Saudi citizenship: Laws and regulations

During the last period, a number of media organizations circulated news of King Salman granting Saudi citizenship to several distinguished individuals, prompting questions around the law concerning citizenship and the stated conditions for obtaining it.

Certainly, many amendments have been made to the Saudi citizenship law since its issuance.

The law says that a Saudi citizen is a person born inside or outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to a Saudi father and a Saudi mother.

If a person is born in the Kingdom to foreign parents, or to a foreign father and a Saudi mother, or was born abroad to a known foreign father and a Saudi mother, they are considered foreign.

Upon reaching the age of maturity, though, this person has the right to choose Saudi Arabian nationality if they have permanent residence status in the Kingdom, are of good character with no criminal record beyond six months in prison, and are familiar with the Arabic language.

Saudi Arabian citizenship may also be granted to a foreigner who fulfills the following conditions: They must have reached the age of maturity when submitting the application; they must be mentally competent at the time of submitting the application; they must have acquired the status of ordinary permanent residence in the Kingdom in accordance with the provisions for a period of no less than five consecutive years; they must have a good record and not have been sentenced to an imprisonment for a period exceeding six months; and they must prove that the source of their income is legitimate.

If citizenship is granted to a male foreigner, the conditions also entail that his wife will become a Saudi citizen unless she decides, within a year of her husband’s acquisition of Saudi nationality, to retain her original nationality.

As for children who have not reached the age of maturity, if they reside in Saudi Arabia, they are considered Saudis, provided that they have the right to choose their father’s original nationality within a year from the date of reaching the age of maturity. If they reside outside the Kingdom, they are considered foreigners, and have the right to choose their father’s Saudi nationality within a year from the date of reaching the age of maturity.