{"id":437,"date":"2025-08-07T15:37:21","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T12:37:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/faafirm.com\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=437"},"modified":"2025-08-07T15:37:21","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T12:37:21","slug":"%d9%85%d8%a7-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%aa%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d9%85%d9%83%d9%86-%d9%81%d9%8a%d9%87%d8%a7-%d9%81%d8%b3%d8%ae-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d9%82%d8%af-%d8%a8%d8%b3%d8%a8","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/faafirm.com\/en\/blog\/%d9%85%d8%a7-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%aa%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d9%85%d9%83%d9%86-%d9%81%d9%8a%d9%87%d8%a7-%d9%81%d8%b3%d8%ae-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d9%82%d8%af-%d8%a8%d8%b3%d8%a8\/","title":{"rendered":"When Can a Contract Be Terminated Due to &#8220;Force Majeure&#8221; in Saudi Arabia?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<h1 dir=\"ltr\">When Can a Contract Be Terminated Due to &#8220;Force Majeure&#8221; in Saudi Arabia?<\/h1>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\">What Is Force Majeure?<\/h2>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Force majeure refers to any unforeseen and uncontrollable event that makes fulfilling contractual obligations impossible or practically unfeasible. Common examples include:<\/p>\n<ul dir=\"ltr\">\n<li>Natural disasters<\/li>\n<li>Wars or political unrest<\/li>\n<li>Government-imposed restrictions<\/li>\n<li>Pandemics (e.g., COVID-19)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Example: A government-imposed lockdown that shuts down commercial activities and prevents execution of lease or supply contracts.<\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\">Is Force Majeure Recognized Under Saudi Law?<\/h2>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Yes. While not explicitly codified, Saudi legal practice\u2014rooted in Sharia principles\u2014acknowledges the concept of <strong>impossibility of performance<\/strong> (\u201cTa\u2018adhur\u201d) as equivalent to force majeure. This is also reflected in the <a href=\"https:\/\/laws.boe.gov.sa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Executive Regulations of the Saudi Civil Procedure Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\">What Are the Conditions for Force Majeure?<\/h2>\n<ul dir=\"ltr\">\n<li>The event must be beyond both parties\u2019 control<\/li>\n<li>It must be unforeseeable at the time of signing the contract<\/li>\n<li>It must make performance impossible<\/li>\n<li>Its impact cannot be avoided or mitigated<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Note: Financial loss alone is not sufficient. There must be true impossibility to perform the contract.<\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\">What Types of Contracts Are Commonly Affected?<\/h2>\n<ul dir=\"ltr\">\n<li>Lease contracts (especially during mandated closures)<\/li>\n<li>Construction and supply agreements<\/li>\n<li>Event and venue booking contracts<\/li>\n<li>Long-term agreements with fixed conditions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\">Is Court Evidence Required?<\/h2>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Yes. The affected party must submit:<\/p>\n<ul dir=\"ltr\">\n<li>Proof of the force majeure event (e.g., official government decision)<\/li>\n<li>A direct link between the event and inability to perform<\/li>\n<li>Prompt notice to the other party<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The court may then decide to terminate the contract, suspend its execution, or modify obligations depending on the facts.<\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\">Was COVID-19 Considered Force Majeure?<\/h2>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Yes. Saudi courts have recognized COVID-19 as a valid force majeure in many rulings post-2020, provided the damage is direct and well-documented. This was affirmed in several judicial reports by the <a href=\"https:\/\/sba.gov.sa\/%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%B5%D8%AF-%D8%A3%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B4%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%88%D9%86%D9%8A\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Saudi Bar Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\">Related Links:<\/h2>\n<ul dir=\"ltr\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/faafirm.com\/blog\/%d9%85%d8%a7-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d8%ac%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%a1%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%82%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%88%d9%86%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d9%84%d9%81%d8%b3%d8%ae-%d8%b9%d9%82%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d9%8a%d8%ac\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Legal Steps to Terminate a Rental Agreement in Saudi Arabia<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wafi.rega.gov.sa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wafi &#8211; Off-plan Real Estate Program<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\">Conclusion:<\/h2>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Force majeure is a legally accepted principle under Saudi law and may be relied upon to terminate or amend contracts when performance becomes impossible. It is highly recommended to include a force majeure clause in your agreements to protect all parties in case of unforeseen events.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":438,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[],"blog_tax":[10],"class_list":["post-437","blog","type-blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","blog_tax-10"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/faafirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/faafirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/faafirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faafirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=437"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faafirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/faafirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faafirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=437"},{"taxonomy":"blog_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faafirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_tax?post=437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}