Article 89 of the Saudi Officers Service Law
المادة 89 من نظام خدمة الضباط · الفصل الأول: الإجازة الاعتيادية
The article states who grants ordinary leave to officers: the Minister for leave outside the Kingdom, who may delegate this to the Chief of the General Staff, and heads of bodies, commanders and directors for leave inside it, with the Officers Affairs Department notified.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تعطى الإجازات الاعتيادية للضباط على الوجه الآتي :
1- خارج المملكة بموافقة الوزير ويجوز للوزير تخويل هذه الصلاحية لرئيس هيئة الأركان العامة.
2- داخل المملكة من قبل رؤساء الهيئات وقادة المناطق ومديري الأسلحة ومدراء الإدارات والرئاسات الأخرى المماثلة على أن تشعر إدارة شئون ضباط القوات المسلحة بالانفكاك والعودة.
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 89 explained in plain English
This article specifies the authority competent to grant an officer's ordinary leave, depending on where the leave is spent:
(1) Leave outside the Kingdom:
- It is with the Minister's approval.
- The Minister may delegate this power to the Chief of the General Staff.
(2) Leave inside the Kingdom: it is granted by:
- heads of bodies,
- area commanders,
- branch directors,
- directors of departments and other similar presidencies,
provided that the Armed Forces Officers Affairs Department is notified of the departure and return, that is, of the date the leave begins and the date of return from it.
The practical meaning is that where the leave is spent determines the authority to which the request is submitted; travel outside the Kingdom needs approval at a higher level. The Minister, under Article 2, is the Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General.
Note that the notification requirement appears in the paragraph on leave inside the Kingdom. An officer whose leave request is refused or not decided may consult a lawyer specializing in administrative cases and military service matters.
Practical example
Major Majed wants to spend his ordinary leave abroad, so he needs the Minister's approval, or that of the Chief of the General Staff if the Minister has delegated this to him. A colleague who will spend his leave in Abha is granted it by his branch director, with the Officers Affairs Department notified of the date of his departure and return.
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 89 of the Saudi Officers Service Law
Who approves an officer's leave outside the Kingdom?
It is with the Minister's approval, and he may delegate this power to the Chief of the General Staff.
Who grants an officer's leave inside the Kingdom?
Heads of bodies, area commanders, branch directors and directors of departments and similar presidencies, with the Armed Forces Officers Affairs Department notified of the departure and return.
More articles on Officer Leave
- Article 87Amended by M/28
The Article lists the types of officers' leave: ordinary, casual, field, exceptional, sick and study-accompaniment leave.
الإجازات هي: اعتيادية، عرضية، ميدانية، استثنائية، مرضية، مرافقة دراسية
- Article 88
The Article gives an officer ordinary leave of 45 days a year, the first after one year from appointment with 15 days allowed after six months, and permits combining leave subject to a limit of 90 days taken in a year.
1- يستحق الضابط إجازة اعتيادية مدتها خمسة وأربعون يوماً في السنة ويمنح الضابط أولى إجازاته بعد مضي سنة من بدء تعيينه، على أنه يمكن أن يحصل على مدة خمسة عشر يوما
- Article 90
The article allows whoever has power to grant leave to shorten, postpone or cut it for service reasons, and compensates an officer whose leave is cut before he has taken two-thirds of it for his travel and his family's return, with the remainder preserved in both cases.
يجوز لمن يملك سلطة إعطاء الإجازة تقصيرها أو تأجيلها أو قطعها لأسباب تقتضيها ظروف الخدمة في القوات المسلحة ، وإذا اقتضت الظروف قطع إجازة الضابط الاعتيادية ولم يك
- Article 91
The article gives an officer on ordinary leave the right to a half-fare round-trip ticket for himself, his wife and his children on Saudi Arabian Airlines, within its network inside and outside the Kingdom, once a year.
يحق للضابط الذي يتمتع بإجازة اعتيادية أن يحصل على تذكرة إركاب مرجعاً بنصف الأجرة له ولزوجته وأولاده على طائرة مؤسسة الخطوط الجوية العربية السعودية وفي حدود ما ت
- Article 92
The article gives an officer casual leave of up to ten days a year for emergency reasons, granted as under Article 89, and the right to it lapses at the end of the year.
الإجازة العرضية 1- يمنح الضابط إجازة عرضية لمدة لا تزيد على عشرة أيام في السنة لأسباب طارئة وتمنح هذه الإجازة طبقاً لما هو محدد بالمادة (89). 2- يسقط الحق بهذه
- Article 93
The article entitles an officer serving in the field to field leave of up to 60 days with limited splitting, not combined with ordinary leave and lapsing on transfer from the field, with a domestic ticket for him alone according to his rank.
الإجازة الميدانية 1- يستحق الضابط العامل في الميدان إجازة ميدانية لا تتجاوز ستين يوماً في انتهاء السنة ولا يجوز تجزئتها إلا في حدود خمسة عشر يوماً بعد انتهاء كل
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.