Article 49 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
المادة 49 من نظام الأحوال الشخصية · الفصل الأول: النفقة
The article provides that continuing maintenance for the wife, children and parents is due from the date the claim is filed and is a preferred debt ranking ahead of all other debts, unlike past maintenance.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تستحق النفقة المستمرة للزوجة والأولاد والوالدين من تاريخ إقامة الدعوى للمطالبة بها، وتعد ديناً ممتازاً يقدم على سائر الديون بخلاف النفقة الماضية، فتخضع إلى حكم باقي الديون.
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 49 explained in plain English
Article 49 of the Personal Status Law sets two important rules for continuing maintenance, and distinguishes it from past maintenance.
First: when continuing maintenance becomes due
Continuing maintenance for the wife, children and parents is due from the date the claim is filed to demand it. The date the claim is filed is therefore the starting point for calculating the continuing maintenance awarded.
Second: continuing maintenance is a preferred debt
Continuing maintenance is a preferred debt that ranks ahead of all other debts. This means that if debts compete against the person providing maintenance, continuing maintenance is paid ahead of the others.
Third: past maintenance
By contrast, past maintenance does not enjoy this priority, and is subject to the rules applying to other debts.
The article covers three categories by its text: the wife, the children and the parents.
This article is linked to Article 50, which provides that maintenance is claimed in accordance with the provisions regulating it, and allows the court to award temporary maintenance. There are also limits on claiming maintenance for past periods in other articles, such as Article 52, under which a claim for the wife's maintenance for a past period exceeding two years from the date the claim is filed is not heard, and Article 59 on recourse for a child's maintenance.
To confirm your specific situation, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specializing in personal status matters.
Practical example
A wife filed a maintenance claim against her husband in Muharram, and the judgment was issued several months later. Under Article 49, continuing maintenance is due from the date the claim was filed in Muharram, and if the husband has other debts, this maintenance ranks ahead of them.
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 49 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
From when is continuing maintenance due?
It is due from the date the claim to demand it is filed, according to Article 49.
Does maintenance rank ahead of other debts?
Continuing maintenance is a preferred debt that ranks ahead of all other debts, while past maintenance is subject to the rules applying to other debts.
Who does this article cover?
It covers continuing maintenance for the wife, children and parents.
More articles on Maintenance
- Article 42
The article sets out the spouses' mutual rights, and obliges the husband to provide maintenance and treat wives equitably, and the wife to obey in a reasonable manner and nurse the children unless there is an impediment.
يلزم على كل من الزوجين حقوق للزوج الآخر، وهي: 1- حسن المعاشرة بينهما بالمعروف، وتبادل الاحترام بما يؤدي للمودة والرحمة بينهما. 2- عدم إضرار أحدهما بالآخر ماديًّ
- Article 43
The article allows the wife to refuse to move in and consummate the marriage until she receives her advanced dower and the husband prepares a suitable residence, with her right to maintenance, and explains the effect of her agreeing to move in before receiving it.
1- للزوجة الامتناع عن الدخول والانتقال إلى بيت الزوجية حتى تقبض مهرها الحال ويهيئ الزوج لها المسكن المناسب، ولها الحق في النفقة خلال هذه المدة. 2- إذا رضيت الزو
- Article 44
The article provides that each person's maintenance is from his own money, except the wife, whose maintenance is on her husband even if she is wealthy, and that the maintenance of a person of unknown parentage who has no money is on the State.
1- نفقة كل إنسان في ماله، إلا الزوجة فنفقتها على زوجها ولو كانت موسرة. 2- إن لم يوجد لمجهول الأبوين مال ولم يتبرع أحد بالإنفاق عليه، كانت نفقته على الدولة.
- Article 45
The article provides that maintenance is a right of the person maintained and includes food, clothing, housing and basic needs according to custom and the relevant legal provisions.
النفقة حق من حقوق المنفق عليه، وتشمل: الطعام، والكسوة، والسكن، والحاجيات الأساسية بحسب العرف وما تقرره الأحكام النظامية ذات الصلة.
- Article 46
The article provides that maintenance is assessed taking into account the condition of the person maintained and the means of the person providing maintenance.
يراعى في تقدير النفقة حال المنفَق عليه وسعةُ المنفِق.
- Article 47
The article allows maintenance to be paid in cash, and treats making money available in kind or as a benefit as a form of maintenance.
1- يجوز أن تكون النفقة نقداً. 2- يعد من الإنفاق إتاحة المال عيناً أو منفعةً.
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.