Article 2 of the Saudi Provinces Law

This article specifies the legal instrument by which the Kingdom's provinces are organized:

• What is organized: the Kingdom's provinces, and the seat of each province's emirate.
• The instrument: a royal order.
• Who recommends: the Minister of Interior.

The Law itself does not set the names of the provinces, their boundaries or the seats of their emirates, but leaves that to the royal order issued on the recommendation of the Minister of Interior. This gives flexibility to change the administrative division without needing to amend the Law.

This article follows Article 1, which sets the Law's objectives: raising the level of administrative work and development in the Kingdom's provinces, preserving security and order, and safeguarding citizens' rights and freedoms within the framework of Islamic Sharia.

It is followed by Article 3, which moves to the division within the province: each province is administratively made up of a number of governorates, sub-districts and centers, taking into account population, geographic and security considerations, environmental conditions and transport routes. A governorate is organized by royal order on the recommendation of the Minister of Interior, while sub-districts and centers are established and attached by decision of the Minister of Interior on the proposal of the emir of the province.

The gradation is clear: the province and its emirate seat by royal order, then what is below it by instruments that differ by level. Anyone with a question about the administrative affiliation of a particular location may consult a lawyer specializing in administrative cases.