Article 128 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
المادة 128 من نظام الأحوال الشخصية · الفصل الثاني: الحضانة
The right to custody is lost if one of the conditions in Articles 125 and 126 is missing, if the custodian moves to a place with the intention of residing that harms the child's interest, or if the person entitled stays silent for more than a year without excuse.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
مع مراعاة ما تقضي به الأنظمة ذات العلاقة، يسقط الحق في الحضانة في الحالات الآتية:
1- إذا تخلف أحد الشروط المذكورة في المادتين (الخامسة والعشرين بعد المائة) و(السادسة والعشرين بعد المائة) من هذا النظام.
2- إذا انتقل الحاضن إلى مكان بقصد الإقامة تفوت به مصلحة المحضون.
3- إذا سكت مستحق الحضانة عن المطالبة بها مدة تزيد على (سنة) من غير عذر؛ ما لم تقتض مصلحة المحضون خلاف ذلك.
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 128 explained in plain English
This article sets out the cases in which the right to custody is lost, subject to what the relevant laws provide. There are three cases:
- Failure of a condition: if the custodian loses one of the conditions mentioned in Article 125 (full legal capacity, ability, and freedom from serious infectious diseases) or in Article 126 (the special conditions for female and male custodians).
- A move that harms the child in custody: if the custodian moves to a place with the intention of residing and this move defeats the interest of the child in custody. A mere move is not enough; it must be for residence and must harm the child's interest.
- Silence in claiming it: if the person entitled to custody stays silent in claiming it for more than a year without excuse, unless the interest of the child in custody requires otherwise.
The loss is not necessarily final; Article 130 allows a person whose right to custody has been lost to request it again from the court if the cause of the loss has ended.
Traveling with the child in custody outside the Kingdom is regulated by Article 129 with separate provisions. Because the assessment of "the interest of the child in custody" and "excuse" is for the court, consult a lawyer specializing in personal status matters if there is a dispute.
Practical example
After the divorce the child stayed with his father, and the mother did not claim custody even though she was entitled to it, then claimed it two years later without excuse. Her silence for more than a year may be a ground for loss of her right, unless the court sees that the child's interest requires otherwise.
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 128 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
When is custody lost?
When one of the conditions in Articles 125 and 126 is missing, when the custodian moves to reside in a place that defeats the interest of the child in custody, or when the person entitled stays silent in claiming it for more than a year without excuse.
Is the right to custody lost by not claiming it?
Yes, if the silence exceeds a year without excuse, unless the interest of the child in custody requires otherwise.
Can custody be recovered after it is lost?
Yes. Article 130 allows requesting it again from the court if the cause of the loss has ended.
Articles this article refers to
- Article 125
The article requires three conditions in a custodian: full legal capacity, the ability to raise, protect and care for the child in custody, and freedom from serious infectious diseases.
مع مراعاة ما تقضي به المادة (العاشرة) من هذا النظام، يشترط أن تتوافر في الحاضن الشروط الآتية: 1- كمال الأهلية. 2- القدرة على تربية المحضون وحفظه ورعايته. 3- الس
- Article 126
The article adds special conditions: a female custodian must not be married to a stranger to the child unless the child's interest requires otherwise, and a male custodian must be a mahram relative of a female child and have a woman fit for custody living with him.
دون إخلال بما تضمنته المادة (الخامسة والعشرون بعد المائة) من هذا النظام، يتعين التقيد بالشروط الآتية: 1- إذا كان الحاضن امرأة، فيجب أن تكون غير متزوجة برجل أجنب
More articles on Custody and Visitation
- Article 100
Whatever may be regarded as property may serve as compensation in khul, but the compensation may not be the waiver of any of the children's rights or of their custody.
كلُّ ما صحَّ اعتباره مالاً صحَّ أن يكون عوضاً في الخلع، ولا يجوز أن يكون العوض إسقاط أي حق من حقوق الأولاد أو حضانتهم.
- Article 124
The article defines custody (hadana) as protecting a person who cannot manage for himself from what harms him, raising him and attending to his interests, including education and medical treatment.
الحضانة هي حفظ من لا يستقل بنفسه عما يضره، وتربيته والقيام على مصالحه بما في ذلك التعليم والعلاج.
- Article 125
The article requires three conditions in a custodian: full legal capacity, the ability to raise, protect and care for the child in custody, and freedom from serious infectious diseases.
مع مراعاة ما تقضي به المادة (العاشرة) من هذا النظام، يشترط أن تتوافر في الحاضن الشروط الآتية: 1- كمال الأهلية. 2- القدرة على تربية المحضون وحفظه ورعايته. 3- الس
- Article 126
The article adds special conditions: a female custodian must not be married to a stranger to the child unless the child's interest requires otherwise, and a male custodian must be a mahram relative of a female child and have a woman fit for custody living with him.
دون إخلال بما تضمنته المادة (الخامسة والعشرون بعد المائة) من هذا النظام، يتعين التقيد بالشروط الآتية: 1- إذا كان الحاضن امرأة، فيجب أن تكون غير متزوجة برجل أجنب
- Article 127
Custody is a duty of both parents while the marriage lasts; if they separate it goes to the mother, then the father, the mother's mother, then the father's mother, and the court may depart from this order in the child's interest.
1- الحضانة من واجبات الوالدين معاً ما دامت الزوجية قائمة بينهما، فإن افترقا فتكون الحضانة للأم، ثم الأحق بها على الترتيب الآتي: الأب، ثم أم الأم، ثم أم الأب، ثم
- Article 129
A custodian who is a parent may not take the child abroad for more than 90 days a year, and a custodian who is not a parent for more than 30 days a year, without the required consent.
مع مراعاة ما تقضي به الأحكام النظامية ذات العلاقة، يخضع السفر بالمحضون إلى خارج المملكة للأحكام الآتية: 1- لا يجوز للحاضن إذا كان أحد الوالدين السفر بالمحضون إل
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.