Saudi Arabia has made a significant change to its citizenship laws, granting children of Saudi women married to non-citizens the right to apply for citizenship after the age of 18.
The amendment, approved by Kingdom’s authorities, was made to Article 8 of the Saudi Arabian Nationality System. Under the new rule, the Prime Minister (PM), Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, now has the authority to grant citizenship.
According to details, Article 8 of the Nationality System states that those born in the Kingdom to an expatriate father and a Saudi mother may be issued citizenship if certain requirements are met.
These requirements include fluency in the Arabic language, permanent residence status in the Kingdom when he or she reaches legal age, good conduct, and character, and no criminal convictions or more than 6 months imprisonment for indecent acts.
King Salman bin Abdul Aziz issued a royal decree outlining the new citizenship rules. Following the implementation of new rules, if the father is a Saudi national, the child automatically receives citizenship. However, if the mother is a Saudi national and the father is an expatriate, the child can apply for citizenship at the age of 18 unlike before.
This change in the citizenship law is expected to bring a positive impact on many families in the Kingdom.
