministry of Justice’s enforcement system on Najiz. If a note on Nafith is not paid, a request to enforce it can be made on Najiz, using the note’s number.

Nafith and Nafath sound alike, but they are different things. Nafith holds promissory notes. Nafath is the login app that confirms who you are.

Some practical details of the new law depend on its implementing regulations, the detailed rules issued under a law. Their status is shown near the top of this page. For the other changes in the law, see the new Enforcement Law: what changes for creditors.

Are paper promissory notes still enforceable under the new Enforcement Law?

Older paper notes are covered by a limited transition period; the official text sets it out. We don’t publish its length here. Review your paper notes now, so there is time to act while it runs.

For each paper note, ask three questions. Has it been paid? Is it still due? Will the customer issue a new note on Nafith in its place? If an unpaid note is not replaced, talk to a lawyer early.

If a translation of a Saudi law differs from the official Arabic text, the Arabic text is the one that applies. So we check your paper notes against the Arabic text itself, not a summary.

Can a bounced cheque be enforced directly in Saudi Arabia?

Usually, yes. A bounced cheque is one the bank refused to pay. A cheque is an enforcement instrument, so the Enforcement Court can act on it without a new lawsuit.

A lawyer opens the enforcement request on Najiz and follows the file at each stage. Keep the original cheque safe. Once we agree to act, we tell you what the court needs from you. Cheques are not held on Nafith, which covers promissory notes only.

If you are the person who wrote a cheque and your travel is affected, see how travel bans end in Saudi Arabia.

How do you check a promissory note in Saudi Arabia?

You can check a note on Nafith itself, or ask your lawyer to check it for you. Nafith says the authenticity of an approved electronic note can be checked on the platform. Nafith uses Nafath to confirm who you are, so from abroad a lawyer usually does the check.

A paper note is checked differently. We look at the original itself, and at what the official text says about older paper notes.

For any note, check that the debtor’s name matches your records. For a company, that means its name and its commercial registration (CR) number. A CR is a business’s entry in the official commercial register.

How to review your promissory notes and cheques

A review of your promissory notes and cheques usually takes 7 steps. You list what you hold, mark which notes are on Nafith and which are on paper, and check paper notes against the transition period. Then you ask customers for new notes on Nafith where needed, update your credit terms, keep originals safe and act early on unpaid items. You can do the first 2 steps yourself.

1. List every note and cheque you hold. Write down the debtor, the amount, the due date and whether it has been paid. Keep the list in one place.
2. Mark which notes are on Nafith and which are on paper. A note on Nafith has its own number on the platform. A paper note is the signed original you hold.
3. Check paper notes against the transition period in the official text. The new law gives older paper notes a limited transition period. Where a lawyer helps: reading the official Arabic text against your list.
4. Ask customers to issue new notes on Nafith where needed. For a paper note that is still due, the customer can approve a new note on Nafith. Where a lawyer helps: deciding what to ask for, and what to do if a customer refuses.
5. Update your credit terms and templates. Make sure new sales on credit ask for a note on Nafith, not a paper note.
6. Keep originals safe. Store paper notes and cheques securely, and keep a copy of each page. Don’t send originals until we agree how.
7. Act early on unpaid notes and cheques. Older debts are harder to prove, and time limits may apply. Where a lawyer helps: opening an enforcement request on Najiz and following it at the Enforcement Court.

What to prepare

A short outline is enough for a first message. Keep the details below ready, but don’t send copies yet.

• A list of the notes and cheques you hold: how many, and the total for each customer.
• For each note, whether it is on Nafith or on paper.
• The names of the people or companies who issued them, and their CR numbers if you have them.
• The due dates, and whether each one has been paid in full, in part or not at all.
• For a cheque, whether the bank refused to pay it, and when.
• The contract or credit terms behind the notes.
• Any messages in which the customer accepts the debt or promises to pay.

Keep originals; don’t send them yet. We tell you which ones to send after we agree to act.

Frequently asked questions

Related

• Recovering money owed in Saudi Arabia
• Saudi Arabia’s new Enforcement Law: what changes for creditors
• Recovering an unpaid invoice from a Saudi company
• What is a promissory note?