Maj. Gen. Abdul Rahman Al-Fida, undersecretary for civil affairs at the Interior Ministry, said the new law would apply from Aug. 1.

The new law has 10 chapters with 199 articles that have taken into consideration all problems citizens and residents face while approaching civil affairs offices in the country.

“The executive bylaw comes in line with technological development and electronic applications used in government dealings and services,” Al-Fida said. 

Spelling out the bylaw’s important features, he said the civil ID number of Saudis would be recorded when they apply for any public or private sector services.

The validity of civilian ID will be five years for citizens aged between 15 and 30, 10 years for those in the age bracket of 31 to 50 and 20 for those aged above 50.

Citizens are entitled to receive the original birth certificate soon after registering the birth, in accordance with Article 41 of the law.

“The decisions taken by the central civil affairs authority regarding an issue would be final,” Al-Fida said, adding that the new law would replace the previous one issued about 24 years ago.