Article 49 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
المادة 49 من نظام الأحوال المدنية
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
إذا كان أحد الزوجين سعوديا والآخر غير سعودي فيكون التسجيل وفقا لقواعد تحددها 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 49 explained in plain English
This Article deals with a special case of marriage registration: where one of the spouses is a Saudi and the other is not, whether the husband or the wife is the Saudi.
The Article itself does not set detailed procedures for this registration, but provides that registration is made according to rules set by the Implementing Regulations. The conditions, documents and steps for this case are therefore not known from the text of the Law but from the Implementing Regulations.
This is understood in light of the neighboring Articles:
- Article 48 requires the civil status department, as soon as it receives a marriage contract, a revocation or divorce document, or a dissolution or khul judgment, to record its content on the spouses' entry.
- Article 50 provides that the husband is responsible if the family register is not requested within sixty days of the date of the marriage contract.
Anyone in this situation should refer to what the Implementing Regulations set and to the procedures approved by civil status, and may, where needed, consult a lawyer who specializes in civil status and personal status cases.
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 49 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
How is the marriage of a Saudi to a non-Saudi registered?
Registration follows rules set by the Implementing Regulations; the Law does not set out the procedural details in this Article.
Does the Article apply if the wife is the Saudi?
Yes. The text covers any marriage in which one spouse is a Saudi and the other is not.
More articles on Registering Marriage and Divorce
- Article 46
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.
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
- 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 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.