Article 87 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
المادة 87 من نظام الأحوال المدنية
The article sets the jurisdiction of the Central Civil Status Authority: deciding appeals against sub-committee and local committee decisions, ratifying record inspection minutes, and giving opinions on matters referred by the Minister of Interior.
Official text after amendments (Arabic)
Compiled from the original text and every officially published amendment; the amendments are shown in full below for comparison.
تختص هيئة الأحوال المدنية المركزية بالنظر والفصل في الموضوعات التالية:
أ - الفصل في الطعون الموجهة ضد قرارات اللجان الفرعية والمحلية.
ب - التصديق على محاضر فحص السجلات.
جـ - إبداء الرأي في كل ما يحيله إليها وزير الداخلية من مسائل تتعلق بالأحوال المدنية.
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 87 explained in plain English
This article sets out the jurisdiction of the Central Civil Status Authority.
Composition of the Authority (Article 86): it is formed in the General Directorate of Civil Status, with the Director General of Civil Status as chair and, as members, a counselor from the Board of Grievances appointed by the President of the Board, a legal adviser appointed by the Minister of Interior, and a physician seconded by the Minister of Health.
Its jurisdiction under this article:
- Deciding appeals against decisions of the sub-committees and local committees. A person who is not satisfied with a decision of either committee appeals it before this Authority.
- Ratifying the minutes of record inspections.
- Giving an opinion on every civil status matter that the Minister of Interior refers to it.
Procedures: this article does not state the deadlines for appeal or how it is filed. Article (88) provides that the Implementing Regulations set the procedures required for the committees and the Authority to perform their work well, including the procedures for submitting requests, grievances and appeals and deciding them.
The article was amended by Royal Decree No. M/25 dated 1/6/1422 AH. Anyone who wishes to appeal a committee's decision should verify the prescribed deadlines and procedures, and consult a lawyer specialized in personal status matters when needed.
Practical example
A local civil status committee in Tabuk rejected a request submitted by a citizen. Deciding his appeal against this decision falls within the jurisdiction of the Central Civil Status Authority, and the appeal is filed following the procedures set by the Implementing Regulations.
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 87 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
Where do I appeal a civil status committee decision?
The Central Civil Status Authority has jurisdiction to decide appeals against decisions of the sub-committees and local committees.
What is the jurisdiction of the Central Civil Status Authority?
Deciding appeals against decisions of the sub-committees and local committees, ratifying the minutes of record inspections, and giving an opinion on matters referred to it by the Minister of Interior.
Where do I find the procedures for appealing before the Authority?
Article (88) leaves the procedures for submitting and deciding appeals to the Implementing Regulations.
Amendment history
Royal Decree No. M/25 — 1/6/1422 AH
Official amendment text (Arabic)
عدلت هذه المادة بالمرسوم الملكي رقم (م/25) وتاريخ 1 / 6 / 1422 هـ ، لتكون بالنص الآتى:
تختص هيئة الأحوال المدنية المركزية بالنظر والفصل في الموضوعات التالية:
أ - الفصل في الطعون الموجهة ضد قرارات اللجان الفرعية والمحلية.
ب - التصديق على محاضر فحص السجلات.
جـ - إبداء الرأي في كل ما يحيله إليها وزير الداخلية من مسائل تتعلق بالأحوال المدنية.
Original text before the amendments (Arabic)
تختص هيئة الأحوال المدنية المركزية بالنظر والفصل في الموضوعات التالية:
أ - الفصل في الطعون الموجهة ضد قرارات اللجان الفرعية.
ب - التصديق على محاضر فحص السجلات.
جـ - إبداء الرأي في كل ما يحيله إليها وزير الداخلية من مسائل تتعلق بالأحوال المدنية
More articles on Correcting and Amending Civil Status Entries
- Article 14
The article sets the rules of writing in the events registers and the certificates extracted from them, prohibits scraping and alteration, and allows correcting an oversight during registration by a light strike-through and a signed marginal note.
يكون القيد في سجلات الواقعات وكتابة الشهادات والوثائق المستخرجة منها بالحبر الثابت وبخط واضح مع تدوين التواريخ بالأرقام وبالحروف، ولا يجوز اختصار الكلمات أو است
- Article 15Amended (1422 AH)
The article prevents amending the main civil event entries after registration is complete except by decision of the sub-committee, and allows amending the derived data on the basis of official documents.
فيما عدا ما يقتضيه التصحيح أثناء التسجيل وفقا للمنصوص عليه في المادة (24) لا يجوز بعد تمام التسجيل إجراء أي إضافة أو حذف أو تعديل أو تغيير في قيود الواقعات المد
- Article 27
The Article makes civil register clerks responsible for alteration, forgery, addition and erasure in their registers, requires the offender to be pursued and a correction suit filed before the Authority, and allows an interested person to file it and claim compensation.
كتاب السجلات المدنية مسئولون عن كل تحريف أو تزوير أو إضافة أو شطب يحدث في السجلات التي بعهدتهم، وإذا تولى السجل أكثر من واحد اعتبروا متضامنين في المحافظة عليه و
- Article 40Amended (1422 AH)
The Article requires whoever is entrusted with a foundling's care to notify the civil status office within 15 days, provides for handing over his birth certificate without stating that he is a foundling, and for correcting his entry when his parents become known.
يجب على المؤسسة أو الشخص الذي عهد إليه برعاية الطفل اللقيط تبليغ مكتب الأحوال المدنية المختص بذلك خلال خمسة عشر يوما من تاريخ تسلمه اللقيط. وعلى كاتب السجل قيده
- Article 75
The Article requires a citizen, within sixty days of any civil event that changes the details of his card or family record book, to present them to civil status for amendment or replacement, and prohibits fraudulently using the old detail.
يجب على كل مواطن عند حدوث أية واقعة مدنية يترتب عليها مغايرة أحد بيانات بطاقته الشخصية، أو دفتر العائلة الذي في حوزته أن يقدمها إلى أي إدارة من دوائر الأحوال ال
- Article 82Amended (1422 AH)
The article provides for local committees in civil status departments and offices and sub-committees in the regions, formed by decision of the Minister of Interior, and states their members from the Interior, Justice and Health.
أ - تشكل بقرار من وزير الداخلية وبقدر الحاجة لجان محلية في كل إدارة أو مكتب للأحوال المدنية، وتتكون كل لجنة من: 1 - مندوب من إدارة الأحوال المدنية يعينه وزير ال
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.