Decision 46 in Saudi Arabia: Travel Ban, Seizure and Removal

You tried to transfer money from your account and the bank refused. Then you found the words "Decision 46" on Najiz (the Ministry of Justice e-services portal). One person tells you travel is over for you. Another says all government services have stopped.

The short answer: the decision is a defined package of measures in a single article. Some are issued automatically and some only depending on the case. Knowing the difference is the first step to dealing with the file.

The new Enforcement Law comes into force 180 days after its publication in the Official Gazette on 14/11/1447H (1 May 2026), around the end of October 2026, and replaces the Enforcement Law of 1433H (Article 65). This guide is based on the law in force today. A separate section explains what changes.

When is Decision 46 issued?

"Decision 46" (qarar 46) is the common name for the measures in Article 46 of the Enforcement Law of 1433H. The condition is that five days pass after the debtor is served with the enforcement order ("Decision 34"), or after its publication if service was not possible, without payment or disclosure of sufficient assets. The debtor is then treated as a defaulter, and the enforcement judge orders the measures immediately.

Financial hardship does not prevent the decision, but it has a different route. A person who is genuinely unable to pay may file an insolvency (i'sar) claim before the enforcement judge, who hears it after disclosure, questioning and asset tracing are completed (Article 77).

What measures does Decision 46 include?

Seizure has limits. Article 21 prevents seizure of the home and means of transport to the extent of need, unless they are mortgaged to the creditor. It limits salary seizure to one third for ordinary debts and one half for family maintenance (nafaqa). An amendment in 1444H added that a travel ban does not prevent carrying out a deportation decision issued by the competent authority.

Does Decision 46 mean all government services are stopped?

No. Barring government bodies from dealing with the debtor is optional, and the regulations require it to stop if it causes public harm (paragraph 46/4). Paragraph 46/5 of the regulations, which extended the ban to government e-services, has been repealed. In addition, the rules on suspension of services issued by Council of Ministers Resolution No. 563 of 1444H exclude from the definition of services: medical treatment, education, work, the commercial register, civil status registration and identity documents.

When can the file lead to imprisonment?

Imprisonment under Decision 46 is enforcement detention under Article 83 (paragraph 46/6 of the regulations), and it is not automatic. The regulations state that if the first five measures were issued and three months passed without payment or sufficient assets, imprisonment must be ordered at the creditor's request if the debt, or total debts, is SAR 1 million or more (paragraph 83/2). For smaller debts, imprisonment may be ordered at the creditor's request after six months, with the debtor questioned within fifteen days (paragraph 83/3).

Imprisonment is not allowed in cases including: there are visible assets sufficient for enforcement; the debtor provides a bank guarantee, a solvent guarantor or security in kind equal to the debt; or insolvency is proven (Article 84). The regulations add a person aged sixty or over, and a person with minor children whose spouse is dead or imprisoned (paragraph 84/3).

How do you start dealing with the file?

Start with the correct balance: what you paid before the request, what has actually been seized, and what has been transferred to the creditor. Seizure alone does not mean the creditor has received the money. If you paid the creditor directly, submit proof through the "proof of payment" service on Najiz.

A claim for SAR 30,000. Before the request, the debtor paid SAR 10,000, which is proven to be for the same instrument.

The payment is counted and enforcement continues for the remaining SAR 20,000.

The whole debt does not fall away, and the SAR 30,000 is not treated as if nothing was paid.

The creditor holds many keys here. The regulations (paragraph 46/1) allow him to ask that all or some of the measures not be carried out, except the credit notice, and the judge grants this after recording his statement. The court may also allow the debtor to travel after a ban if he provides security or a guarantor, or if a medical report proves he needs treatment outside Saudi Arabia (paragraph 46/2).

What changes under the new Enforcement Law?

The new law replaces Article 46 with other provisions:

• Article 18: five working days after service without payment, the credit notice and seizure of the debtor's assets, future income and amounts owed to him by public bodies start immediately. The court may impose a fine of up to SAR 5,000 per day, up to a maximum set by the regulations.
• Article 19: a travel ban is issued only at the creditor's request, for up to three years. It may be extended by a new request, up to six years in total, and ends when the enforcement request ends.
• Article 37: imprisonment appears only in direct enforcement (an obligation to do or not do something), at the creditor's request after thirty working days, for up to 180 days, extendable by a new request. The debt does not end when the detention ends.
• The new text does not expressly mention barring government bodies or financial institutions from dealing with the debtor, or stopping powers of attorney. It leaves the mechanisms for enforcing the measures to the regulations (Article 18(4)).
• The insolvency claim remains: the Royal Decree issuing the law (M/237, Clause Seven) keeps the insolvency rules of the 1433H law in force until civil insolvency legislation is issued and takes effect, and Enforcement Courts continue to hear these claims.

This is general information based on the official Arabic texts of Saudi laws, which prevail over any translation. It is not legal advice for your specific case.

Practical solutions for both sides

If you are the party enforcement is against:

• Get from Najiz the list of orders actually issued in your request. Do not rely on what people say.
• If you have sufficient assets, disclose them. Their existence prevents imprisonment under Article 84.
• Submit proof of any earlier payment and ask for the balance to be updated.
• If you need to travel for treatment, ask for permission with a medical report or security.
• If you are genuinely unable to pay, learn the conditions of an insolvency claim instead of just waiting.

If you are the party requesting enforcement:

• Follow the results of disclosure and seizure, and distinguish between what is seized and what has been transferred to your account.
• If you agree a settlement with the debtor, state in writing which measures you ask not to be carried out.
• If you are considering asking for imprisonment, count the three or six months and check the cases where it is not allowed.
• Do not claim more than the correct balance. Seizure is limited to what covers the instrument.

If Decision 46 appears in your file and you do not know which orders were issued against you or how to lift them, take a screenshot of the request page on Najiz and send it on WhatsApp so we can read it with you.