Law of the General Commission for Guardianship over Property of Minors and those of Similar Status

Purpose and scope

• Establishes the General Authority for the Guardianship of the Property of Minors and Persons of Similar Status, to act as guardian of property that has no one to protect it (Articles 1 and 2).

Key rules, rights and obligations

• The authority is guardian of the property of minors and unborn children with no guardian or executor, curator of the property of persons lacking capacity, manages the property of absent and missing persons and of those with no known heir, and supervises guardians, executors and curators (Article 2).
• Adult heirs, relatives living with the deceased or others must notify the authority within three days of a death leaving minors, an unborn child, persons lacking capacity or absent persons (Article 19); hospitals, administrative and judicial bodies and courts must notify within the same period (Articles 21 and 22).
• Heirs and partners may not deal with estate or jointly owned property from the death until the authority has inventoried it; any dealing without written permission is void, and the inventory is made within three months of notification (Article 25).
• If a guardian or executor is absent or mismanages, the authority asks the court to remove them, and the removed person must give a detailed account within three months of the judgment (Article 30).

Violations, penalties and common problems

• Breaching the law is punishable by a fine of up to one hundred thousand riyals and prison of up to thirty days, or either; the courts decide the penalty and may increase it, and the authority prosecutes (Articles 34 and 35).
• Common problems: selling estate property or withdrawing balances before the inventory, and failing to report that a minor is among the heirs.

Procedures and key deadlines

• Guardianship ends when the minor reaches maturity, the interdiction is lifted, the absent person returns, or by court order; the property is handed over within six months of notification (Article 32).
• The authority may appeal non-final judgments in cases it is party to (Article 29), and those concerned may object to its decisions before the competent body (Article 36).

An advisory summary prepared by Al-Bayan Al-Wadih Law Firm. It is not an official text and does not replace the law, its implementing regulations, or advice from a specialised lawyer. The official published text and its amendments prevail.