Court cases in Saudi Arabia while you live abroad

Can a Saudi court case go ahead without you travelling to Saudi Arabia?

Usually, yes. A licensed Saudi lawyer can file, follow and argue your case under a power of attorney signed in your own country. Saudi courts run most hearings electronically, so you do not usually need to be in the room.

Najiz is 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. So a client abroad usually works through a lawyer who holds their power of attorney. The lawyer checks the case file on Najiz, files documents and follows each step for you.

You sign the power of attorney in your own country, usually in front of a notary (an official who confirms signatures). Our page on power of attorney for Saudi Arabia, signed abroad explains the signing and the wording. The document then needs an apostille or legalisation for use in Saudi Arabia. See apostille or legalisation? Documents for Saudi Arabia by country.

Some cases have a step that needs you, or someone you appoint, in person. We’ll tell you early if your case has one.

How do Saudi courts hold hearings when you live abroad?

Saudi courts run most hearings electronically, for example by video. When you live abroad, your lawyer usually attends the hearing for you and then tells you what happened.

A hearing is a court session where the judge hears the parties or their lawyers. Between hearings, your lawyer can file documents and replies through Najiz. Hearing times are set in Saudi time, so a hearing may fall early or late in your own day.

Sometimes a court asks to hear from a party directly. If that happens in your case, we explain the options and plan the step with you.

Can you file a case in Saudi Arabia from abroad?

Usually, yes. A licensed Saudi lawyer files it for you on Najiz, under a power of attorney signed in your own country.

Which court hears the case depends on the dispute. For example:

• commercial courts hear disputes between businesses;
• labour courts hear employment disputes;
• the Board of Grievances hears disputes with government bodies.

Before anything is filed, we check which court deals with your dispute and what the claim needs.

If a Saudi company or person owes you money, start with recovering money owed in Saudi Arabia. If you already have a court judgment from another country, see enforcing a foreign court judgment in Saudi Arabia. If someone else filed a case against you after you left, see a case filed against you after you left Saudi Arabia.

What still needs you in person in a Saudi court case?

Some steps may. Some investigations and some signatures may need you, or someone you appoint, to be there in person. Your lawyer can usually handle the rest under your power of attorney.

We tell you early if your case has such a step. We explain whether someone you appoint can do it for you. Then we plan the step with you, including when it happens.

Before you plan to come back for work, a visit or Umrah (a Muslim pilgrimage), check whether anything is still open against you. See how to check for a travel ban or an open case in Saudi Arabia.

What language is a Saudi court case in?

Arabic. Court work in Saudi Arabia is done in Arabic, so documents in another language usually need a certified translation.

A certified translation is made by an approved translation office. Write your name exactly as it appears in your passport. A name in English letters can be spelt more than one way in Arabic. So ask the translator to use the same Arabic spelling on every document.

Ask us before you pay for a translation in your own country. We tell you what the court needs. We work with you in Arabic or English and explain each step in plain words.

If a translation of a Saudi law differs from the official Arabic text, the Arabic text is the one that applies.

How do you follow a Saudi case across time zones?

Through your lawyer. We keep you updated by WhatsApp, phone or email, and you decide the main steps together with us.

Saudi Arabia is three hours ahead of UTC (the world’s standard time) all year round. The clocks do not change in summer.

At the start, agree who in your family or company receives updates and who can give instructions. Our page on how we work with clients outside Saudi Arabia explains how updates and meetings work.

How a Saudi court case from abroad usually works, step by step

Most cases handled from abroad follow these steps. Some steps happen at the same time.

1. Send us a short outline. Tell us the court or case number if you have one, what the case is about, and any dates you know. No documents yet.

2. Agree the work and the fee in writing. Work starts only after you sign an engagement letter (the written agreement between you and the firm). See how legal fees work in Saudi Arabia.

3. Sign a power of attorney in your own country. You usually sign it in front of a notary. We draft the wording so that it covers your case.

4. Have it stamped, and translated if needed. This means an apostille or legalisation, and often a certified Arabic translation. Where a lawyer helps: checking what the court accepts before you pay for any stamps.

5. Let your lawyer check the case file on Najiz. Your lawyer then files the claim, or your reply if the case was brought against you.

6. Follow the hearings through your lawyer. Decide together on each main step, such as whether to accept an offer to settle.

7. Plan what comes after the judgment. A judgment is one of the documents that the Enforcement Court can enforce. Our guide to enforcement instruments explains what that means. A page on using Saudi judgments in your own country is coming soon.

What should you prepare for a Saudi court case from abroad?

A short outline is enough for a first message. Leave out ID numbers. Have these ready:

• The case number, or the Najiz notice or text message (SMS) that mentions it.
• The names of the parties: you, and the person or company on the other side.
• The court, if you know it.
• Key dates, such as when the case was filed and the next hearing.
• The documents you hold, listed by name.
• Your full name exactly as it appears in your passport.
• The country where you will sign the power of attorney.
• Who should receive updates about the case.

Keep them ready — don’t send them yet.

Frequently asked questions

Related

• Power of attorney for Saudi Arabia, signed abroad
• Apostille or legalisation? Documents for Saudi Arabia by country
• A case filed against you after you left Saudi Arabia
• Recovering money owed in Saudi Arabia