Article 31 of the Saudi Officers Service Law

المادة 31 من نظام خدمة الضباط · الفصل الأول: القواعد العامة للترقية

The article allows the Minister, on the recommendation of the Supreme Officers Committee, to give an officer a temporary higher rank for a post that requires it; he reverts to his rank on leaving the post, without financial benefits, and its period counts within his original service.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

يجوز بقرار من الوزير بناءً على توصية لجنة الضباط العليا أن يمنح الضابط رتبة وقتية تعلو رتبته الأصلية متى عين الضابط في منصب تقضي ظروف الخدمة فيه بذلك الإجراء ويعود الضابط إلى رتبته الأصلية بمجرد تركه المنصب المذكور دون أن يترتب على منحه الرتبة الوقتية أية مزايا مالية. وتحسب مدة الخدمة بالرتبة الوقتية ضمن الخدمة بالمرتبة الأصلية ولا يكون لحامل الرتبة الوقتية أفضلية عند عودته إلى الرتبة الأصلية إلا بموجب أقدميته بين زملائه.

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 31 explained in plain English

This article governs the temporary rank, and its provisions are:

The authority: by decision of the Minister on the recommendation of the Supreme Officers Committee.
The reason: that the officer is appointed to a post whose service circumstances call for giving him a higher rank.
The nature: a rank above his original rank, and it is temporary.

The article then sets out its effects:

The officer reverts to his original rank as soon as he leaves the post.
No financial benefits result from it.
The period of service in the temporary rank is counted within service in the original rank.
Its holder has no priority on returning to his original rank except by virtue of his seniority among his colleagues.

In practical terms, the temporary rank is tied to the post, not the person; it gives him the rank suited to carrying out the post's duties, but it does not increase his salary or give him precedence over his colleagues after it ends. The period he spent in it is not lost, but is counted as though he had spent it in his original rank.

Anyone who has been given a temporary rank and wants to know its effect on his promotion or entitlements may consult a lawyer specializing in administrative cases and military service matters.

Practical example

Major Khalil was appointed to a post whose circumstances call for the rank of lieutenant colonel, so he was given the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel by decision of the Minister after the recommendation of the Supreme Officers Committee. His salary does not change, and when he leaves the post he reverts to major, the two years he spent in the post are counted within his service as a major, and his place among his colleagues remains according to his seniority.

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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