Monday, February 24, 2025
Saudi Arabia's new family law regulations come into effect
Officially, the Personal Status Family Law Regulations have been introduced into place by Saudi Arabia after receiving approval from Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. Similar: Saudi Arabia's new personal status law
Friday marked a major milestone in improving the legal framework controlling family relations with the implementation of the regulations, which contain 41 articles.
In order to hear cases involving marriage contracts that did not have prior authorization from the appropriate authorities, the Minister of Justice is authorized to adopt the required processes under the regulations.
The relevant parties will be involved in coordinating this process, and new regulations may be proposed in response to judicial applications and changing legal requirements.
Regardless of whether the spouses have the same nationality or not, the rules provide that all marriages between non-Muslims must be legally recorded. Read: Musaned warns Employers to pay salaries on time to domestic workers
Under the new rules, a wife who wants to get her marriage nullified because her husband can't have children doesn't have to wait to seek legal action; she can do it at any time.
In addition, having an observer present who can differentiate between relationships is seen as a violation of privacy between spouses.
Even if the mother remarries someone unrelated to the kid, the law will still support her right to custody if the child is younger than two years old.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman highlighted that the legislation is rooted in Islamic principles and aligns with worldwide best practices when the Saudi Cabinet initially approved the Personal Status Law in March 2022. See Also: Riyadh's 15 new major squares on names of Saudi rulers
A woman's right to receive financial support from her husband is strengthened, the legal age of marriage is established at 18, and under certain circumstances, a woman can seek an annulment of her marriage.
As the Crown Prince indicated in February 2021, the Personal Status Law is an important part of a larger effort to revise the law. The Optional Sanctions Penal Code, the Law of Evidence, the Personal Status Law, and the Civil Transactions Law are the four pillars upon which this mission rests. Follow Saudi Expatriates on LinkedIn
Saudi Arabia's new family law regulations come into effect—Saudi-Expatriates.com
