Article 79 of the Saudi Officers Service Law
المادة 79 من نظام خدمة الضباط · الفصل الثالث: العلاوات
The Article provides that officers in military attaché offices are treated like Ministry of Foreign Affairs employees for travel preparation, representation and treatment allowances, as the Council of Ministers determines.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يعامل الضباط في الملحقيات العسكرية من حيث بدل تهيئة السفر وبدل التمثيل وبدل العلاج معاملة موظفوا وزارة الخارجية طبق ما يحدده مجلس الوزراء.
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 79 explained in plain English
This Article concerns officers working in military attaché offices, and specifies how they are treated in three allowances:
- The travel preparation allowance.
- The representation allowance.
- The treatment allowance.
The rule is that they are treated in these allowances like employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as the Council of Ministers determines.
In practice, the amount and conditions of these allowances for officers of the attaché offices are not found in the Officers Service Law itself, but by referring to what the Council of Ministers decides for Ministry of Foreign Affairs employees. The Article sets a rule of cross-reference and equal treatment between the two categories in these allowances specifically.
Note that the Article is limited to the three allowances mentioned, so the equal treatment with Ministry of Foreign Affairs employees does not extend under it to other salaries or allowances. It also concerns those working in military attaché offices and not other officers working abroad.
The Article does not set out the details of what the Council of Ministers determines. An officer assigned to work in a military attaché office who wants to know his entitlements may refer to what the Council of Ministers determines on this, or consider consulting a lawyer specializing in administrative cases and military service matters.
Practical example
Colonel Sulaiman is appointed as military attaché at an embassy. He is treated in the travel preparation, representation and treatment allowances like Ministry of Foreign Affairs employees, as the Council of Ministers determines, so those rules are consulted to know the amounts.
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 79 of the Saudi Officers Service Law
How are the allowances of an officer in a military attaché office calculated?
He is treated in the travel preparation, representation and treatment allowances like Ministry of Foreign Affairs employees, as the Council of Ministers determines.
Does equal treatment with Foreign Affairs employees cover all of a military attaché's allowances?
The Article mentions only three allowances: travel preparation, representation and treatment.
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.