Disputes & ResolutionJudgment Execution
Synonyms: Enforcement of Judgment، Judgment Enforcement، Forced Execution
Last updated: 2026-09-25
Short Definition
Judgment execution is the stage at which a court judgment or executive instrument is turned into reality, by collecting the amount awarded, evicting from a property or compelling the losing party to act, through the Execution Court and its circuits, by force if necessary.
Overview
Judgment execution is the stage at which a court judgment or executive instrument is turned into reality, by collecting the amount awarded, evicting from a property or compelling the losing party to act, through the Execution Court and its circuits, by force if necessary. Compulsory enforcement is only possible under an executive instrument for a right that is fixed in amount and currently due.
This stage is currently governed by the Execution Law issued by Royal Decree (M/53) dated 13/8/1433H. Executive instruments include court judgments and orders, arbitral awards bearing an enforcement order, approved settlement records, commercial papers, notarised contracts, and contracts given executive force by law. They include the unified residential lease documented on Ejar, which is filed directly with the Execution Court and may lose that status if non-standard terms are added to it. Proceedings start with an execution request; the execution judge issues an order that is served on the debtor. If he neither pays nor discloses sufficient assets within five days of service, he is deemed a defaulter and is ordered banned from travel, barred from issuing powers of attorney, required to disclose his assets for attachment, and reported to the credit bureau, with further measures that can extend to detention. For eviction, the enforcement officer attends the property on the day after five days have passed from service of the execution order, and the judge may extend this period. Substantive disputes, such as the rent amount or termination, belong before the General Court.
A new Execution Law was issued by Royal Decree (M/237) dated 3/11/1447H, published in the Umm al-Qura Gazette on 1 May 2026, and takes effect 180 days after publication (late October 2026), replacing the 1433H law. Its main changes include counting the compliance period as five working days, an extra ten working days for a debtor who provides a bank guarantee, a fine of up to SAR 5,000 a day for failing to pay, a travel ban limited to three years, extendable to a maximum of six, and a requirement that bills of exchange and promissory notes be registered on national electronic platforms. Judgments and orders issued before it takes effect remain valid.
⚖️ Legal Basis
Enforcement is currently governed by the Execution Law issued by Royal Decree No. (M/53) dated 13/8/1433H: Article 9 on executive instruments, Article 10 barring compulsory enforcement of a judgment still open to challenge unless it carries provisional enforcement, Article 34 on the execution request, order and service, Article 46 on measures against a defaulter after five days from service (amended by Royal Decree M/52 dated 22/4/1444H), Articles 68–70 on direct execution, and Article 72 on property eviction. On entry into force it will be replaced by the Execution Law issued by Royal Decree No. (M/237) dated 3/11/1447H (Articles 7, 18, 19, 36, 37 and 65), effective 180 days after its publication on 14/11/1447H.
💡 Practical Example
A landlord in Riyadh let a flat under a unified residential lease documented on Ejar at SAR 42,000 a year, payable in two instalments of SAR 21,000. The tenant did not pay the second instalment despite reminders, so the landlord filed an execution request through Najiz, attaching the Ejar lease as an executive instrument, with no need to sue in the General Court. The execution order was issued and served on the tenant; five days passed without payment or disclosure of sufficient assets, so he was deemed a defaulter and the statutory measures followed, such as a travel ban and disclosure and attachment of his assets up to the debt, and the enforcement officer attended to evict on the day after the period expired. Had the landlord added non-standard terms to the lease, it might have lost its executive status, forcing a substantive lawsuit. Had the request been filed after the new law took effect, the period would have been counted as five working days.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
- ✗Suing in the General Court for rent due under a documented Ejar residential lease — a direct execution request before the Execution Court is usually the shorter route.
- ✗Adding non-standard terms to the unified Ejar lease — the contract may lose its status as an executive instrument.
- ✗Resorting to self-help eviction such as changing locks or cutting services — compulsory eviction is carried out by an enforcement officer on the execution judge's order, and self-help exposes the landlord to liability.
- ✗Seeking compulsory enforcement of a judgment still open to challenge — it can only be enforced by force if it carries provisional enforcement.
- ✗Overlooking the new Execution Law once it takes effect — periods will then be counted in working days, and travel-ban and fine limits change.
🌍 International Differences
Enforcement structures vary between countries. In Turkey, enforcement offices (icra daireleri) collect debts and evict tenants under the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law, with a simplified eviction route without a judgment in some rental cases. In the UAE and Egypt, an execution judge within the courts supervises compulsory enforcement. In England, judgments are enforced through tools such as writs of possession and charging orders. The distinctive Saudi feature is the strength of the pressure tools against a defaulting debtor, such as travel bans, suspension of services and credit reporting, and the possibility of enforcing a documented lease directly without a lawsuit.
FAQs
Where do I enforce a court judgment or an Ejar lease in Saudi Arabia?▾
The execution request is filed with the competent Execution Court or execution circuit, usually electronically via Najiz, attaching the executive instrument, such as a final judgment or a unified residential lease documented on Ejar.
What happens if the debtor does not pay within five days?▾
If the debtor neither pays nor discloses sufficient assets within five days of being served with the execution order, he is deemed a defaulter: he is banned from travel, barred from issuing powers of attorney, his assets are disclosed and attached, the default is credit-reported, and the execution judge may take further measures including detention.
How long does it take to evict a tenant after an execution order in Saudi Arabia?▾
The enforcement officer attends the property on the day after five days have passed from service of the execution order on the tenant; the judge may extend this period, and the property is handed to the landlord, by force if necessary.
What changes under the new Execution Law of 1447H?▾
It takes effect 180 days after its publication on 1 May 2026, counts the compliance period as five working days, limits travel bans to three years extendable up to six, and imposes a daily fine of up to SAR 5,000 for failure to pay.
Can a judgment be enforced while it can still be appealed?▾
Judgments cannot be enforced by compulsion while they remain open to challenge, unless they carry provisional enforcement, such as judgments in urgent matters, or the law provides for their provisional enforcement.
