Article 106 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
المادة 106 من نظام الأحوال الشخصية · الفصل الرابع: فسخ عقد الزواج
A wife who has not yet been consummated with may request termination if her husband does not pay her immediate dowry within a period of up to 30 days set by the court; if the marriage has been consummated, the dowry remains a debt.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- تفسخ المحكمة عقد زواج الزوجة التي لم يتم الدخول بها، بناء على طلبها لعدم أداء الزوج مهرها الحال إذا انتهى الأجل الذي حددته المحكمة لأداء المهر ولم يؤده، على ألا يزيد الأجل على (ثلاثين) يوماً من تاريخ الطلب.
2- لا يفسخ عقد الزواج لعدم أداء المهر للزوجة التي تم الدخول بها، ويبقى ديناً في ذمة الزوج، ويحكم بالمهر الحال منه عند مطالبة الزوجة به.
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 106 explained in plain English
This article distinguishes between two cases where the husband fails to pay the immediate dowry, that is, the part that is due without deferral:
First: a wife with whom the marriage has not been consummated
- She may ask the court to terminate the marriage contract because the husband has not paid her immediate dowry.
- The court sets the husband a period to pay the dowry, which may not exceed 30 days from the date of the request.
- If the period ends and the husband has not paid the dowry, the court terminates the marriage contract.
Second: a wife with whom the marriage has been consummated
- The marriage contract is not terminated for non-payment of the dowry.
- The dowry remains a debt owed by the husband.
- The court rules for the immediate dowry against him when the wife claims it.
Consummation is therefore the dividing line: before it, failure to pay the immediate dowry is a ground for termination after a grace period, and after it, the dowry becomes a debt that the wife claims without being a ground for termination.
Relation to neighboring articles: Article 105 regulates what happens to the dowry when the marriage is terminated because of a defect in one spouse, and Article 107 regulates termination where the husband refuses to provide maintenance, maintenance cannot be collected from him, or he claims inability to pay it.
To file a termination claim or claim the dowry, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specializing in personal status matters.
Practical example
Nasser concluded a marriage contract with his wife and they agreed on an immediate dowry. He did not pay it and the marriage was not consummated. The wife requested termination, and the court gave him 20 days to pay the dowry. When the period ended without payment, the court terminated the contract under Article 106.
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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Active contributorFrequently asked questions about Article 106 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
Can a wife seek termination of the marriage if her husband does not pay the dowry?
Yes, if the marriage has not been consummated. The court terminates the contract at her request if the period it set for paying the immediate dowry ends and the husband has not paid.
How long does the husband have to pay the immediate dowry?
The court sets the period, which may not exceed 30 days from the date of the request.
What if the husband does not pay the dowry after consummation?
The marriage contract is not terminated. The dowry remains a debt owed by the husband, and the court rules for the immediate dowry against him when the wife claims it.
More articles on Annulment of Marriage
- Article 27
The article makes spouses bound by their conditions, and a condition gives a right to annul the marriage only if it was written in the marriage document or acknowledged by both spouses.
1- الزوجان عند شروطهما. 2- لا يكون الشرط مثبتاً لخيار فسخ عقد الزواج إلا إذا نص على الشرط كتابةً في وثيقة عقد الزواج أو أقر به الزوجان.
- Article 28
The article allows the party who stipulated a condition in the marriage contract to request annulment at any time if the other does not fulfill it, without compensation if the breach is by the husband.
إذا لم يفِ أحد الزوجين بما شرطه الآخر وفقاً لما تضمنته المادة (السابعة والعشرون) من هذا النظام؛ فللمشترط طلب فسخ عقد الزواج متى شاء إلا إذا أسقط حقه صراحة. فإذا
- Article 34
The article provides that the court annuls a defective marriage, sets its effects before and after consummation, and applies its effects to a void marriage after consummation if the spouses did not know its ruling.
1- تفسخ المحكمة عقد الزواج الفاسد، ولا يترتب عليه أي أثر قبل الدخول إلا الطلاق إذا أوقعه الزوج فيقع بائناً بينونةً صغرى. 2- يترتب على الزواج الفاسد بعد الدخول م
- Article 76
The article sets out the cases in which separation occurs between spouses: divorce, khul', annulment of the marriage contract, the death of either spouse, and li'an.
تحصل الفرقة بين الزوجين في أي من الحالات الآتية: 1- الطلاق. 2- الخُلع. 3- فسخ عقد الزواج. 4- وفاة أحد الزوجين. 5- اللعان بين الزوجين.
- Article 103
Every separation between spouses by court judgment counts as a termination (faskh), is an irrevocable separation of the lesser degree, and is not counted among the three divorces.
كل تفريق بحكم قضائي يعد فسخًا، وتكون فرقة بائنة بينونة صغرى، ولا تحسب من التطليقات الثلاث.
- Article 104
Either spouse may request termination of the marriage because of a harmful or repellent defect in the other that prevents marital relations, unless the requester knew of it at the contract or showed consent to it after learning of it.
1- لكل من الزوجين طلب فسخ عقد الزواج لعلة مضرة في الآخر أو منفرة تمنع المعاشرة الزوجية -سواء كانت العلة قبل عقد الزواج أو طرأت بعده- ما لم يكن طالب الفسخ عالماً
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.