Article 60 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
المادة 60 من نظام الأحوال المدنية
The Article allows the Minister of Interior, three months after a ship sinks, a plane crashes or a disaster, to issue a decision that those aboard are missing; their death is established only by a Sharia judgment.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
إذا غرقت باخرة أو سقطت طائرة وفقد بعض الركاب أو الملاحين أو حدثت كوارث فقد فيها أشخاص ولم يمكن القيام بإجراءات قيد الوفيات وفقا لما سبق يتخذ وزير الداخلية بعد ثلاثة أشهر من تاريخ الحادث قرارا بفقد الأشخاص الذين كانوا فيها مع ذكر أسمائهم وإشعار إدارة الأحوال المدنية المختصة للتأشير بذلك على قيودهم، ولكن لا تثبت الوفاة إلا بصدور حكم شرعي بذلك.
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 60 explained in plain English
This Article deals with a special case in which the ordinary death-registration procedures cannot be applied because the persons or their bodies are not found, such as:
- a ship sinking and some of its passengers or crew going missing;
- a plane crashing and some of its passengers or crew going missing;
- disasters in which persons went missing.
The condition: that the death-registration procedures cannot be carried out under the preceding provisions of the Law.
The procedure:
- After three months from the date of the incident, the Minister of Interior issues a decision that the persons who were in it are missing, stating their names.
- The competent civil status department is notified so as to annotate the missing status on their entries.
An important distinction: the Minister's decision establishes only the missing status; death is established only by a Sharia judgment to that effect. Annotating the entry with the missing status is not a registration of death.
This is linked to Article 59, which requires hospitals and the bodies concerned to send the death certificate to civil status if the death occurred with them and they carried out the burial, that is, in cases where the death is established and known.
The Article does not set out the procedure for obtaining a Sharia judgment of death, so the relatives of a missing person will in most cases need to consult a lawyer who specializes in civil status and personal status cases.
Practical example
A number of passengers went missing in a ship sinking and were not found. Three months after the incident the Minister of Interior issues a decision that they are missing, stating their names, and their entries are annotated accordingly, but their death is established only by a Sharia judgment.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
How we write and review contentA question about Article 60 of Civil Status Law?
Describe what happened and specialist lawyers answer. You can write in English.
- Completely free
- Lawyers from the directory answer
- Your name stays hidden
Family & Personal Status Law lawyers: ask a specialist about your case
Describe your situation briefly and we'll suggest a lawyer who specialises in this law
Family & Personal Status Law lawyers
Lawyers who handle this kind of case
Nasser Al-Adhali Law Firm
Active contributor
Dr. Ali Al-Rubaie Law Office and Ittihad Al-Asr Legal Company
Active contributorFrequently asked questions about Article 60 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
When is a decision issued that the passengers of a plane or ship are missing?
Three months after the date of the incident; it is issued by the Minister of Interior, stating the names of the missing.
Does a missing-person decision mean that death is established?
No. Death is established only by a Sharia judgment to that effect.
What happens to the missing persons' entries in civil status?
The competent civil status department is notified of the missing-person decision so as to annotate it on their entries.
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.