After being granted a number of competencies Learn about the conditions for granting Saudi citizenship

In the context of its desire to attract human competencies, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made a legal amendment that opens the door to naturalizing medical, scientific, cultural, sports and technical competencies in a way that contributes to promoting the wheel of development and benefits the country.

And the Saudi King, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, issued a decision to grant Saudi citizenship to the first list of competencies who live on the territory of the Kingdom and enjoy all the necessary conditions for obtaining Saudi citizenship, as well as providing them with great services throughout their stay in the country.

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The Saudi amendment to the Nationality Law stipulates that polarization should observe the highest standards of competence and professionalism in candidates for citizenship, while attracting distinguished and creative people will be based on nomination in accordance with the public interest, and the door will not be opened for submission of applications in this regard.

The new amendment identified sectors such as medicine, industry, energy, agriculture, geology, space, aviation, artificial intelligence and the Internet of things in the disciplines that are required to attract their competencies to obtain Saudi citizenship, given that these fields will add more competencies to the country.

The first list issued by the Saudi monarch includes the Syrian Dr. Muhammad Al-Beqai, the researcher, investigator and translator, and the owner of about 40 books in various arts, most notably historical and critical studies and translation. The list also included Dr. Abdul Karim Al-Sammak, who received a doctorate in modern and contemporary history, who lived nearly half a century from his life in the kingdom.

Also on the list was the Iraqi theater director Samaan Al-Ani, while the list included Mukhtar Alem, a calligrapher of the covering of the Kaaba and the sheikh of calligraphers of Mecca, who now works as a calligrapher at the Kaaba Cloth Factory, who participated in his works in international exhibitions and global forums.

Nationality Law

And amendments were made to the Saudi nationality system, the most important of which stipulates that the candidate for it must be from those born inside or outside the Kingdom to a Saudi father, or to a Saudi mother and a father of unknown nationality or stateless.

Article No. 8 clarifies that a person born in the Kingdom of foreign parents or of a foreign father and a Saudi mother is considered a foreigner, and a person born abroad to a foreign father of known nationality and a Saudi mother. The following conditions:

He shall have the status of permanent residence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia upon reaching the age of majority.

He must be of good conduct and behavior and has never been convicted of a criminal offense or imprisonment for a moral offense for a period of more than 6 months.

- To be familiar with the Arabic language.

To submit, within a year after reaching the age of majority, an application for granting him Saudi Arabian citizenship.

Article No. 9 states that Saudi Arabian citizenship may be granted to a foreigner who meets the following conditions:

He must have reached the age of majority when submitting the application.

To be non-cool or insane.

At the time of submitting the application, he must have acquired the status of ordinary permanent residence in the Kingdom in accordance with the provisions of its own system for a period of no less than 5 consecutive years.

- To be of good conduct and behavior. He must not have been sentenced to imprisonment for a moral offense for a period exceeding 6 months.

The naturalization applicant shall attach to his application for a permanent residence permit and his legal passport or any document considered by the competent authorities as a list in place of the legal passport, and every document related to the nationality from which he is stripped, and every paper supporting what is required to be proven under the provisions of this system.

As for Article No. 14, it says that a foreigner's acquisition of Saudi nationality entails that his wife becomes Saudi unless she decides, within a year of her husband's entry into Saudi nationality, that she wishes to retain her original nationality.

As for children who have not reached the age of majority, 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 their reaching the age of majority.

If their residence is 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 their reaching the age of majority.

According to Article 16, a foreign woman by marriage acquires the nationality of her Saudi husband.

According to Article 29; Only the King of Saudi Arabia has the right to grant citizenship to those who do not meet the conditions stipulated in Article 9.