Article 59 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
المادة 59 من نظام الأحوال المدنية
The Article requires hospitals, quarantine stations, nursing homes, prisons, shelters and other bodies concerned to send the death certificate to civil status if the death occurred with them and they carried out the burial.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
على مديري المستشفيات والمحاجر الصحية ومحلات التمريض والسجون والملاجئ أو أي جهة معنية إرسال شهادة الوفاة الصادرة من كاتب سجل الوفيات إلى إدارة الأحوال المدنية في منطقتهم وذلك إذا حدثت الوفاة لديهم وقاموا بإجراءات الدفن.
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 59 explained in plain English
This Article places a duty on certain bodies if a death occurs with them and they themselves carry out the burial procedures. They are:
- hospitals;
- quarantine stations;
- nursing homes;
- prisons;
- shelters;
- any other body concerned.
The duty: to send the death certificate issued by the deaths registrar to the civil status department in their region.
The two conditions: both of the following must be present together:
- the death occurred with this body;
- the body itself carried out the burial procedures.
In ordinary cases, Article 58 provides that the death certificate, with the deceased's personal card and the family record book that includes his name, must be presented to one of the civil status departments within fifteen days of the date the certificate was issued, to check it, stamp it, withdraw the card and annotate the family record book.
To learn what the family must do if a body has taken charge of the burial procedures, you may contact civil status or consult a lawyer who specializes in civil status and personal status cases.
Practical example
A resident of a care home in Madinah died and the home carried out his burial procedures. The home's director must send the death certificate issued by the deaths registrar to the civil status department in the region.
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 59 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
Does the hospital send the death certificate to civil status?
Yes. If the death occurred with it and it carried out the burial procedures, it must send the death certificate to the civil status department in its region.
Which bodies are required to send the death certificate?
Hospitals, quarantine stations, nursing homes, prisons, shelters and any body concerned, whenever the death occurred with them and they took charge of the burial.
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.