Article 134 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
المادة 134 من نظام الأحوال الشخصية · الفصل الثاني: الحضانة
The parent who does not have custody may visit the child, have the child visit and take the child along as the parents agree, and the court decides if they differ; in specified cases the court may designate a relative entitled to visit.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
مع مراعاة ما تقضي به المادة (التاسعة والعشرون بعد المائة) من هذا النظام:
1- إذا كان المحضون في حضانة أحد الوالدين، فللآخر زيارته واستزارته واستصحابه بحسب ما يتفقان عليه، وفي حال الاختلاف تقرر المحكمة ما تراه.
2- إذا كان أحد والدي المحضون متوفى أو غائباً، فللمحكمة أن تعين مستحق الزيارة من أقاربه وفق مصلحة المحضون.
3- إذا كان المحضون لدى غير والديه، فللمحكمة أن تعين مستحق الزيارة من أقاربه وفق مصلحة المحضون.
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 134 explained in plain English
This article regulates the right of visitation, subject to Article 129 on traveling with the child in custody outside the Kingdom. It deals with three cases:
- The child in custody is with one of the parents: the other parent may visit him, have him visit (that is, have the child come to the parent), and take him along (that is, take him with the parent), as the parents agree. If they differ, the court decides what it sees fit.
- One of the parents has died or is absent: the court may designate a relative entitled to visit from among the child's relatives according to his interest.
- The child in custody is with someone other than his parents: likewise, the court may designate a relative entitled to visit from among his relatives according to the interest of the child in custody.
The principle in the first case is agreement between the parents; the article does not impose a specific visitation schedule or a particular period, but leaves that to their agreement, and the courts intervene only in case of disagreement.
In the second and third cases the standard is the interest of the child in custody, the standard that recurs in the provisions on custody, as in Articles 127 and 133.
If agreement on visitation is not possible, a parent can turn to the court, and it is advisable to consult a lawyer specializing in personal status matters to learn how to submit the request.
Practical example
A son stayed with his mother after the divorce, and the father agreed with her that he would take him along at the end of every week. When they later disagreed on the times, the father took the matter to the court so that it would decide what it sees fit about the visitation.
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 134 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
Does a father have the right to visit his children after divorce?
Yes. If the child in custody is in the custody of one parent, the other may visit him, have him visit and take him along as the two agree.
Who sets the visitation times if there is a disagreement?
The court decides what it sees fit if the parents differ.
Do a grandfather or relatives have the right to visit the child?
If one of the parents has died or is absent, or the child in custody is with someone other than his parents, the court may designate a relative entitled to visit from among his relatives according to the interest of the child in custody.
Articles this article refers to
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 128
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.
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(ال
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.