Article 50 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
المادة 50 من نظام الأحوال المدنية
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.
Official text after amendments (Arabic)
Compiled from the original text and every officially published amendment; the amendments are shown in full below for comparison.
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، وذلك وفقاً 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 50 explained in plain English
This Article regulates obtaining the family register after marriage, and contains two rules:
- The right to request for both spouses: either spouse, the husband or the wife, may request the family register from the civil status department. The wife can submit the request and it does not depend on the husband.
- The husband's responsibility for delay: if the husband does not apply for the register within sixty days of the date of the marriage contract, responsibility falls on him. The Article gives the right to both parties, but places on the husband alone the consequence of not applying within the period.
All of this is as the Implementing Regulations specify. The Article does not state the kind of responsibility that follows delay, nor the procedures and documents for the request; these are learned from the Implementing Regulations and the other provisions of the Law.
Its relationship to neighboring Articles:
- Article 49 provides that, where one spouse is a Saudi and the other is not, registration follows rules set by the Implementing Regulations.
- Article 51 requires authorized marriage officiants to notify the civil status department at the end of each week with a statement of marriage, divorce and revocation events with a copy of the document, and requires court clerks to give a similar notification about judgments of dissolution, khul, establishing lineage and declaring a missing person dead.
Anyone with a problem in obtaining the family register may contact civil status or consult a lawyer who specializes in personal status.
Practical example
Majed concluded his marriage contract in Taif, and two months passed after the contract without his requesting the family register. His wife may apply for the register herself from civil status, but responsibility for not requesting it within sixty days of the date of the contract falls on Majed, as the Implementing Regulations specify.
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 50 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
Can the wife obtain the family register herself?
Yes. The Article allows either spouse to request the family register from the civil status department.
What is the period for requesting the family register after marriage?
Sixty days from the date of the marriage contract, and responsibility falls on the husband if he does not apply within it.
What follows from delay in requesting the family register?
The Article provides that responsibility falls on the husband as the Implementing Regulations specify, without stating what kind of responsibility this is.
Amendment history
Amendment
Official amendment text (Arabic)
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، وذلك وفقاً لما تحدده اللائحة التنفيذية.
Original text before the amendments (Arabic)
يجب على الزوج مراجعة إحدى إدارات الأحوال المدنية خلال ستين يوما من تاريخ عقد الزواج وذلك للحصول على دفتر عائلة.
More articles on Family Record
- Article 42
The Article requires the births registrar to notify his department weekly with a statement of birth events and the certificate copies, and requires the department to record them within three days on the child's father's page.
يجب على كاتب سجل المواليد في نهاية كل أسبوع إشعار إدارة الأحوال المدنية التي يتبعها ببيان على النموذج المعد لذلك يتضمن جميع واقعات الولادة التي قيدها في سجله مع
- Article 43
The Article requires the birth certificate to be presented within 15 days of receiving it to one of the civil status departments, to check it, stamp it with the directorate's seal and add the newborn to the family record book.
يجب تقديم شهادة الميلاد الصادرة من كاتب سجل المواليد خلال خمسة عشر يوما من تاريخ تسلمها إلى إحدى إدارات الأحوال المدنية لمطابقة قيدها في السجل وختمها بخاتم المد
- Article 58
The Article requires the death certificate, with the deceased's card and the family record book, to be presented to civil status within fifteen days of its issue, to be stamped, the card withdrawn and the book annotated.
يجب تقديم شهادة الوفاة الصادرة من كاتب سجل الوفيات مع بطاقة المتوفى الشخصية ودفتر العائلة الذي يضم اسمه إلى إحدى إدارات الأحوال المدنية وذلك خلال خمسة عشر يوما
- Article 72
The Article requires every Saudi head of family, subject to Article 50, to go to civil status within three years of the Law coming into force to obtain the family record book issued from the central civil register.
مع مراعاة حكم المادة (50) من هذا النظام يجب على كل رب أسرة سعودي مراجعة إحدى دوائر الأحوال المدنية خلال ثلاث سنوات من تاريخ نفاذ هذا النظام للحصول على دفتر يتضم
- Article 73
The Article prohibits a citizen from having more than one entry in the central civil register, more than one personal card or family record book, or using a card or book that is not his.
لا يجوز أن يكون لأي مواطن غير قيد واحد في السجل المدني المركزي ، كما لا يجوز له حيازة أكثر من بطاقة شخصية واحدة، أو أكثر من دفتر عائلة واحد، أو استعمال بطاقة أو
- Article 74Amended (1426 AH)
The Article gives the family record book for an unlimited period, with a replacement book for heirs on its holder's death, refers the validity period of the personal card to the Regulations and requires renewal within 180 days before expiry.
1 - يعطى دفتر العائلة لمدة غير محددة، وإذا توفي صاحبه يسحب ويصرف بدلا منه دفتر عائلة آخر باسم المتوفى لكل من يرغب من ورثته المضافين فيه، على أن يؤثر مكان الصورة
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.