SAR Cheque Amount in Words

Writing a cheque in Saudi Arabia follows conventions set by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) and the Saudi Commercial Court Law. Getting the details right matters — Saudi Arabia maintains serious legal penalties for bounced cheques, making accuracy on every cheque you issue essential.

Write the currency name after the amount. Saudi Riyal convention places the currency name after the number in words. Write "One Thousand Saudi Riyals Only", not "Saudi Riyals One Thousand Only". This is the opposite of UAE Dirham convention and is important to get right.

No "and" between hundreds and units. Saudi cheques follow the international convention where hundreds connect directly to smaller numbers without "and". Write "Two Hundred Fifty Saudi Riyals", not "Two Hundred and Fifty Saudi Riyals". The word "and" is reserved solely for separating Riyals from Halalas.

Write the payee's full legal name. Use the name exactly as it appears on the recipient's national ID, Iqama, or bank account. Saudi banks are strict about payee name matching and will return cheques where the name does not clearly identify the intended recipient.

Match figures and words exactly. The amount in the figures box and the amount written in words must agree. If they differ, Saudi banking practice treats the written words as authoritative — but most banks will simply reject a mismatched cheque. Double-check before signing.

End with "Only" or "لا غير". Always close the amount-in-words line with "Only" in English or "لا غير" in Arabic. This prevents tampering with the amount after the cheque has been signed and is a universally expected convention across Saudi banks.

Use Gregorian dates in DD/MM/YYYY format. Although Saudi Arabia officially uses the Hijri calendar, bank cheques use Gregorian dates. Write the full four-digit year — for example, 15/04/2026 — and keep the handwriting clear. Ambiguous dates are a common reason for cheque rejection.

Cross your cheques for security. Draw two parallel lines across the top-left corner and write "For Deposit Only" or "A/C Payee" between them. This restricts the cheque to bank-account deposit only and prevents it from being cashed over the counter. Crossed cheques are standard practice for business and rent payments in Saudi Arabia.

Understand the legal weight of every cheque you sign. Saudi Arabia has not decriminalised bounced cheques. Issuing a cheque without sufficient funds can result in travel bans, civil judgments, and criminal prosecution under Article 118 of the Saudi Commercial Court Law. Unlike the UAE's 2022 reforms, Saudi law treats a dishonoured cheque as a serious offence in most circumstances. Treat every cheque as a binding, enforceable obligation.