Article 10 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
المادة 10 من نظام الأحوال المدنية
The article makes the civil registers, their copies and the official documents based on them authoritative in proving what is recorded, unless the contrary or their invalidity is established by a court judgment or a competent official decision.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تعتبر السجلات المدنية بما تحوي من بيانات والصور المستخرجة منها والوثائق الرسمية المستندة عليها حجة في إثبات المعلومات المدونة بها، ما لم يثبت عكسها أو بطلانها بحكم قضائي أو بقرار رسمي يصدر بهذا الشأن من جهة مختصة وفقا لما تحدده اللائحة التنفيذية.
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 10 explained in plain English
This article establishes the evidentiary force of the civil status registers, which is one of the law's most important provisions in practice. The authority covers three things:
- The civil registers and the data they contain.
- The copies extracted from them.
- The official documents based on them.
All of these are authoritative in proving the information recorded in them; that is, the default is that what is in them is correct, and whoever relies on them is not required to prove their correctness anew.
But this authority is not absolute, since it falls away if the contrary, or the invalidity of the data, is established in one of two ways:
- A court judgment.
- An official decision issued in this regard by a competent body in accordance with what the Implementing Regulations specify.
The article itself does not specify the bodies competent to issue these decisions or their procedures, but refers that to the Implementing Regulations. This provision is linked to Article 9, which requires the registers to be numbered and stamped with the Directorate's seal, and to Article 11, which provides for the confidentiality of the registers' data.
Anyone who believes that an entry recorded about him in the register is incorrect and needs to prove the contrary would do well to consult a lawyer who specializes in civil status and personal status cases.
Practical example
Noura submitted an official copy of her birth entry to prove her date of birth before a government entity. This copy is authoritative in proving the date recorded in it, and what is in it is not rejected unless the contrary or its invalidity is established by a court judgment or an official decision of a competent body in accordance with the Implementing Regulations.
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 10 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
Is civil status data authoritative evidence?
Yes. The civil registers and their data, the copies extracted from them and the official documents based on them are authoritative in proving the information recorded in them.
Can the contrary of what is recorded in the civil register be proved?
Yes. The authority falls away if the contrary or the invalidity of the data is established by a court judgment or an official decision of a competent body in accordance with the Implementing Regulations.
Does a copy extracted from the register have the same authority?
Yes. The article provides that copies extracted from the civil registers are authoritative in proving the information recorded in them.
More articles on Civil Register and Event Registers
- Article 1
The article names the law the Civil Status Law and explains that it is concerned with regulating the civil status of Saudi citizens and recording civil events of foreigners inside the Kingdom.
يسمى هذا النظام ( نظام الأحوال المدنية ) وتعنى أحكامه بما يلي: أ - ضبط الحالة المدنية لكل مواطن سعودي، وتسجيل كل ما يتصل بهذه الحالة من الواقعات المدنية التي تط
- Article 2Amended by M/198
The article defines the terms of the Civil Status Law, including event, civil status, registers and committees, and the personal ID card in both its physical and digital forms.
تدل المصطلحات التالية - حيثما وردت في هذا النظام ولائحته التنفيذية - على المعاني المدونة لكل منها: أ - المديرية : هي المديرية العامة للأحوال المدنية المسئولة عن
- Article 3
The article makes the civil status departments and offices the bodies that register civil statuses and events and issue personal ID cards and family record books under the law and its regulations.
تقوم إدارات ومكاتب الأحوال المدنية بتسجيل الحالات والواقعات المدنية وإصدار البطاقات الشخصية ودفاتر العائلة وفق أحكام هذا النظام ولائحته التنفيذية.
- Article 4
The article provides for establishing civil status offices by decision of the Minister of Interior as needed to assist the departments, with the decision determining the department to which each office is attached.
يعاون إدارات الأحوال المدنية في أداء مسئولياتها مكاتب للأحوال المدنية تنشأ بقرار من وزير الداخلية حسب مقتضى الحاجة، ويعين القرار إدارة الأحوال المدنية التي يتبع
- Article 5
The article makes the Kingdom's representations responsible for registering Saudis' events abroad and recognizes a foreign state's registration if it does not conflict with the Kingdom's laws, with a duty to enter it within 180 days.
تتولى ممثليات جلالة الملك مسئولية مكاتب الأحوال المدنية في الخارج فيما يتعلق بتسجيل الواقعات المدنية للسعوديين المقيمين في دائرة اختصاصها في الخارج، ومع هذا فكل
- Article 6
The article establishes a central civil register in which the civil status of every Saudi citizen, inside or outside the Kingdom, is recorded, under an arrangement approved by the Minister of Interior.
ينشأ بمقتضى هذا النظام سجل مدني مركزي تثبت فيه الحالة المدنية لكل مواطن سعودي سواء كان مقيما داخل المملكة أو خارجها، ويتم تنظيم هذا السجل وتصنيفه والقيد فيه وفق
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.