Article 4 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
المادة 4 من نظام الأحوال المدنية
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يعاون إدارات الأحوال المدنية في أداء مسئولياتها مكاتب للأحوال المدنية تنشأ بقرار من وزير الداخلية حسب مقتضى الحاجة، ويعين القرار إدارة الأحوال المدنية التي يتبعها كل مكتب للأحوال.
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 4 explained in plain English
This article regulates how civil status offices are established and their relationship to the civil status departments, and contains three provisions:
- The function of the offices: assisting the civil status departments in performing their responsibilities.
- The instrument of establishment: the offices are established by decision of the Minister of Interior, as the need requires. No particular number of offices is required; the assessment of need is left to the Minister.
- Attachment: the establishing decision itself determines the civil status department to which each office is attached.
This article complements Article 3, which assigns to the civil status departments and offices the registration of civil statuses and events and the issuing of personal ID cards and family record books. The departments are the origin, and the offices are a tool to assist them and bring the service closer. Article 5 also indicates that the Kingdom's representations abroad assume the responsibility of the civil status offices with regard to registering the events of Saudis residing in their area of jurisdiction.
This article is organizational and concerns government bodies mainly, and does not place a direct obligation on individuals, but it is useful in knowing that each office has a department to which it is attached and which can be referred to.
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 4 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
Who has the power to establish a civil status office?
The Minister of Interior, by a decision issued as the need requires.
Does every civil status office have a department it is attached to?
Yes. The decision establishing the office determines the civil status department to which it is attached.
What is the role of the civil status offices?
Assisting the civil status departments in performing their responsibilities, including registering the civil statuses and events mentioned in Article 3.
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 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.