Details of personal status law

The official gazette published the Personal Status Law, which was earlier approved by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.

Under Article 9, the following conditions should be met for a minor (under 18) to receive marriage approval:

- The marriage request should be submitted by either the individual seeking marriage (boy or girl), legal guardian, the mother of either party.

- Explicit consent from the individual seeking marriage should be provided before the court, and the mother’s opinion should be heard. If hearing the mother is not possible, the court decides accordingly.

- The individual should be physically and mentally mature, with no risk posed by the marriage, as verified by a medical report, as well as psychological and social assessment reports. The judge may rely on one of them if it sufficiently clarifies the psychological and social compatibility of both parties.

The law recognizes digital marriage contracts, where offer and acceptance are considered to have occurred in the same session. The Ministry of Justice will establish the necessary regulations for such contracts.

Under Article 2, marriage between non-Muslims, regardless of whether they share the same nationality or not, should be documented in accordance with the Notarization Law.