Article 58 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
المادة 58 من نظام الأحوال المدنية
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and the family record book, to be presented to civil status within fifteen days of its issue, to be stamped, the card withdrawn and the book annotated.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
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 من تاريخ صدور الشهادة لمطابقة قيدها في السجل وختمها بخاتم المديرية وسحب بطاقة المتوفى الشخصية والتأشير على اسمه في دفتر العائلة الذي يضمه.
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 58 explained in plain English
After the death certificate is issued by the deaths registrar, this Article sets out the next step the deceased's family must take.
What is presented?
- The death certificate issued by the deaths registrar.
- The deceased's personal card.
- The family record book that includes the deceased's name.
To where? To one of the civil status departments.
When? Within fifteen days of the date the certificate was issued, not from the date of death.
What does the department do?
- Checks the certificate's entry in the register.
- Stamps it with the directorate's seal.
- Withdraws the deceased's personal card.
- Annotates his name in the family record book that includes it.
This Article complements Article 57, which requires the deaths registrar to draw up the certificate in two copies without referring to the causes of death unless the interested person wishes, to hand a copy to the reporter and to send the other to the deceased's file. Article 59 also requires hospitals and similar bodies to send the death certificate to the civil status department in their region if the death occurred with them and they carried out the burial procedures.
If you face difficulty in presenting the card or the book, for example if they are lost, you may contact civil status or consult a lawyer who specializes in civil status and personal status cases.
Practical example
Hind received her husband's death certificate on the 1st of the month. She must present the certificate, with his personal card and the family record book, to one of the civil status departments within fifteen days, whereupon his card is withdrawn and his name is annotated in the family record book.
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 58 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
What do I do with the deceased's ID card?
It is presented, with the death certificate and the family record book, to one of the civil status departments to be withdrawn.
What is the period for presenting the death certificate to civil status?
Fifteen days from the date the certificate was issued by the deaths registrar.
What happens to the deceased's name in the family record book?
The civil status department annotates his name in the family record book that includes it.
More articles on Death Registration and Burial
- Article 38Amended (1422 AH)
The Article requires the birth of a newborn who dies before being recorded to be registered, followed by his death, and requires a child born dead after the sixth month of pregnancy to be recorded in the register of deaths as stillborn.
إذا توفي مولود قبل قيده في السجل، وجب تسجيل ولادته ثم تسجيل وفاته. أما إذا ولد ميتا بعد الشهر السادس من الحمل فيقيد في سجل الوفيات بأنه ولد ميتا.
- Article 52
The Article requires reporting, within the legal periods, every death in the Kingdom and every Saudi who dies abroad, including children born dead after the sixth month of pregnancy.
يجب التبليغ خلال المدد المحددة في هذا النظام عن جميع الوفيات الحادثة في المملكة وعن السعوديين المتوفين في الخارج، ويشمل ذلك الأطفال الذين يولدون أمواتا بعد الشه
- Article 53
The Article names those required to report a death, starting with electronically linked health facilities, then relatives and others, with responsibility following the order so that it lapses for any group when the group before it exists.
المكلفون بالتبليغ عن الوفاة هم: أ- المنشآت الصحية المرتبطة إلكترونياً بالأحوال المدنية وفق ما تحدده اللائحة التنفيذية. ب- أصول أو فروع أو زوج المتوفى أو أي من أ
- Article 54
The Article sets the period for reporting a death at fifteen days at any civil status office, and thirty days if the death occurs in a place more than fifty kilometers from the nearest office.
يكون التبليغ عن الوفاة لدى أي مكتب من مكاتب الأحوال المدنية على النموذج المعد خلال خمسة عشر يوما من تاريخ الوفاة، وتكون هذه المهلة ثلاثين يوما إذا حدثت الوفاة ف
- Article 55
The Article requires a death occurring outside the Kingdom to be reported within fifteen days of arrival, to the competent Saudi representation or, on return, to any civil status office in the Kingdom.
إذا حدثت الوفاة خارج المملكة وجب التبليغ عنها خلال خمسة عشر يوما من تاريخ الوصول، ويوجه التبليغ إلى الممثلية السعودية المختصة في البلد الذي يقصده المسافر، وفي ح
- Article 56
As an exception, the Article allows a death abroad, far from the seat of the Saudi representation, to be reported by registered mail, provided a death certificate from the competent authority there is attached.
استثناء مما سبق إذا حدثت الوفاة في الخارج في جهة بعيدة عن مقر الممثلية السعودية جاز التبليغ عنها بوساطة البريد المسجل بشرط أن يكون التبليغ مصحوبا بشهادة وفاة من
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.