SAR 4.2m
German machinery supplier
Eleven invoices unpaid. The debtor had ignored 14 months of emails and two payment plans.
We filed and obtained a freeze on the debtor’s bank accounts nine weeks later.
Paid in fullin 4 months
Saudi Arabia’s #1 law firm for international debt recovery.
If a Saudi company owes you money, we take them to court in Saudi Arabia and enforce the judgment. Our clients are in the USA, the UK and 20 other countries.
SAR 435,000,000
Recovered for clients since 2020. Every case filed and enforced inside Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh · Jeddah · Licensed by the Ministry of Justice
97%
Of accepted cases end in a recovery
Across all cases we have accepted
60%
Of the amount owed, paid within 3 months
Measured from the date we file
1 in 4
Applications accepted
A lawyer reviews every one
22
Countries our clients come from
Mostly the USA and the UK
100%
Of our work is in Saudi Arabia
We practise nowhere else
Who we work with
We are a Saudi law firm. We only handle claims against Saudi companies.
You can apply if
- Your company is outside Saudi Arabia.
- The company that owes you money is inside Saudi Arabia.
- The amount owed is SAR 1 million or more (about USD 266,000).
- You have documents. A contract, purchase orders, invoices, delivery notes, or emails.
We do not
- Work in any country other than Saudi Arabia.
- Take claims below SAR 1 million.
- Take cases we do not think we can win. We turn down about three applications in four.
The situations we see most
- You delivered goods to a Saudi company. They received them. They have not paid.
- You finished the work. The final payment never came.
- You are a subcontractor. The main contractor keeps saying next month.
- Your invoices are more than 180 days overdue.
- They have stopped answering your emails.
- They offered you much less than you are owed.
- You hold a cheque or a promissory note that was not paid.
- You have already written the debt off in your accounts.
The last one is the one we most want to hear about. Money that was written off can often still be recovered.
Apply to Work With UsWhat a Saudi court can do to a company that will not pay
Most suppliers give up because they believe nothing can be done from abroad. Saudi Arabia has a dedicated Execution Court. It exists for one purpose: to make people pay what a court has said they owe.
محكمة التنفيذ
The Execution Court
- Stage 1: The court acts
- Stage 2: The business is restricted
- Stage 3: Property is taken
Freeze the bank accounts
The court can freeze the company’s accounts in the Kingdom.
Find the assets
The court is connected to a government network covering banks, the land registry, vehicle records and shareholdings. The debtor cannot simply claim it owns nothing.
Stop the responsible people leaving the country
For a company debtor, the court can apply measures to the individuals legally responsible for it.
Suspend the Commercial Registration
Without it, the company cannot operate normally.
Block dealings with government bodies
No new licences, no government contracts, no renewals.
Report the debt to SIMAH
Every bank in the Kingdom can then see it on the company’s credit file.
Seize and sell property
The court can sell the company’s assets and pay you from the proceeds.
Declare the debtor “mumatil”
A formal status for a debtor who can pay and refuses. It unlocks the court’s strongest measures.
In our experience the judgment is not what makes a company pay. What makes it pay is knowing its accounts can be frozen and its owner stopped at the airport.
Apply to Work With UsWhat we do
We are a law firm in Saudi Arabia. We work for companies outside Saudi Arabia. We recover money that Saudi companies owe them. This is every step, from your application to the money reaching your bank.
- 01Day 1
You apply
Send your contract, invoices, delivery proof and emails through the application form. Any language. It is free, it is confidential, and you are not committed to anything.
- 022 business days
We review your application
A lawyer reads it. We accept about one application in four. If we decline, we tell you why.
- 033–5 business days
We investigate the debtor
We check the company in the Saudi commercial register: still trading, assets worth pursuing, bankruptcy or restructuring. Then you get a straight answer. This costs you nothing.
- 04Before any work starts
We agree terms in writing
No recovery, no fee. You see the fee and the expected court costs before you commit to anything.
- 05Week 1–2
We demand payment
An Arabic demand letter from a Saudi law firm. It cites the law we will rely on, names the court we will file in, and gives a date.
- 06Month 1–2
We file
A cheque or promissory note goes straight to the Execution Court with no trial. A contract with invoices goes to the Commercial Court. A foreign arbitration award goes to the Execution Court for recognition. A claim against a government body goes to the Administrative Courts.
- 07Until you are paid
We enforce
With a judgment in hand we return to the Execution Court and apply its measures, one after another, until the debt is recovered or we tell you honestly that it cannot be.
- 08On recovery
We send you the money
We transfer the recovered amount out of Saudi Arabia to your bank account, and handle the paperwork that comes with it.
How long this takes
| Debtor pays after our demand letter | 2–8 weeks |
|---|---|
| Uncontested claim through to judgment | 6–12 months |
| Contested claim with an appeal | Longer |
| Enforcement after judgment | Weeks to months |
We cannot give you a fixed date. After we review your application we give you a range for your case.
Our clients are international. All of our cases are in Saudi Arabia.
We have recovered SAR 435 million for companies in 22 countries. Most of our clients are in the United States and the United Kingdom. Every case was filed and enforced in Saudi Arabia.
| United States | 31% | |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 24% | |
| Germany | 11% | |
| India | 8% | |
| China | 7% | |
| Italy | 6% | |
| Türkiye | 5% | |
| 15 other countries | 8% |
Results
SAR 12.6m
UK engineering subcontractor
Final account and retention unpaid after the project was handed over. The main contractor disputed the scope of work.
We filed in the Commercial Court. The contractor agreed to settle once the court could begin enforcement.
Settled at 87%, without a trialin 7 months
SAR 3.1m
US exporter
The client had closed the file two years earlier and written the debt off in its accounts.
We traced the debtor through the commercial register to a related company still trading, and reopened the claim.
Recovered in fullin 5 months
SAR 21.4m
Italian contractor
Held an arbitration award from London that nobody had enforced for three years.
We took the award to the Saudi Execution Court for recognition under the New York Convention.
Paid in fullin 6 months
Identifying details have been removed. Past results do not guarantee or predict the outcome of any other case. Outcomes depend on the facts, the evidence and the debtor’s financial position.
What this costs you
No recovery, no fee.
We are paid a share of what we recover. If we recover nothing, you owe us no legal fee. The share is agreed in writing before any work starts.
Court costs are separate.
Court fees, government fees, translation and expert costs are not legal fees. We tell you the expected amount before you commit. You will not receive an invoice you were not told about in advance.
Reviewing your application is free.
You send documents. We investigate the debtor. We tell you what we think. You owe us nothing and you are not committed to anything.
One thing you should know on day one
Saudi courts do not award interest on late payment. You can recover the principal debt, and in some cases proven direct losses. Not interest on the delay. We tell you this before you apply, not after.
The claims we handle
Where a claim goes depends on what you hold. This is the route each one takes.
- Commercial Court
- Execution Court
- Administrative Courts
- Bankruptcy proceedings
Unpaid invoices for goods delivered
Equipment, machinery, materials, components, consumables.
Commercial Court
Unpaid construction and subcontract payments
Progress payments, final accounts, released and unreleased retention.
Commercial Court
Unpaid professional fees
Engineering, IT, consulting, design, logistics, staffing, marketing.
Commercial Court
Contracts terminated without payment
Work done and certified, then cut off.
Commercial Court
Bounced cheques and unpaid promissory notes
The fastest route into enforcement. These skip the trial.
Execution Court
Enforcing a foreign arbitration award
Saudi Arabia has been a party to the New York Convention since 1994.
Execution Court
Enforcing a foreign court judgment
Through the Execution Court, where the legal conditions are met.
Execution Court
Claims against government bodies
These go to the Administrative Courts, not the commercial courts. Different track, different rules.
Administrative Courts
Protecting your claim in a bankruptcy
Deadlines to file are short and strict. Miss one and you lose your place.
Bankruptcy proceedings
If you are not sure which one describes your claim, apply and we will tell you.
Apply to Work With UsMeet our team
Only a Saudi-licensed lawyer can represent you in a Saudi court. Your lawyer at home cannot file this case, however good they are. We do the part they cannot.
Khaled Al Samhan
Founding Partner
Founded the firm in 2016. Licensed by the Ministry of Justice since 2009. Leads the commercial litigation practice and signs off on every case the firm accepts.
Salma Al Otaibi
Partner, Head of Enforcement
Runs the firm’s Execution Court practice. Account freezes, travel bans, asset tracing and the sale of seized property. This is the stage where clients get paid.
Nasser Al Qahtani
Partner, Commercial Litigation
Argues the firm’s cases in the Commercial Courts. Construction final accounts, retention disputes and terminated supply contracts.
Amira Al Zahrani
Senior Associate, Case Assessment
Reviews every application the firm receives. Checks the debtor, the evidence and the paperwork, and decides whether we take the case.
Malik Al Muhaidib
Senior Associate, International Clients
Your point of contact once we accept your case. Handles powers of attorney, certified translation and the written updates you receive in English.
Licensed by the Ministry of Justice, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Offices in Riyadh and Jeddah. We work in Arabic and English, and handle client communication in Mandarin, Hindi, Urdu, Turkish, German, Italian and French.
Waiting makes recovery harder
Age does not close a claim. These three things do get harder the longer a debt sits.
The trail goes cold
The people who signed for your delivery move on. Correspondence is deleted. Evidence is easiest to gather while somebody still remembers the deal.
The debtor’s assets disappear
Money moves. Property is sold. Companies are restructured, renamed, or their Commercial Registration is cancelled. You cannot enforce against a company that has nothing left.
Other creditors get in front of you
If the debtor enters bankruptcy or restructuring, there are strict deadlines to file your claim, and your position in the queue matters.
Send us the file. We will tell you what can still be recovered.
Questions
I am not in Saudi Arabia. Do I have to travel there?
No. We act for you under a power of attorney. You sign and legalise that document in your own country, and we send you step-by-step instructions. Saudi Arabia joined the Hague Apostille Convention in December 2022, so for most countries this is now a simple apostille rather than full embassy legalisation. Most of our clients never set foot in Saudi Arabia.
Why do I have to apply? Why can I not just call you?
Because we only take cases we believe we can win, and that decision needs your documents in front of a lawyer. We accept about one application in four. Reviewing properly before we take a case is the reason 97% of the cases we accept end in a recovery. The application form is the only way we take new matters.
What is the minimum claim?
SAR 1 million, about USD 266,000. Below that, legal and court costs usually consume the recovery, and we would be taking your money to run a case that does not pay you back.
What does it cost?
No recovery, no fee. We are paid a share of what we recover, agreed in writing before any work starts. Court fees, government fees, translation and expert costs are separate from legal fees and are disclosed to you up front.
My contract is in English. Is it valid in Saudi Arabia?
Usually yes. Saudi courts work in Arabic, so documents must be translated by a certified translator, and we arrange that. An English contract is not a reason to give up.
I have no signed contract. Only invoices and emails. Can I still claim?
Often yes. Saudi courts look at evidence that an agreement existed and that you performed your side. Purchase orders, invoices, signed delivery notes and written admissions of the debt can be enough. Send what you have and we will tell you whether it is sufficient.
How long will it take?
If the debtor pays after our demand letter, 2 to 8 weeks. An uncontested claim through to judgment usually takes 6 to 12 months, and enforcement adds weeks to months on top. We give you a realistic range for your case once we have reviewed it.
Do you work in any country other than Saudi Arabia?
No. Saudi Arabia only. We do not have offices in twelve countries. We have lawyers in the one country where your debtor’s money actually is.
The debtor keeps promising to pay next month. Should I keep waiting?
That promise costs them nothing. Meanwhile your legal deadline gets closer and their assets can move. Keep the promise in writing, because it is useful evidence. Do not let it become the reason you wait another year.
Will legal action destroy the business relationship?
If a company has not paid you in a year, you do not have a business relationship. You have an unpaid debt. In practice a formal legal demand often restarts a real conversation, and many cases settle without reaching trial.
The debtor is a government body or a state-backed project. Is that different?
Yes. Claims against government entities go to the Administrative Courts, not the commercial courts, and the procedure is different. We handle both. Tell us exactly who the debtor is.
I already have a judgment or arbitration award from my own country. Is it useless here?
No. Saudi Arabia has been a party to the New York Convention since 1994 and enforces foreign arbitration awards through the Execution Court. Foreign court judgments can also be enforced where the conditions are met. If you hold an award, you may be much closer to payment than you think.
The Saudi company changed its name or closed down. Is the money gone?
Not necessarily. Companies are traceable through the Saudi commercial register, and ownership, related companies and the individuals responsible can often be identified. Send us the name you have.
The debtor has filed for bankruptcy. Is it over?
No, but it becomes urgent. Under the Saudi Bankruptcy Law, creditors must file their claims within set deadlines. Miss the deadline and you can lose your place entirely. Apply the same day you hear about it.
My invoices are in USD, EUR or CNY, not riyals. Is that a problem?
No. That is normal for our clients. We advise you on how the currency and the exchange rate are treated in your claim.
Is what I send you confidential?
Yes. Everything you send is treated as confidential whether or not we take your case.
Would you take a case you think will fail?
No. If the debtor has no recoverable assets, or the evidence is too thin, we tell you when we review your application. We are not interested in charging fees for a case that cannot be won.
Apply to work with us
It takes about ten minutes. A lawyer reads every application. You will hear back within one business day.
- Your company is outside Saudi Arabia
- The debtor is a company inside Saudi Arabia
- The amount owed is SAR 1 million or more
SAR 435 million recovered for clients since 2020.
No recovery, no fee. Court fees, government fees, translation and expert costs are separate from legal fees and are disclosed to you before you commit.