Article 46 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
المادة 46 من نظام الأحوال المدنية
The Article requires marriage contracts, and divorce, revocation, khul and dissolution documents and judgments, to be presented to civil status within two months if one party is a Saudi.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يجب تقديم عقد الزواج ووثيقة الطلاق والرجعة والأحكام الصادرة بالمخالعات والتطليق متى كان طرفاها أو أحدهما سعوديا إلى أحد مكاتب الأحوال المدنية وذلك خلال شهرين من تاريخها لتسجيلها وختمها بخاتم الأحوال المدنية.
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 46 explained in plain English
This Article sets out which marriage and marriage-ending events must be registered with civil status, and the period for doing so.
The documents covered:
- the marriage contract;
- the divorce document;
- the revocation (return to the marriage) document;
- judgments issued for mutual release (khul) and for dissolution (tatliq).
When must they be presented? If both parties to the event are Saudis, or one of them is a Saudi.
To where? To one of the civil status offices; no particular office is required.
The period: two months from the date of the document or judgment, in order to register it and stamp it with the civil status seal.
As to who makes the report, Article 47 sets it out: the report is by the husband or the wife, the husband's father, the wife's father or one of their relatives may perform the duty of reporting, and the responsibility to report lapses where there is an electronic link between the civil status department and the competent court.
The importance of registration is that the event is entered in the spouses' civil status records, which is reflected in their official data. To learn the effect of being late in a particular case, a lawyer who specializes in civil status and personal status cases may be consulted.
Practical example
Sarah obtained a khul judgment from her Saudi husband. The judgment must be presented to one of the civil status offices within two months of its date; the duty to report falls on Sarah as it does on her husband, and her father may perform it.
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 46 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
What is the period for registering a marriage contract with civil status?
The marriage contract must be presented to one of the civil status offices within two months of its date if both parties or one of them is a Saudi.
Must divorce and khul be registered with civil status?
Yes. The divorce and revocation documents and the judgments of khul and dissolution must be presented within two months of their date to be registered and stamped.
Can the wife register the divorce herself?
Yes. Article 47 places the report on the husband or the wife, and the father of either spouse or one of their relatives may perform it.
More articles on Registering Marriage and Divorce
- Article 47
The Article requires the husband or wife to report marriage, divorce, revocation, dissolution and khul, allows their parents or relatives to do so, and lifts this duty where there is an electronic link with the competent court.
أ- على الزوج أو الزوجة التبليغ عن حالة الزواج أو الطلاق أو الرجعة أو التطليق أو المخالعة، ويجوز لوالد الزوج أو والد الزوجة أو أحد أقربائهما القيام بواجب التبليغ
- Article 48
The Article requires the civil status department to record the content of a marriage contract, or a revocation, divorce, dissolution or khul document or judgment, on the spouses' entry as soon as it receives it.
على إدارة الأحوال المدنية فور تسلمها عقد الزواج أو وثيقة الرجعة أو الطلاق أو حكم التطليق أو المخالعة تدوين مضمونها على قيد الزوجين.
- Article 49
The Article refers the registration of a marriage in which one spouse is Saudi and the other is not to rules set by the Implementing Regulations.
إذا كان أحد الزوجين سعوديا والآخر غير سعودي فيكون التسجيل وفقا لقواعد تحددها اللائحة التنفيذية.
- Article 50
The Article allows either spouse to request the family register from civil status, and makes the husband responsible if it is not requested within sixty days of the marriage contract, as the Implementing Regulations specify.
لأي من الزوجين طلب الحصول على سجلّ الأسرة من إدارة الأحوال المدنية، وتقع المسؤولية على الزوج إذا لم يتقدم بطلب استخراجه خلال ستين يوماً من تاريخ عقد الزواج، وذل
- Article 51
The Article requires authorized marriage officiants and court clerks to notify civil status weekly of marriage, divorce, revocation, dissolution and khul events and judgments establishing lineage and declaring a missing person dead.
يجب على المأذونين الشرعيين في نهاية كل أسبوع إشعار إدارة الأحوال المدنية التي يتبعونها ببيان على النموذج المعد لذلك يتضمن جميع واقعات الزواج والطلاق والرجعة مع
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.