Free template · Word and PDF · English and Arabic · CC BY 4.0
Promissory Note Template (Word & PDF)
Download Word or PDF
Word and PDF, free, no sign-up. The Arabic file is right-to-left.
For a creditor and a debtor in Saudi Arabia, and the counsel preparing the note, before it is created on Nafith. The file is a checklist of the statutory contents, not the note itself. The electronic note is created on the official platform.
Sources: 6 official sourcesNot legal advice
What this template includes
Create the electronic note on Nafith
- Nafith(https://nafith.sa/execution_documents/)
- Nafith FAQ(https://nafith.sa/faq/)
- Commercial Papers Law(https://laws.boe.gov.sa/BoeLaws/Laws/LawDetails/4763eb94-047b-46f1-9697-a9a700f1b7ed/1)
- Enforcement Law (M/237)(https://laws.boe.gov.sa/BoeLaws/Laws/LawDetails/67dd54bc-c33a-48c8-8356-b44700a9ab55/1)
- Enforcement Law 1433H(https://laws.boe.gov.sa/BoeLaws/Laws/LawDetails/c81ba2f1-1bf1-443b-9b1c-a9a700f27110/1)
An explainer for a promissory note in Saudi Arabia. The electronic note is created on Nafith. The Word file lists the elements in Articles 87 and 88 of the Commercial Papers Law so a team can prepare them. It is not a note issued on Nafith, and it does not file an enforcement request. A release of a commercial or civil dispute uses the settlement agreement template. A case uses the statement of claim template. A demand for the debt before a claim is written in the legal notice template. For an acknowledgement of the debt and a repayment undertaking, rather than a note, see the debt acknowledgement. For the difference between a promissory note, a bill of exchange and a cheque, see note, bill and cheque. A debt does not replace the employment contract template.
Official platform first
Nafith is the platform that creates and registers an electronic promissory note with the elements the Commercial Papers Law requires. The creditor asks for the note. The debtor approves it. The note is then archived on the platform.[1][2] The FAQ says the platform’s present scope is the promissory note, and that the data the creditor fills are the data the Commercial Papers Law requires, as shown on the platform.[2]
- Do not treat a downloaded Word file as the electronic note. Nafith issues that note after the debtor’s approval.[2]
- Article 87 lists what the note contains. Article 88 says what follows if one of those items is missing.[3]
- The Enforcement Law issued by Royal Decree No. M/237 of 3/11/1447H replaces the 1433H Enforcement Law and applies from its entry into force, 180 days after its publication on 1 May 2026.[4] Before that, Article 9 of the 1433H law applied: it listed commercial papers among enforcement instruments, for a right that is quantified and currently due.[5] From entry into force, a promissory note is an enforcement instrument only if it is registered on the national electronic platforms (Article 7(1)(d)).[4] Under Clause Fifth of the decree, a promissory note issued before entry into force remains an enforcement instrument for one year after entry into force if it meets the statutory conditions, even if it is not registered on the national electronic platforms.[4] The Nafith FAQ says an electronic note is taken to enforcement through Najiz, and Najiz fetches the note from Nafith by its number.[2][6]
- This page does not state UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait or Oman rules on promissory notes. It does not say whether a paper note is still accepted for enforcement.
The drafting aid
Promissory note: drafting checklist
A checklist of the elements in Articles 87 and 88 of the Saudi Commercial Papers Law, to prepare before a creditor creates an electronic promissory note on Nafith. This file is not that note. Replace every [placeholder]. Do not sign this file and file it as an enforcement instrument.
The electronic promissory note is created on Nafith, after the debtor approves the creditor’s request.[2] Filling in the placeholders below only prepares the elements. It does not issue a note, it does not bind a debtor, and it is not an enforcement filing.
Article 87 (a): the note contains an order clause, or the words “سند لأمر”, written in the body and in the language in which the note is written.[3] Language of the note the parties will use on Nafith: [Arabic / other: ●].
Drafting note
Write the clause in that language. An English heading on this checklist does not satisfy Article 87 (a).
Article 87 (b): an unconditional promise to pay a sum certain of money.[3] Maker (the person who will sign on Nafith): [name, ID or CR]. Promise: to pay [amount in figures] ([amount in words]) [currency], with no condition.
Drafting note
Delete any “if”, “provided that”, or “subject to” in the promise. A conditional promise is not the promise Article 87 (b) describes.
Article 87 (c): the maturity date.[3] The note the parties will create is payable on [date], or on sight, or [a date that can be fixed: ●].
Drafting note
Article 88 (a): if the note does not state maturity, it is treated as payable on sight.[3] Leave this blank only if that is the result you want.
Article 87 (d): the place of payment.[3] Place of payment: [city].
Drafting note
Article 88 (b): if the place of payment or the maker’s domicile is missing, the place of issue is treated as the place of payment and as the maker’s place.[3]
Article 87 (e): the name of the person to whom, or to whose order, payment must be made.[3] Payee (creditor on Nafith): [name, ID or CR].
Drafting note
On Nafith the creditor is the party who may ask for the note, and the debtor is the party who must pay it on its terms.[2]
Article 87 (f): the date the note is made and the place it is made.[3] Date of issue: [date]. Place of issue: [city].
Drafting note
Article 88 (c): if the place of issue is missing, the note is treated as made in the place shown beside the maker’s name.[3]
Article 87 (g): the signature of the person who makes the note (the maker).[3] On Nafith that approval is the debtor’s approval inside the platform, not a signature on this file.[2]
- (a) Register on Nafith.[2]
- (b) The creditor chooses to issue a note and checks the other party’s details.[2]
- (c) The debtor’s approval is recorded. The creditor sets how long the debtor has to approve. When that time ends, the request is cancelled and the debtor can no longer approve it.[2]
- (d) The note is accepted, created, and archived. It cannot be amended after approval. The creditor may cancel it. The debtor may not.[2]
- (e) For enforcement, the Nafith FAQ says the request is filed on Najiz, the instrument type is an electronic commercial paper, the subtype is an electronic promissory note, and the note number is entered so Najiz fetches the data from Nafith.[2][6]
Drafting note
The FAQ also describes multiple notes under one request, each with its own maturity, each capable of a separate enforcement request. This page does not add conditions to that description.[2] A sum the parties are releasing belongs in the settlement agreement template, not in this checklist. A claim belongs in the statement of claim template.
Schedule A. Article 87 and Article 88
Commercial Papers Law, Royal Decree No. 37 of 11/10/1383H (24 February 1964). Wording below follows the Bureau of Experts text.[3]
| Element | Article 87 | If it is missing (Article 88) |
|---|---|---|
| Order clause | An order clause, or the words “سند لأمر”, in the body and in the language of the note. | Not a promissory note. Article 88 states no exception for this omission.[3] |
| Promise | An unconditional promise to pay a sum certain of money. | Not a promissory note. Article 88 states no exception for a missing promise or a missing sum.[3] |
| Maturity | The maturity date. | The exception in Article 88 (a): treated as payable on sight.[3] |
| Place of payment | The place of payment. | The exception in Article 88 (b): if the place of payment or the maker’s domicile is missing, the place of issue is the place of payment and the maker’s place.[3] |
| Payee | The name of the person to whom, or to whose order, payment is due. | Not a promissory note. Article 88 states no exception for a missing name.[3] |
| Place of issue | The place the note is made. | The exception in Article 88 (c): treated as made in the place shown beside the maker’s name.[3] |
| Date of issue | The date the note is made. | Not a promissory note. Article 88 states no exception for a missing date.[3] |
| Signature | The signature of the maker. | Not a promissory note. Article 88 states no exception for a missing signature.[3] |
Outside Saudi Arabia
- This page states the Saudi Commercial Papers Law and the Nafith route only.
- It does not state a promissory-note rule for the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait or Oman, and it cites no article of Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025.
- It does not say that a paper note is refused, or accepted, by an enforcement court. The Enforcement Law issued by Royal Decree No. M/237 of 3/11/1447H replaces the 1433H law and applies from its entry into force, 180 days after publication on 1 May 2026.[4] Before that, Article 9 applied and listed commercial papers as enforcement instruments for a quantified right that is currently due.[5] From entry into force, a promissory note is an enforcement instrument only if it is registered on the national electronic platforms (Article 7(1)(d)).[4] Under Clause Fifth of the decree, a promissory note issued before entry into force remains an enforcement instrument for one year after entry into force if it meets the statutory conditions, even if it is not registered on the national electronic platforms.[4]
What counsel checks before Nafith
- The words “سند لأمر”, or an order clause, in the body and in the language of the note.[3]
- An unconditional promise to pay a sum certain of money. No condition, and no blank amount.
- Maturity, place of payment, and the name of the person to whom or to whose order payment is due. If maturity is omitted, Article 88 treats the note as payable on sight.[3]
- Date and place of issue, and the maker’s signature.
- On Nafith the creditor sets the time for the debtor to approve. If that time ends, the request is cancelled and the debtor can no longer approve it. After approval the note cannot be amended. The creditor may cancel it; the debtor may not.[2]