How we work with clients outside Saudi Arabia
We work with clients outside Saudi Arabia by WhatsApp, phone and email, in Arabic or English, usually without you travelling. You send a short outline and agree a written proposal. You then sign an engagement letter and, if needed, a power of attorney in your own country. We tell you if any step needs someone in person.
Published by RAED ALI ALJOHANI COMPANY FOR Lawyership and Legal Consultations · Last updated
General information about Saudi law — not advice on your situation.
Tell us in a few lines who you are, what your matter is about and which country you are in now.
What happens after you send us a message?
We tell you whether we can help and what we need from you. If we can help, we send a written proposal. Work starts only after you sign an engagement letter. These are the usual steps for a client outside Saudi Arabia.
Send us a few lines. Use WhatsApp, phone or email. Say who you are, what has happened and where you are now. Don’t send documents yet.
Get our answer on whether we can help. We check that the matter is one we handle and that we are free to act. Then we tell you what we need from you.
Review our written proposal. It sets out the work we will do and the fee. You decide whether to go ahead.
Sign the engagement letter. This is the written contract between you and the firm. Work on your matter starts only after it is signed.
Sign a power of attorney, if your matter needs one. You sign it in your own country, and it lets us act for you in Saudi Arabia. See power of attorney for Saudi Arabia, signed abroad. Where a lawyer helps: we draft the text, and we check what the Saudi office receiving it accepts before you pay for any stamps.
Let us act for you in Saudi Arabia. We work on your matter within what the engagement letter and the power of attorney allow. If a step needs your decision, we tell you early.
Get updates until your matter is finished. We keep you updated by WhatsApp, phone or email, as agreed in the engagement letter.
When does the engagement with the firm start?
The engagement starts when you sign the engagement letter. This is the written contract between you and the firm. It sets out the work we will do, the fee and how we keep you updated.
Before it is signed, we can tell you whether we can help and what we would need. Advice on your own situation comes only after the letter is signed. The letter comes from RAED ALI ALJOHANI COMPANY FOR Lawyership and Legal Consultations, the licensed firm behind this website. Your matter is handled by a licensed Saudi lawyer.
Once we agree to act, we ask you for identification documents, such as a copy of your passport or your company’s papers. Anti-money-laundering rules require law firms to check who their clients are. We ask for these only after we have agreed to work together.
We are preparing a guide on engagement letters:
what the written contract usually sets out
What an engagement letter with a Saudi law firm coversComing soon
How are fees agreed with a Saudi law firm when you live abroad?
Fees are agreed in writing, before any work starts. Once we understand your matter, we send you a written proposal for the work and the fee. You decide whether to go ahead.
The fee depends on the matter. Depending on the work, it may be fixed, paid in stages or based on the time spent. Our guide on how legal fees work in Saudi Arabia explains the usual ways lawyers charge.
Some costs are set by others, such as government fees and the cost of certifying documents in your country. They change, so we don’t list them on this site.
You pay the fee directly to the firm. Nothing is ever paid on this website.
Can you work with a Saudi law firm without travelling to Saudi Arabia?
Usually, yes. You sign a power of attorney in your own country and have your documents certified there. Saudi courts run most hearings electronically. Some steps may need you, or someone you appoint, in person. We tell you when we agree on the work.
This is how most of the work is done from abroad:
- You give us the right to act for you. You sign a power of attorney in front of a notary in your country. A notary is an official who confirms your identity and your signature.
- Your documents are certified for use in Saudi Arabia. Depending on the receiving body, documents from abroad are legalised by apostille or through a Saudi mission (an embassy or consulate). The Saudi office that receives the document decides what it accepts, so we check this before you pay for any stamps.
- We act for you in Saudi Arabia. We file documents, follow your matter and attend hearings for you, within the powers you give us.
These pages explain each part in more detail:
how you sign it in your own country and get it stamped
Power of attorney for Saudi Arabia, signed abroadwhich route your country’s documents need
Apostille or legalisation? Documents for Saudi Arabia by countryhow a case can run while you stay in your country
Court cases in Saudi Arabia while you live abroadthe common situations, from start to finish
Handling a Saudi legal matter from outside the Kingdom
Do you need to give a Saudi lawyer a power of attorney?
Usually, yes, for court cases and steps with government offices. A power of attorney is a signed document that lets a lawyer act for you in Saudi Arabia. Its wording sets out exactly what the lawyer may do.
If you only need advice, you usually do not need one. Once we agree on the work, we draft the text for you to sign and explain each power in it.
Najiz is the Ministry of Justice’s online platform for cases and powers of attorney. It needs a Saudi digital identity, which is linked to an ID issued in Saudi Arabia. So clients abroad usually act through a Saudi lawyer, under a power of attorney certified for use in Saudi Arabia.
Which languages does the firm work in?
We work in Arabic and English. Court work in Saudi Arabia is done in Arabic. Documents in other languages usually need a certified translation into Arabic.
A certified translation is made by an approved translation office. Whether it is made in your country or in Saudi Arabia depends on the Saudi office that receives it. So ask us before you pay for one.
If a translation of a Saudi law differs from the official Arabic text, the Arabic text is the one that applies. Some pages of this website may later appear in other languages. That does not mean the firm can work with you in those languages.
We are preparing a guide on languages in Saudi cases:
how translation and interpreting work in a Saudi case
Arabic, English and your caseComing soon
Can you work with me in my own language?
We can work with you in Arabic or English. In your first message, tell us which of the two you prefer.
If neither is your first language, tell us that too. We will then explain plainly what we can and cannot do for you.
How do you keep in touch with the firm across time zones?
By WhatsApp, phone and email only. Saudi Arabia keeps Saudi time (UTC+3) all year, and the clocks do not change in summer. Our working hours are on the contact page.
The engagement letter sets out how and when we update you. If something needs your decision, we tell you early, so you can plan around the time difference.
WhatsApp is blocked in mainland China. In Russia it is restricted and often does not connect. If you are in either country, email or call us instead. Both reach the same firm.
How are documents shared safely with the firm?
At first, send only a few lines, with no documents or copies of your ID. Once we agree to act, we tell you which documents we need and how to send them.
Nothing you send passes through this website. Each contact button opens WhatsApp, your phone or your own email app. If we need a signed original, such as a power of attorney, we agree with you how it reaches us.
We keep your information confidential, as Saudi professional rules require of lawyers.
How does the firm work with partner firms and your own lawyers?
We act as your counsel and coordinate trusted licensed partners for the registration filings. You deal with the firm at every stage. For some government registrations, licensed partner offices submit the applications.
If you already have lawyers or advisers in your own country, we can work alongside them on the Saudi side of your matter. We advise on Saudi law, and they advise on the law of your country. See working with foreign law firms, insurers and advisers.
Frequently asked questions
Will you answer my legal question on WhatsApp?
Not in detail at first. We’ll tell you whether and how we can help. Detailed advice on your own matter comes after the engagement letter is signed. Until then, a few lines about what has happened are enough.
Do I have to travel to Saudi Arabia for court hearings?
Usually not. Saudi courts run most hearings electronically, and a licensed Saudi lawyer can follow the case for you under a power of attorney. Some steps may need you, or someone you appoint, in person. See court cases in Saudi Arabia while you live abroad.
Can I sign documents for Saudi Arabia from my own country?
Usually, yes. You sign them in front of a notary in your country. They then need an apostille or legalisation, and often a certified Arabic translation. See power of attorney for Saudi Arabia, signed abroad.
I already have a lawyer in Saudi Arabia. Can you take over?
Often, yes, once we have checked that we are free to act. We’ll explain what a handover involves before anything changes. To start, tell us in a few lines what the matter is and where it stands.
How do I pay a Saudi law firm from abroad?
You pay the firm directly, as agreed in writing. Nothing is ever paid on this website. If anyone asks you to pay in another way, check with us first, using the number or email on our contact page.
Official sources
This page draws on 3 official sources. Each line shows who publishes it, its language and, where recorded, the date we last checked it.
- Ministry of Justice · Najiz (Ministry of Justice e-services) (in Arabic) · checked
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs · Ratification services on documents (in English) · checked
- Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) · Apostille Convention status table (in English) · checked
General information about Saudi law, not advice on your situation. Contacting us does not create a lawyer–client relationship until an engagement letter is signed.