Article 93 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
المادة 93 من نظام الأحوال المدنية
As an exception to the reporting periods in the Law, the article allows the Minister of Interior to specify cases in which the reporting period is extended, according to controls set by the Implementing Regulations.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
استثناء من أحكام المواد المتعلقة بتحديد مدة التبليغ عن الواقعات الواردة في هذا النظام يجوز لوزير الداخلية تعيين الحالات التي يرى تمديد فترة التبليغ عنها وفقا لضوابط تحددها اللائحة التنفيذية.
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 93 explained in plain English
The Civil Status Law sets periods for reporting civil events, and this article comes as an exception to the provisions on those periods.
- Who has the power: the Minister of Interior.
- What the power covers: specifying the cases in which he sees fit to extend the reporting period.
- The limit on the power: it must be done according to controls set by the Implementing Regulations.
Two practical consequences follow:
- The extension is not an automatic right of the person required to report; it concerns cases specified by the Minister of Interior.
- The article does not specify these cases or the length of the extension, but leaves them to the Minister's discretion within the controls of the Implementing Regulations, so the Regulations must be consulted for the details.
Related articles include:
- Article 92, which provides for issuing birth and death certificates under the Law after it takes effect, with the health offices continuing to issue them until jurisdiction is gradually transferred to the civil status offices within five years, which may be amended by decision of the Council of Ministers.
- Article 94, which makes the Minister of Interior the one who issues the regulations and implementing decisions of the Law, and they are published in the Official Gazette.
Anyone who was late in reporting an event and wants to know whether his case is covered by an extension would do well to contact the civil status authorities or consult a lawyer specialized in civil status 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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Active contributorFrequently asked questions about Article 93 of the Saudi Civil Status Law
Can the period for reporting births or deaths be extended?
The Minister of Interior may specify the cases in which he sees fit to extend the reporting period, according to controls set by the Implementing Regulations.
Is an extension a right of everyone who was late in reporting?
The article does not provide for an automatic right; the extension concerns cases specified by the Minister of Interior according to the controls of the Regulations.
Where do I find the controls for extending the reporting period?
The article leaves setting these controls to the Implementing Regulations of the Law.
More articles on Registering Civil Events
- 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 16Amended by M/198
The Article requires the biometric features of Saudis who have reached the age of six to be recorded when entries are amended or civil statuses and events are registered, and leaves the rules to the Implementing Regulations.
عند تعديل القيود أو تسجيل الحالات والواقعات المدنية، تُسجّل الخصائص الحيوية لمن بلغ سن (السادسة) من السعوديين. وتحدد اللائحة التنفيذية الضوابط اللازمة لما ورد ف
- Article 17
The Article requires every citizen holding a family record book to go to the civil status office with the information and documents needed to register himself and his family, and every citizen to report future events within the legal period.
يجب على كل مواطن يحمل حفيظة نفوس أن يتقدم إلى إحدى دوائر الأحوال المدنية بجميع المعلومات والوثائق اللازمة لتسجيله وأفراد أسرته، وعلى كل مواطن التبليغ عن جميع ال
- Article 18
The Article requires registrars to record every civil event as soon as it is reported, with the date of the entry, and the entry must include the reporter's name, surname, age, residence, capacity and the date of the report.
يجب على كتاب السجلات قيد كل واقعة مدنية عند التبليغ عنها مباشرة مع تحديد تاريخ القيد يوم حصوله، ويجب أن يتضمن القيد اسم المبلغ ولقبه وسنه ومحل إقامته وصفته في ا
- Article 19Amended (1422 AH)
The Article sets the procedure when a registrar refuses to record a civil event: he refers the matter within 7 days, the head decides within 30 days, and the interested person may file a grievance with the sub-committee.
إذا رفض كاتب السجل المنوط به القيد – قيد أية واقعة مدنية - وجب عليه خلال سبعة أيام رفع الأمر إلى الإدارة التي يتبعها بمذكرة مسببة. وعلى مدير الإدارة أن يبدي رأي
- Article 20Amended (1422 AH)
The Article regulates recording a civil event reported late: before its first year ends the registrar records it after verification; after a year it is recorded only by decision of the local committee.
عند التبليغ عن واقعة مدنية بعد فوات المدة المحددة وقبل نهاية السنة الأولى لحدوثها، فعلى كاتب السجل أن يتثبت من صحة وقوعها في التاريخ المبلغ عنه، وله في هذا السب
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.