Article 5 of the Saudi Civil Service Law
المادة 5 من نظام الخدمة المدنية · الفصل الأول: شغل الوظيفة
The article provides that posts in the Royal Courts are filled by royal order.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يتم شغل وظائف الدواوين الملكية بأمر ملكي.
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 5 explained in plain English
This article deals with a special category of posts, posts in the Royal Courts, and provides that they are filled by royal order. The instrument by which appointment to these posts is made is the royal order.
This article comes within the law's provisions on filling posts. In Article 6 the law deals with the instrument for filling posts by grade: posts of the fourteenth and fifteenth grades are filled by Council of Ministers resolution, and posts of the thirteenth grade and below by resolution of the competent Minister. Posts in the Royal Courts, however, are given their own separate rule in Article 5: they are filled by royal order.
Note that the article deals only with the manner of filling these posts, and does not address the conditions for those appointed to them or the rights or duties of those who hold them. Article 4 sets the general conditions for those appointed to posts, such as nationality, age, medical fitness and qualification, and the text of Article 5 contains no provision on its relation to those conditions.
Anyone in a special situation concerning these posts who needs to know the provisions applicable to them would do well to consult a lawyer specializing in administrative matters and civil service affairs.
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 5 of the Saudi Civil Service Law
How are appointments to posts in the Royal Courts made?
Article 5 provides that posts in the Royal Courts are filled by royal order.
Does Article 5 set the conditions for appointment in the Royal Courts?
No. The article deals only with the instrument for filling these posts, which is the royal order.
How are other posts filled by grade?
Under Article 6, posts of the fourteenth and fifteenth grades are filled by Council of Ministers resolution, and the thirteenth grade and below by resolution of the competent Minister.
More articles on Filling a Public Position
- Article 1
The article makes merit the basis on which employees are selected to fill public posts.
الجدارة هي الأساس في اختيار الموظفين لشغل الوظيفة العامة.
- Article 2
The article charges the Ministry of Civil Service with classifying posts, including contract-line posts, and refers the classification method and filling requirements to rules set by the Regulations.
تصنف وزارة الخدمة المدنية الوظائف، بما فيها وظائف البنود، ويحدد أسلوب تصنيفها ومتطلبات شغلها وفق قواعد تحددها اللائحة
- Article 4
The article sets the general conditions for appointment to government posts, such as nationality, age, fitness, conduct, qualification, no criminal record and no disciplinary dismissal, with specific exceptions.
مع مراعاة ما تقضيه به الأنظمة الأخرى، يشترط فيمن يعين على الوظائف أن يكون: أ- سعودي الجنسية، ويجوز استثناء من ذلك استخدام غير السعودي بصفة مؤقتة في الوظائف التي
- Article 6Amended (1438 AH)
The article identifies who issues the decision to fill posts according to their grade, and allows employees in grades 14 and 15 to be transferred within the body by the Minister's decision after the Prime Minister's approval.
يكون شغل وظائف المرتبتين (الرابعة عشرة) و(الخامسة عشرة) بقرار من مجلس الوزراء، ويكون شغل وظائف المرتبة (الثالثة عشرة) فما دون بقرار من الوزير المختص وفقاً للشرو
- Article 7Amended (1438 AH)
The article requires the Ministry of Civil Service to announce posts of the tenth grade and below and their equivalents and to subject applicants to an evaluation with set standards, and allows a body to announce posts after the two ministers agree.
تعلن وزارة الخدمة المدنية عن الوظائف التي في المرتبة (العاشرة) فما دون وما يعادلها في سلالم رواتب الخدمة المدنية، ويخضع جميع المتقدمين لشغل هذه الوظائف لتقويم ت
- Article 8
The article provides that the appointment decision of an employee who does not start his duties within 15 days of notification, without a legitimate excuse, is canceled and treated as if never made.
الموظف الذي لا يباشر مهمات وظيفته دون عذر مشروع خلال خمسة عشر (15) يومًا من تاريخ إبلاغه قرار التعيين يلغى قرار تعيينه ويعتبر كأن لم يكن.
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.