Minors Aged 15 May Conduct Transactions With Approval

Under Saudi Arabia's Civil Transactions Law, a minor who has completed 15 Hijri years may carry out financial transactions, but only after obtaining authorization from a guardian or trustee. Where the guardian or trustee declines to grant permission, a court may step in and authorize the transactions instead.

The authorization is limited in scope. It applies only to the specific transactions covered by the permission, and for those transactions the authorized minor is treated with the legal standing of an adult. Outside the scope of that permission, the ordinary rules on legal capacity continue to apply.

What this does not mean

The provision does not grant every person aged 15 or older an unconditional right to register and independently operate a commercial business. It remains a conditional authorization tied to a guardian's or a court's approval and to the particular transactions permitted.

Separately, current commercial-registration services from the Ministry of Commerce state that an applicant must be at least 18 years old. There is no verified official procedure, channel, fee, validity period, or registration pathway allowing a 15-year-old to run a business independently.

For families and young people in the Kingdom, the practical takeaway is to treat guardian or court authorization as the key step before a minor enters into any covered financial transaction. Those seeking to open a commercial registration should continue to follow the Ministry of Commerce's stated age requirement and official guidance, rather than assume a broader independent right exists.

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