Article 25 of the Saudi Military Retirement Law

This article sets out how the age of beneficiaries of a retirement pension is determined, that is, those entitled to a pension through the pensioner, such as children and siblings. This is based on one of two documents:

• the birth certificate, or
• the civil status record of their father.

The importance of this article is that the entitlement of some beneficiaries to the pension is tied to age. Article 24 provides that the pension due to male sons, sons of a son and brothers is cut off when they reach 21, and continues for a regular student in secondary or higher education or a recognized equivalent until he reaches 26 or graduates, whichever is earlier. Knowing age accurately therefore determines when a pension ends or continues.

Note that the article mentions "the civil status record of their father", because beneficiaries who are young may be registered in their father's civil status record.

The article does not address the case where the day of birth is unknown or where the two documents differ, and does not say which takes precedence in a conflict.

It is followed by Article 26, which regulates the case of a military pensioner being returned to service in a post subject to the provisions of the law: payment of his pension is suspended and his later service is added to his earlier service. Someone who has a dispute over the age of a beneficiary that affects his pension may contact the General Retirement Organization, or consult a lawyer who specializes in administrative cases.