Riyadh Expats

Why Dont Children Of Saudi Women Get Saudi Nationality

Saudi Laws Others

2019-Feb-03

Even though since years the Shoura Council is debating over the matter of Saudi women passing Saudi nationality to their children when the father is non-Saudi, yet the debate is still there and nothing of substance has been reached.

Saudi women cannot transfer nationality to their children

In Saudi Arabia, there is this weird law that prevents the Saudi females from passing down nationality to their children when they marry a non-Saudi. This means that Saudi women have no right to pass nationality to their children.

For instance, if a Saudi woman marries an American, her children will not be known as Saudis, rather would be known as expats. The gender-equality demands that women of Saudi Arabia shall also be allowed to pass down nationality.

Saudi men’s children are always known as Saudis no matter whoever (Saudi or expat) they marry, the Saudi women’s children should also be known as Saudis.

Why don’t children of Saudi Women get Saudi Nationality?

Those who oppose it say that it is the man who passes down the bloodline and the name. Yet, don’t you feel as if this is a punishment for Saudi women? A punishment for marrying a non-Saudi?

An American shared his story on social media declaring that he married a Saudi woman. The marriage was challenging even though the lady’s family was much supportive. However, once they got married and settled down in Saudi Arabia, new challenges were on their way.

It is very heartbreaking for her wife to get their residency permits renewed and to label her children as non-Saudis. The children have been living with the U.S. passport and in order to earn Saudi nationality, they have to earn “enough points” and give up their U.S. nationality.

The American father declared that such a system is truly based on old traditions and cultures. The Mixed marriages for women have always been a thorny issue all over the Gulf countries. Recommended: Point System for Saudi Nationality

A love story between Saudi Wife and Egyptian Husband

Another man from Cairo wrote that he met a Saudi woman through a Muslim Matrimonial site. Both sought that they were compatible and shall tie a knot. However, the lady’s father was reluctant to get her married to a non-Saudi as he was not in favor of mixed marriages.

However, the two did not give up. The man wrote an email to his father asking him to give them the permission to get married. Yet the father replied with a simple “no”.

Later the daughter cried and plead for her happiness, yet her father said that the culture does not allow her to marry a non-Saudi. She then asked her father to meet the man for once, at least, before making a final decision. On this, her father simply said that she could get married and stay with him, but this would break the family’s heart.

The man also wrote another mail, explaining that there would be no bad in a mixed marriage, yet the father said that he shall marry a woman of his own nationality. The irony here is that the father himself is not married to a Saudi woman. She is a woman belonging to Indonesian family who settled in Saudi Arabia.

Source: Saudi Gazette

Why Dont Children Of Saudi Women Get Saudi Nationality

Why Dont Children Of Saudi Women Get Saudi Nationality

Post Categories

Riyadh Expats