Article 21 of the Saudi Minors' Property Guardianship Law
المادة 21 من نظام الولاية على أموال القاصرين
The article requires doctors, hospital directors and administrative and judicial authorities to notify the Authority within three days at most of cases of partial or total loss of capacity arising from a mental disability.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يجب على الأطباء ومديري المستشفيات والسلطات الإدارية والقضائية أن يبلغوا الهيئة خلال ثلاثة أيام على الأكثر عن حالات نقص الأهلية أو فقدها الناشئة عن عاهة عقلية بمجرد ثبوت ذلك لديهم أثناء تأدية أعمالهم.
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 21 explained in plain English
This article extends the duty to notify to professional and official bodies, so that the funds of someone who has lost capacity because of a mental disability do not remain unprotected.
Who must notify?
- Doctors.
- Hospital directors.
- Administrative authorities.
- Judicial authorities.
About what? About cases of partial or total loss of capacity arising from a mental disability. The provision does not cover every illness, only those from which a partial or total loss of capacity arises because of a mental disability.
When? As soon as it is established to them in the course of their work, and within three days at most.
The duty is tied to what they learn by virtue of their work, such as a doctor who establishes while treating a patient that he has lost capacity because of a mental disability.
This article is a link in the chain of notification: before it, Article 20 requires the executor or guardian of an unborn child to report the end of the pregnancy term or the birth, and after it, Article 22 requires courts to notify the Authority within three days of the executors, curators, guardians and supervisors they appoint, so that it can oversee their dealings.
Notification does not in itself mean placing the person under interdiction; the provision is limited to the duty to inform the Authority. Anyone with a relative in this situation can consult a lawyer who specializes in personal status and estates to learn the procedures concerning his funds.
Practical example
An elderly man was admitted to a hospital in Khobar, and the treating doctor established during treatment that he had lost capacity because of a mental disability. Under this article the doctor or the hospital director must notify the Authority within three days at most.
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 21 of the Saudi Minors' Property Guardianship Law
Must a hospital notify the Guardianship Authority about a mentally ill patient?
Doctors and hospital directors must notify the Authority within three days at most of cases of partial or total loss of capacity arising from a mental disability once these are established to them in the course of their work.
Who other than doctors must make this notification?
Administrative and judicial authorities as well.
Does the notification cover every illness?
No. The provision concerns cases of partial or total loss of capacity arising from a mental disability.
More articles on Reporting Minors and Absentees
- Article 19
The article requires adult heirs, relatives living with the deceased, officials and others to notify the Authority within three days at most of the death of anyone who left minors or those treated like them.
يجب على ورثة المتوفى البالغين أو الأقارب المقيمين معه في معيشة واحدة أو الموظفين العموميين الذين أثبتوا الوفاة أو غيرهم أن يبلغوا الهيئة خلال ثلاثة أيام على الأ
- Article 20
The article requires the executor or guardian of an unborn child to notify the Authority within three days at most of the end of the pregnancy term or of the child's birth, alive or dead.
بجب على الوصي أو الولي على الحمل أن يبلغ الهيئة خلال ثلاثة أيام على الأكثر بانقضاء مدة الحمل أو بانفصاله حيا أو ميتا.
- Article 22
The article requires courts to notify the Authority within three days at most of the executors, curators, guardians and supervisors they appoint, so that it can oversee their dealings.
على المحاكم أن تبلغ الهيئة خلال ثلاثة أيام على الأكثر عن الأوصياء والقيمين والأولياء والنظار الذين عينتهم هذه المحاكم؛ لتتمكن الهيئة من الإشراف على تصرفاتهم طبق
- Article 23
The article requires all governmental and non-governmental bodies to supply the Authority with the data and documents it requests that relate to its jurisdiction or to those covered by the Law.
على جميع الجهات الحكومية وغير الحكومية موافاة الهيئة بما تطلبه من بيانات ومستندات تتصل باختصاصها أو بالمشمولين بهذا النظام.
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.