Article 8 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
المادة 8 من نظام الأحوال المدنية
The article requires the event registers for Saudis and foreigners to include a births register, a deaths register and a marriage and divorce register, and others may be added by decision of the Minister of Interior.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يجب أن تشمل سجلات الواقعات للسعوديين والأجانب سجلا لتسجيل المواليد وسجلا لتسجيل الوفيات وسجلا لتسجيل الزواج والطلاق، ويمكن إضافة غيرها من سجلات الواقعات للسعوديين والأجانب بقرار من وزير الداخلية.
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 8 explained in plain English
This article sets the minimum registers that the event registers must contain, whether for Saudis or for foreigners, and they are three:
- The births register.
- The deaths register.
- The marriage and divorce register.
The article allows other registers to be added for Saudis and foreigners by decision of the Minister of Interior; the list is not closed, and the article does not say which registers may be added.
This article follows Article 7, which provides for preparing registers for Saudis and separate registers for foreigners in the civil status offices; Article 8 details the content of each of these two groups. Article 9 follows, which requires the pages of these registers to be numbered and stamped with the Directorate's official seal.
It follows from the article that the birth, death, marriage and divorce events of both citizens and foreigners have dedicated registers, which makes it easier to refer to them and to extract what relates to them. The article is organizational and addressed to the civil status bodies, and does not place a direct obligation on individuals; it tells them where their events are recorded.
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 8 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
What registers must the event registers include?
A register for recording births, a register for recording deaths and a register for recording marriage and divorce.
Can other registers be added?
Yes. Other event registers for Saudis and foreigners can be added by decision of the Minister of Interior.
Are foreigners' marriages and divorces recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The article provides that the event registers for foreigners include a register for recording marriage and divorce.
More articles on Civil Register and Event Registers
- Article 1
The article names the law the Civil Status Law and explains that it is concerned with regulating the civil status of Saudi citizens and recording civil events of foreigners inside the Kingdom.
يسمى هذا النظام ( نظام الأحوال المدنية ) وتعنى أحكامه بما يلي: أ - ضبط الحالة المدنية لكل مواطن سعودي، وتسجيل كل ما يتصل بهذه الحالة من الواقعات المدنية التي تط
- Article 2Amended by M/198
The article defines the terms of the Civil Status Law, including event, civil status, registers and committees, and the personal ID card in both its physical and digital forms.
تدل المصطلحات التالية - حيثما وردت في هذا النظام ولائحته التنفيذية - على المعاني المدونة لكل منها: أ - المديرية : هي المديرية العامة للأحوال المدنية المسئولة عن
- Article 3
The article makes the civil status departments and offices the bodies that register civil statuses and events and issue personal ID cards and family record books under the law and its regulations.
تقوم إدارات ومكاتب الأحوال المدنية بتسجيل الحالات والواقعات المدنية وإصدار البطاقات الشخصية ودفاتر العائلة وفق أحكام هذا النظام ولائحته التنفيذية.
- Article 4
The article provides for establishing civil status offices by decision of the Minister of Interior as needed to assist the departments, with the decision determining the department to which each office is attached.
يعاون إدارات الأحوال المدنية في أداء مسئولياتها مكاتب للأحوال المدنية تنشأ بقرار من وزير الداخلية حسب مقتضى الحاجة، ويعين القرار إدارة الأحوال المدنية التي يتبع
- Article 5
The article makes the Kingdom's representations responsible for registering Saudis' events abroad and recognizes a foreign state's registration if it does not conflict with the Kingdom's laws, with a duty to enter it within 180 days.
تتولى ممثليات جلالة الملك مسئولية مكاتب الأحوال المدنية في الخارج فيما يتعلق بتسجيل الواقعات المدنية للسعوديين المقيمين في دائرة اختصاصها في الخارج، ومع هذا فكل
- Article 6
The article establishes a central civil register in which the civil status of every Saudi citizen, inside or outside the Kingdom, is recorded, under an arrangement approved by the Minister of Interior.
ينشأ بمقتضى هذا النظام سجل مدني مركزي تثبت فيه الحالة المدنية لكل مواطن سعودي سواء كان مقيما داخل المملكة أو خارجها، ويتم تنظيم هذا السجل وتصنيفه والقيد فيه وفق
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.