Article 69 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
المادة 69 من نظام الأحوال الشخصية · الفصل الثاني: النسب
The article sets six conditions for establishing lineage by acknowledgment of paternity, even during a terminal illness, including that the child's lineage is unknown and the relationship is proved by DNA testing.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يشترط لثبوت النسب بالإقرار بالبنوة ولو في مرض الموت الآتي:
1- أن يكون المقر بالغاً عاقلاً مختاراً.
2- أن يكون الولد مجهول النسب.
3- أن يصدقه المقر له إن كان بالغاً عاقلاً.
4- أن يكون فارق السن بين المقر والولد يحتمل صدق الإقرار.
5- أن يثبت أن الولادة في عقد زواج صحيح أو فاسد، إذا كان الإقرار من الأب.
6- أن يثبت الانتساب بفحص الحمض النووي.
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 69 explained in plain English
This article regulates the way of acknowledgment of paternity, which is one of the ways of establishing lineage mentioned in Article 67. Acknowledgment here is where a person admits that a particular child is his child. This way is valid even if the acknowledgment is made during a terminal illness, provided all of the following conditions are met:
- The person acknowledging must be an adult, of sound mind and acting voluntarily, so the acknowledgment of a minor, a person who lacks reason or a person under compulsion is not given effect.
- The child must be of unknown lineage, so acknowledgment is not valid for a child whose lineage is established to someone other than the person acknowledging.
- The person acknowledged must confirm it, if he is an adult of sound mind.
- The age difference between the person acknowledging and the child must allow for the acknowledgment to be true.
- If the acknowledgment is made by the father, it must be proved that the birth was within a valid or defective marriage contract.
- The relationship must be proved by DNA testing.
A bare acknowledgment is therefore not enough; these conditions must all be met, including the genetic test that confirms the relationship.
Article 71 refers to these conditions when the person acknowledging is a woman, so the child's lineage to her husband is established only by the husband's acknowledgment under these conditions or by evidence. Article 70 regulates the court's authority to order DNA testing. Anyone who wishes to establish lineage by acknowledgment would do well to consult a lawyer specializing in personal status matters.
Practical example
A man in Makkah came forward acknowledging that a 20-year-old young man of unknown lineage is his son. For lineage to be established, the young man must confirm it because he is an adult of sound mind, the age difference must allow the acknowledgment to be true, it must be proved that the birth was within a valid or defective marriage contract, and the relationship must be proved by DNA testing.
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 69 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
What are the conditions for acknowledgment of lineage?
The person acknowledging must be an adult, of sound mind and acting voluntarily; the child's lineage must be unknown; the person acknowledged must confirm it if an adult of sound mind; the age difference must allow it to be true; if the father acknowledges, the birth must be proved to be within a valid or defective marriage contract; and the relationship must be proved by DNA testing.
Is acknowledgment of lineage valid during a terminal illness?
Yes, the article provides that acknowledgment of paternity establishes lineage even during a terminal illness once its conditions are met.
Is DNA testing required to establish lineage by acknowledgment?
Yes, one of the conditions for establishing lineage by acknowledgment is that the relationship be proved by DNA testing.
More articles on Lineage
- Article 24
The article permanently prohibits a man from marrying a woman against whom he performed li'an before the court, even if he later retracts his claim.
يحرم على التأبيد زواج الرجل من المرأة التي لاعنها أمام القضاء ولو أكذب نفسه.
- 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 67
A child's lineage to his father is established only by birth within a valid marriage contract, by acknowledgment or by evidence, and his lineage to his mother is established by proof of birth.
1- مع مراعاة حكم المادة (الرابعة والثلاثين) من هذا النظام، لا يثبت نسب الولد إلى أبيه إلا بالولادة في عقد زواج صحيح أو بالإقرار أو بالبينة. 2- يثبت نسب الولد إل
- Article 68
A child's lineage to his father is established if he is born during a valid marriage or after it ends before the maximum pregnancy period of 10 months passes, unless it is proved that the spouses could not have met.
1- يثبت نسب الولد إلى أبيه إذا ولد حال قيام عقد الزواج الصحيح أو بعد انتهائه قبل انقضاء مدة أكثر الحمل، ما لم يثبت عدم إمكان التلاقي بين الزوجين. 2- مدة أكثر ال
- Article 70
The article allows the court to order DNA testing in exceptional cases, in a dispute over lineage or at the request of a competent body, provided the child's lineage is unknown and the age difference allows it.
للمحكمة في الأحوال الاستثنائية، أو عند التنازع في إثبات نسب الولد، أو بناءً على طلب جهة مختصة، أن تأمر بإجراء فحص الحمض النووي، وذلك وفق القواعد المنظمة لذلك، و
- Article 71
A woman's acknowledgment does not establish a child's lineage to her current or former husband, except by the husband's acknowledgment under Article 69 or by evidence of birth within a valid or defective marriage.
إذا كان المقِرُّ امرأة فلا يثبت نسب الولد من زوجها الحالي أو السابق إلا بإقراره وفق الشروط الواردة في المادة (التاسعة والستين) من هذا النظام، أو قامت البينة على
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.