Article 78 of the Saudi Civil Status Law

المادة 78 من نظام الأحوال المدنية

The article punishes violators of the Civil Status Law with the penalties set out in the following articles, without prejudice to any harsher penalty under other laws.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

مع عدم الإخلال بما تقضي به الأنظمة الأخرى من عقوبات أشد يعاقب مخالفو أحكام هذا النظام بالعقوبات المحددة في المواد التالية.

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 78 explained in plain English

This article is the gateway to the penalty provisions of the Law, and it sets two rules:

The penalty is the one set out in the following articles: violators of the provisions of this Law are punished with the penalties stated in the articles that follow it; the article itself does not set any specific penalty.
Harsher penalties are not affected: if the same act is punishable under another law with a harsher penalty, the penalties in the Civil Status Law do not prevent that harsher penalty from being applied.

An example of the penalties this article refers to is found in Article 79, which punishes with imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months and a fine not exceeding SAR 10,000, or either of these two penalties:

Anyone who gives incorrect information in any of the statements required for the implementation of this Law.
Anyone who violates the provision of Article 73 of the Law.

This article comes after Article 77, which requires that, when a holder loses Saudi nationality for any reason, the personal ID card and the family record book be submitted so that the card can be withdrawn and the book annotated or withdrawn.

Because determining the penalty that applies to a particular violation, and considering whether a harsher penalty exists under another law, requires a study of the facts, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specialized in criminal 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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