Article 23 of the Saudi Elderly Rights and Care Law

This article sets the Law's effective date, that is, when its provisions become binding. The rule is that the Law takes effect 90 days after the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.

This means:

• The starting point for the count is the date of publication in the Official Gazette.
• During this period the Law has been published, but its provisions do not start to apply until it has passed.
• Once the period has passed, the rights and obligations the Law sets become effective, such as the elderly person's right to live with their family, the caregiver's duties, and the penalties for violators.

This article is linked to Article 22, which requires the Minister to issue the Implementing Regulations within 90 days of the date the Law is published in the Official Gazette, and provides that the Regulations take effect from the date the Law takes effect. So the two periods are equal and start from the same publication date, so that the Regulations and the Law begin at the same time.

The article does not state a specific date, so anyone who wants to know the day the Law took effect should refer to the date of its publication in the Official Gazette and count 90 days after it. Anyone with a matter whose outcome depends on the effective date would do well to consult a lawyer specializing in personal status cases and the rights of the elderly.