Article 37 bis of the Saudi Civil Service Law
المادة 37 مكرر من نظام الخدمة المدنية · الباب الثالث: أحكام عامة وانتقالية
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.
Text of the added article (Arabic)
This article was added to the law by Royal Decree No. M/57 dated 24/5/1438 AH.
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 أنظمة أو لوائح خاصة في حدود ما تنص عليه تلك الأنظمة واللوائح
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 37 bis explained in plain English
This article answers a basic question: to whom does the Civil Service Law apply? It was added to the Law under Royal Decree No. (M/57) dated 24/5/1438 AH.
Who is covered by the Law: all civil employees who hold permanent posts in the state's general budget. Two descriptions must therefore be met by a person subject to the Law: being a civil employee, and holding a permanent post in the general budget.
Who is excluded: the employees of entities to which special laws or regulations apply. But this exclusion is not absolute; it is within the limits that those laws and regulations provide.
The meaning of the last qualification is that the existence of a special law for an entity removes its employees from the Civil Service Law to the extent that special law regulates; the article tied the exclusion to the limits of what those laws and regulations provide, and did not make it an all-encompassing exclusion in every case.
The article does not state the rule for someone who does not hold a permanent post in the general budget, nor does it name the entities with special laws; these are matters the text does not answer.
This article differs from Article 37, which allows particular posts to be exempted from some provisions of the Law as the Regulation provides and in agreement with the Minister of Finance. It also connects to Article 38, which provides that this Law replaces the Employees Law issued by Royal Decree No. M/5 dated 1/2/1391 AH.
Anyone who is unsure which law governs his post may consult a lawyer specializing in administrative and civil service cases.
Practical example
Abdullah is a civil employee who holds a permanent post in the state's general budget at a ministry in Riyadh, so he is subject to the Civil Service Law under this article. His colleague who works at a government entity with a special regulation governing its employees' affairs is excluded from the application of the Law within the limits that regulation provides.
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 37 bis of the Saudi Civil Service Law
Who is subject to the Civil Service Law?
All civil employees who hold permanent posts in the state's general budget.
Who is excluded from the Civil Service Law?
The employees of entities to which special laws or regulations apply, within the limits those laws and regulations provide.
Is the exclusion for entities with special regulations absolute?
No. The text limits it to the extent of what those special laws and regulations provide.
Amendment history
Royal Decree No. M/57 — 24/5/1438 AH
Official amendment text (Arabic)
- أُضيفت هذه المادة وذلك بموجب المرسوم الملكي رقم (م/57) وتاريخ 1438/5/24هـ، لتكون بالنص الآتي:
" 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 أنظمة أو لوائح خاصة في حدود ما تنص عليه تلك الأنظمة واللوائح ".
More articles on General Provisions of the Civil Service
- Article 15 bis
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.
- 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 ا
- 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 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.