A family in Jeddah has not been able to get identity documents (IDs) for 33 years because the Saudi father allegedly did not record his marriage to an expatriate woman.

The father had divorced the mother, who has since died, and now the four children are struggling to get the father to register the marriage so that they can get access to health, education and social services. The mother had unsuccessfully attempted to obtain ID cards over the years.

According to a report in a local newspaper, the couple’s eldest son, Waheed Al-Qarni, 30, said their suffering began when their father abandoned them and their non-Saudi mother without any papers including the marriage contract, which they have to present to the government to prove their kinship.

Al-Qarni said he only has a copy of his father’s ID showing that he is a Saudi. He said he has kept in contact with his father and asked him to sort out the situation, but he has continually refused to do so. He said he cannot understand why his father is treating them in this manner.

Al-Qarni said they had submitted a request to the Civil Affairs department in Jeddah to get IDs but the applications were rejected. His father has his own ID and a civil registration number.

Mohamed Al-Jasir, spokesman of the Civil Affairs department, said that the children need to have the marriage certificate of their parents to get IDs. He said the sons of the man can go to court to see if they can prove kinship and get the documents.