Article 114 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
المادة 114 من نظام الأحوال الشخصية · الفصل الرابع: فسخ عقد الزواج
Unless the absence is for work, the wife may request termination if her husband, whose domicile or residence is known, is absent for at least 4 months, even if he has property from which maintenance can be collected, after he is warned and given up to 180 days.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
ما لم تكن الغيبة بسبب عمل، للزوجة طلب فسخ عقد الزواج بسبب غياب زوجها المعروف موطنه أو محل إقامته إذا غاب عنها مدة لا تقل عن (أربعة) أشهر ولو كان له مال يمكن استيفاء النفقة منه، ولا يحكم لها بذلك إلا بعد إنذاره: إما بالإقامة مع زوجته أو نقلها إليه أو طلاقها، على أن يمهل لأجلٍ لا يزيد على (مائة وثمانين) يوماً من تاريخ إنذاره.
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 114 explained in plain English
This article deals with a husband's absence from his wife where his domicile or place of residence is known.
Conditions for requesting termination:
- The husband's domicile or place of residence is known.
- He is absent from his wife for a period of not less than 4 months.
- The absence is not for work; absence for work is excluded from this rule.
The wife's right to make the request applies even if the husband has property from which maintenance can be collected; the issue here concerns absence, not maintenance.
Warning before judgment: the court does not rule for termination until after warning the husband with one of three options:
- to live with his wife;
- or to move her to him;
- or to divorce her.
The husband is given a period of up to 180 days from the date of the warning.
Relation to neighboring articles: Article 115 deals with a missing husband, or one who is absent and whose domicile and place of residence are not known; the court does not rule for termination until a period it sets has passed, of not less than one year and not more than two years. Article 113 regulates termination where the husband swears not to have intercourse or refrains from it for more than 4 months.
To know whether an absence in a particular case counts as being for work, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specializing in personal status matters.
Practical example
A husband moved to another city to live there for no work-related reason and left his wife in Riyadh for five months, although he has funds sufficient for her maintenance. She has the right to request termination; the court warns him to live with her, move her to him or divorce her, and gives him up to 180 days before ruling.
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 114 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
Can a wife request termination if her husband is absent?
Yes, if his domicile is known and he has been absent for at least 4 months and the absence is not for work, even if he has property from which maintenance can be collected.
Does the husband's absence for work allow termination?
No. The article excludes absence that is for work.
How long is an absent husband given after being warned?
He is given a period of up to 180 days from the date of the warning to live with his wife, move her to him or divorce her.
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.