Article 40 of the Saudi Civil Service Law
المادة 40 من نظام الخدمة المدنية · الباب الثالث: أحكام عامة وانتقالية
Article 40 gives the Council of Ministers the right to interpret the Civil Service Law.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
لمجلس الوزراء حق تفسير هذا النظام.
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 40 explained in plain English
Disagreement or ambiguity may arise in understanding some provisions of the Civil Service Law, and this article specifies the body that has the power to interpret it, which is the Council of Ministers.
What the article provides:
- The right to interpret the Law is vested in the Council of Ministers.
- The subject of interpretation is this Law, meaning the Civil Service Law.
The article did not address how interpretation is requested, who is entitled to submit a request, or the effect of an interpretation on earlier cases; these are matters the text does not answer.
This article complements Article 39, which gives the Council of Ministers the issuance of the Law's regulations, with the possibility of authorizing the Minister of Civil Service to issue some of them. Under the two articles, the Council of Ministers issues the regulations and has the right to interpret the Law. Article 40 did not mention the possibility of authorization for interpretation as Article 39 did for the regulations.
The practical effect of this article is that the authority for determining the intended meaning of the Law's provisions, when interpretation is needed, is the Council of Ministers.
Anyone who faces a provision of the Law that can bear more than one meaning and affects his employment status may consult a lawyer specializing in administrative and civil service cases.
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 40 of the Saudi Civil Service Law
Who has the power to interpret the Civil Service Law?
Article 40 provides that the Council of Ministers has the right to interpret this Law.
Does the article mention procedures for requesting an interpretation?
No. The article is limited to specifying the body with the right of interpretation, which is the Council of Ministers.
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 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
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.