Article 12 of the Saudi Military Retirement Law
المادة 12 من نظام التقاعد العسكري
The article allows the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, on the Minister's request, to suspend the application of Article 11 on retirement age for specific periods.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يجوز بأمر من القائد الأعلى للقوات المسلحة بناء على طلب الوزير وقف العمل بأحكام المادة (11) لفترة أو فترات معينة..
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 12 explained in plain English
This article grants an exceptional power to suspend the application of the age for referral to retirement:
- What is suspended? The application of the provisions of Article 11.
- Who has the power to suspend? The Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, by his order.
- Based on what? On the request of the Minister.
- For how long? For a specific period or periods.
Article 11 is the article that sets the age for officers' referral to retirement by rank, with a lower age for pilots (for example: captain 48 and a pilot 46, colonel 54 and a pilot 52, major general 58 and a pilot 56), and the age for enlisted personnel's referral (for example: private and private first class 44, sergeant and staff sergeant 50, sergeant major 52), and it makes the retirement of the rank of lieutenant general and above by royal order on the proposal of the Minister.
If an order is issued suspending the application of Article 11, a military person is not retired merely on reaching the age specified in it, for the whole period specified in the order. The suspension is for a specific period or periods; it is not a permanent repeal of the article.
The article does not mention the reasons on which the request is based, nor does it set a maximum length for the period. Anyone who wants to know whether an order of this kind applies to him should refer to his military body.
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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Frequently asked questions about Article 12 of the Saudi Military Retirement Law
Can the referral of military personnel to retirement on reaching the age be suspended?
Yes. The Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces may, by order and on the Minister's request, suspend the application of Article 11 for a specific period or periods.
Is the suspension of the retirement age permanent?
No. The article provides that the suspension is for a specific period or periods.
Articles this article refers to
More articles on Retirement Age
- Article 11
The article sets the age at which officers are retired by rank, with a lower age for pilots, and the age at which enlisted personnel are retired by rank, with the rank of general and above retired by royal order.
أ ) يحال الضابط إلى التقاعد إذا بلغ السن الآتي بيانها: الرتبةفى القوات المسلحة عدا الطيارينالطيارون ملازم وملازم أول4442 نقيب4846 رائد5048 مقدم5250 عقيد5452 عمي
- Article 13Amended (1423 AH)
An officer may be kept on after retirement age for two years, extendable to four; a medical officer for up to ten years but not past 65; a technical person for five years, extendable by five.
أ ) يجوز إبقاء الضابط في الخدمة بعد بلوغه السن المحددة للإحالة إلى التقاعد لمدة سنتين إذا كان بقاؤه ضروريًّا لصالح العمل، ويتم ذلك بقرار من الوزير بناء على توصي
- Article 14
Age is determined by birth certificate or civil status record; if the day of birth is unknown, age runs from the first day of the seventh month of the Hijri year of birth.
يعتمد في تقدير السن على شهادة الميلاد أو حفيظة النفوس، وإذا كان يوم الميلاد مجهولًا فيحسب العمر من اليوم الأول من الشهر السابع للعام الهجري الذي ولد فيه..
- Article 32
The Chief of the General Staff may keep a retiree on for up to two months to hand over his custody, with an award equal to his salary and allowances; the period is not counted and the pension runs from the referral date.
يجوز لرئيس هيئة الأركان العامة إبقاء المحال إلى التقاعد مدة لا تتجاوز شهرين لتسليم ما بعهدته، وفي هذه الحالة تصرف له مكافأة عن هذه المدة تعادل راتبه الذي كان يت
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.