Article 3 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
المادة 3 من نظام الأحوال المدنية
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تقوم إدارات ومكاتب الأحوال المدنية بتسجيل الحالات والواقعات المدنية وإصدار البطاقات الشخصية ودفاتر العائلة وفق أحكام هذا النظام ولائحته 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 3 explained in plain English
This article identifies the competent body for civil status work on the ground, which is the civil status departments and offices, and assigns them three main tasks:
- Registering civil statuses and events, such as birth, marriage, divorce and death.
- Issuing personal ID cards.
- Issuing family record books.
The article requires that this be done in accordance with the provisions of this law and its Implementing Regulations; that is, the detailed procedures for each task are drawn from the law itself and the regulations, not from an employee's own judgment.
Article 2 explains the difference between the two bodies: the civil status department is the Directorate's branch in the region, tasked within its area of jurisdiction with registering the civil statuses of the region's residents, while the civil status office is the body tasked with recording events in the events register and is attached to one of the civil status departments. Article 4 adds that these offices are established by decision of the Minister of Interior as needed, and the decision determines the department to which each office is attached.
In practice, this article means that anyone who wants to register a civil event or obtain a personal ID card or family record book goes to these bodies.
Practical example
Saad, a citizen in Jeddah, has had a baby girl and needs to register her and add her to the family record book. Under this article, the body competent to register and issue the family record book is the civil status departments and offices, and the procedures are carried out in accordance with the law and its 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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Active contributorFrequently asked questions about Article 3 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
Which body issues the personal ID card and family record book?
The civil status departments and offices, in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Status Law and its Implementing Regulations.
What is the difference between a civil status department and a civil status office?
The department is the Directorate's branch in the region, tasked with registering the civil statuses of its residents, while the office is a body that records events in the events register and is attached to one of the departments, as Article 2 defines them.
Are civil status procedures subject to the Implementing Regulations?
Yes. The article provides that this work is carried out in accordance with the provisions of the law and its Implementing Regulations.
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 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
- Article 7
The article requires event registers to be prepared in the civil status offices to record Saudis' events, and other separate registers for foreigners' events inside the Kingdom.
تعد بمكاتب الأحوال المدنية سجلات لتسجيل الواقعات المدنية للسعوديين وسجلات أخرى مستقلة للأجانب تدون فيها الواقعات المدنية التي تحصل لهم داخل المملكة.
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.