Article 15 bis of the Saudi Civil Service Law
المادة 15 مكرر من نظام الخدمة المدنية · الفصل الثاني: الواجبات
The article makes the human resources department in each government body responsible for applying the law and its regulations, requires departments to refer to it, and requires the body to refer to the Ministry on any difficulty it meets.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
- أُضيفت هذه المادة وذلك بموجب المرسوم الملكي رقم (م/95) وتاريخ 1439/9/15هـ، لتكون بالنص الآتي:
"تتولى إدارة الموارد البشرية في الجهة الحكومية تطبيق أحكام هذا النظام ولوائحه التنفيذية والقرارات والتعليمات ذات العلاقة، وتلتزم الإدارات المعنية في كل جهة حكومية بالرجوع إليها في جميع ما يتعلق بذلك، وعلى الجهة الحكومية الرجوع إلى الوزارة فيما يعترضها عند التطبيق.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 15 bis explained in plain English
This article was added by Royal Decree No. (M/95) dated 15/9/1439 AH. It states who applies the provisions of the law within the government body, and how difficulties are handled. It contains three rules:
- The human resources department in the government body is the one that applies the provisions of this law and its implementing regulations, and the related decisions and instructions.
- The departments concerned in each government body are bound to refer to it on everything relating to that; no other department within the body applies the law's provisions independently of the human resources department.
- The government body must refer to the Ministry on whatever difficulty it meets in application, that is, when a problem or difficulty arises in applying the provisions.
In this way the article creates a clear chain: departments within the body refer to the human resources department, and the body refers to the Ministry on what it meets. The text does not specify the procedures or periods for this referral.
Article 15 provides that every employee is responsible for what he does and for the proper conduct of work within the limits of his jurisdiction, and Article 16 provides that the employee is entitled to his salary from the date he starts work.
Anyone with a dispute with his body over the application of the law's provisions would do well to consult a lawyer specializing in administrative matters and civil service affairs.
Practical example
The projects department at a government body in Riyadh wanted to calculate overtime hours for some of its employees. Under this article it must refer on this to the body's human resources department, and if the body meets a difficulty in application, it refers to the Ministry.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 15 bis of the Saudi Civil Service Law
Who is responsible for applying the Civil Service Law in a government body?
Article 15 bis provides that the human resources department in the government body applies the provisions of the law, its implementing regulations and the related decisions and instructions.
What does a government body do if it faces a difficulty in application?
The government body must refer to the Ministry on whatever it meets in application.
When was this article added?
It was added by Royal Decree No. (M/95) dated 15/9/1439 AH.
More articles on General Provisions of the Civil Service
- Article 31
Article 31 allows the Minister to delegate some of his powers under the Civil Service Law to others, without specifying to whom or which powers.
للوزير تفويض بعض صلاحياته المقررة في هذا النظام.
- Article 32
Article 32 gives the head of an independent agency, with respect to his agency's employees, the powers the Minister has with respect to ministry employees.
يكون لرئيس المصلحة المستقلة بالنسبة لموظفي هذه المصلحة من الصلاحيات ما للوزير بالنسبة لموظفي الوزارة.
- Article 37Amended by M/139
Article 37 allows particular posts to be exempted from some provisions of the Civil Service Law, as the Regulation provides and in agreement with the Minister of Finance.
يجوز استثناء وظائف معينة من بعض أحكام هذا النظام وفق ما تنظمه اللائحة، وذلك بالاتفاق مع وزير المالية
- Article 37 bisAmended (1438 AH)
Article 37 bis applies the Civil Service Law to civil employees who hold permanent posts in the state's general budget, excluding employees of entities governed by special laws or regulations, within the limits those provide.
تسري أحكام هذا النظام على جميع الموظفين المدنيين الذين يشغلون وظائف ثابتة في الميزانية العامة للدولة، ويستثنى من تطبيق أحكامه موظفو الجهات الذين تسري في شأنهم أ
- Article 38
Article 38 provides that the Civil Service Law replaces the Employees Law (Royal Decree No. M/5 dated 1/2/1391 AH) for employees originally subject to it and for those whose own systems the Employees Law supplemented, within the limits those systems provide.
يحل هذا النظام محل نظام الموظفين الصادر بالمرسوم الملكي رقم م/5 وتاريخ 1 / 2 / 1391 هـ وذلك : أ - بالنسبة للموظفين الخاضعين بصفة أصلية لهذا النظام. ب - بالنسبة
- Article 39
Article 39 provides that the Council of Ministers issues the regulations of the Civil Service Law and may authorize the Minister of Civil Service to issue some of them.
يصدر مجلس الوزراء لوائح هذا النظام، وللمجلس تفويض وزير الخدمة المدنية في إصدار بعض منها
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.