Govt mandates new requirements for Saudi-expat marriage

October 16, 2016

Jeddah, Oct 16: The Kingdom has mandated new requirements for the marriage of Saudi men and women to non-Saudis.

marriageThe new regulations require that the income of a Saudi man be at least SR3,000, his age be between 40 and 65, and that appropriate housing be secured.

The age of a non-Saudi woman must be at least 25 years, and there cannot be an age difference greater than 30 years between the spouses in all cases, according to the new regulation.

For those men who have been previously married to a Saudi or non-Saudi woman, at least two years must have passed since the date of divorce.

However, if the Saudi woman is still married to the man at the time of the request, a medical report from a government or private hospital, approved by the Ministry of Health, must be attached proving the wife is unable to carry out marital duties or is infertile.

The requirements also stipulate that the owner of the request must sign all modules and adopted decisions by the competent authority, including that the approval of marriage to a non-Saudi wife does not grant her the right to obtain Saudi nationality.

Fingerprints of the applicants must be taken after their information is linked electronically to the competent authority at the Ministry of Interior, authorizing authorities at the ministry to review all civil records and data through the Bayanati service.

In cases of Saudi women marrying a non-Saudi man, the age of the woman seeking marriage must be between 30 and 55 years at the time of the request, and there must be no age difference greater than 10 years between the spouses to ensure she is not being exploited.

The age requirement is lowered to 27 years for those with disabilities or illnesses that have made her unacceptable to Saudis, or for those with special circumstances, such as orphans, provided an official document is provided by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development proving this.

Non-Saudi males must not have a Saudi or non-Saudi wife, not be previously married to a Saudi woman, and proof must be submitted that he has no

criminal record or past in his home country or in the Kingdom. Medical documentation must also be submitted proving absence of infectious or genetic diseases, in addition to documentation that he has not previously worked for a foreign army or was included on the black list for entry to the Kingdom.

The monthly salary must be at least SR5,000, and appropriate housing must be available. He must also have a valid iqama, while the Saudi spouse must attach documentation that she acknowledges marrying a non-Saudi man which does not mean his eligibility or the eligibility of her children to obtain Saudi nationality.

The applicant must not be a national of one of the countries whose nationals are prevented or forbidden from marrying Saudi nationals. The non-Saudi must be of a certain nationality and have documents proving this, while their passport must be valid without restrictions with a remaining validity period of at least 12 months. The non-Saudi must also have a valid residency permit, and both parties must pass a security check by concerned authorities.

The requirements also stipulate that there must be underlying social reasons prompting a Saudi to marry a non-Saudi, and that the marriage visa of the spouse be valid for only one year. In the case of not benefiting from the visa, at least four years must pass before making another request in this regard, with the approval of the spouse.

According to legal adviser Abdulaziz Al-Harthy, court cases involving Saudi and non-Saudi spouses are numerous, mostly related to custody or inheritance issues.

Last week the Ministry of Justice issued a decision giving judges the right to rule that a non-Saudi wife or non-Saudi husband can stay in the Kingdom until completion of the litigation period, and that citizens cannot abuse Absher to issue final exit visas.

Al-Harthy said the decision has contributed tremendously to protecting the rights of non-Saudi spouses, and ensuring they do not leave the Kingdom until after completion of trials and realizing their full rights, as well as minimizing the abuse of regulations by citizens to harm others.

Comments

Wonder Kotian
 - 
Sunday, 16 Oct 2016

Bap ray Bap where are you my friend?? are you hanging around Snake land, surprise you met SAUDI, are you looking for visa to go Saudi?? many of your brother awaiting in this desert land, you do not go for Chumma then you have to have special training not like your snake land training, why cant you come our gods own country?? you looks like Moodiji, both are wife less, why cant you start WIFE LESS GROUP UNION (WLGP) looks better than Terrorist.
then you can start your real GANGASARA business.

Well Wisher
 - 
Sunday, 16 Oct 2016

Hihihi. Koopa mandooka Naren!!! Mandooka thinks that Koopa is everything. Just ask your Chaddi brothers in KSA. These are the rules set by KSA. You may be enjoying prostitution in Singapore or Thailand. Feel sorry for you.

Naren kotian
 - 
Sunday, 16 Oct 2016

Aprushyathe ...Saudi consider them as purest ...and others are fit for toilet cleaning. ..that's too I met a Saudi in Singapore ..he said. ..non Saudis are fit for toilet cleaning ,meat cutting and car and dish washing only ....they said they won't allow their sisters to give chummah to non Saudis in the name of ummah ...haha

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
coastaldigest.com news network
June 29,2020

Dubai, Jun 29: Saeed bin Ahmed Al Lootah, a pioneering Emirati businessman and the founder of the world's first Islamic bank, is no more. He breathed his last on June 28.

Born in 1923, Saeed was instrumental in setting up the Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) in 1975 to provide the community with a Sharia-compliant alternative to conventional banking.

He established several companies, organisations and societies, including the Dubai Consumer Cooperative. He also established the Islamic Education School in 1983 and the Dubai Medical College for Girls in 1986.

In 1992, Haj Saeed established the first College of Pharmacology in Dubai. Later he launched the Dubai Centre for Environmental Research, the Dubai Specialised Medical Centre, and the Medical Research Labs for health control and research into medicinal herbs and Islamic (Nabawi) medicine. He also set up an orphanage.

Saeed bin Ahmed Al Lootah was a self-made businessman who progressed from being a seafarer and trader to an accomplished tutor, author, economist, banker, entrepreneur, businessman and visionary community leader.

According to details available on the S.S. Lootah Group website, his "fervent adherence to the core values of education, cooperation and economy" helped empower "people to excel at everything they do".

"He realised the need to build permanent houses and ventured into construction. His 'capital' at that time were his skills, knowledge and hard work," the website said.

He laid the foundation of S.S.Lootah Contracting Company as a joint venture with his brother Sultan in 1956. "With the enduring values of education, cooperation and economy set as the foundations of his work, Haj Saeed started a number of businesses as well as not-for-profit education and research ventures, with an aim to serve the people of the UAE.

"Thanks to his vision and leadership, our home grown ventures continue to demonstrate unique values that extend well beyond its functional benefits - creating greater economic, social and environmental benefits for people in UAE and beyond."

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, took to Twitter on Sunday to offer his respects.

Sheikh Mohammed said: "He was a trader who started with nothing. His touch is visible in several aspects of the Dubai economy."

Calling the deceased a "wise and smart man", Sheikh Mohammed said: "May Allah bless his soul and grant his family the strength to endure and persevere."

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, also paid his respects. "He combined economic leadership with charitable work. He launched charitable educational institutions and sponsored many orphans. His memory will live on. May Allah have mercy on him and grant his family patience."

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 6,2020

Riyadh, Mar 6: Saudi Arabia on Thursday emptied Islam's holiest site for sterilisation over fears of the new coronavirus, an unprecedented shutdown state media said will last while the year-round Umrah pilgrimage is suspended.

The kingdom halted the pilgrimage for its own citizens and residents on Wednesday, on top of restrictions announced last week on foreign pilgrims to stop the disease from spreading.

State television relayed images of an empty white-tiled area surrounding the Kaaba -- a large black cube structure inside Mecca's Grand Mosque -- which is usually packed with tens of thousands of pilgrims.

As a "precautionary measure", the area will remain closed as long as the umrah suspension lasts but prayers will be allowed inside the mosque, state-run Saudi Press Agency cited a mosque official as saying.

Additionally, the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque in the city of Medina will be closed an hour after the evening "Isha" prayer and will reopen an hour before the dawn "Fajr" prayer to allow cleaning and sterilisation, the official added.

A group of cleaners was seen scrubbing and mopping the tiles around the Kaaba, a structure draped in gold-embroidered gold cloth towards which Muslims around the world pray.

A Saudi official told news agency the decision to close the area was "unprecedented".

On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia suspended the umrah for its own citizens and residents over fears of the coronavirus spreading to Islam's holiest cities.

The move came after authorities last week suspended visas for the umrah and barred citizens from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council from entering Mecca and Medina.

Saudi Arabia on Thursday declared three new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of reported infections to five.

The umrah, which refers to the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that can be undertaken at any time of year, attracts millions of Muslims from across the globe annually.

The decision to suspend the umrah mirrors a precautionary approach across the Gulf to cancel mass gatherings from concerts to sporting events.

It comes ahead of the holy fasting month of Ramadan starting in late April, which is a favoured period for pilgrimage.

It is unclear how the coronavirus will affect the hajj, due to start in late July.

Some 2.5 million faithful travelled to Saudi Arabia from across the world in 2019 to take part in the hajj, which is one of the five pillars of Islam as Muslim obligations are known.

The event is a massive logistical challenge for Saudi authorities, with colossal crowds cramming into relatively small holy sites, making attendees vulnerable to contagion.

Already reeling from slumping oil prices, the kingdom risks losing billions of dollars annually from religious tourism as it tightens access to the sites.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
July 31,2020

Mount Arafat, July 30: Muslim pilgrims converged Thursday on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat for the climax of this year's hajj, the smallest in modern times and a sharp contrast to the massive crowds of previous years.

A tight security cordon has been erected all around the foot of the rocky hill outside Mecca, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy.

Pilgrims, donning masks and observing social distancing, were brought in buses from neighbouring Mina, state television showed, as Saudi authorities impose measures to prevent a coronavirus outbreak.

They were subject to temperature checks and attended a sermon -- which state media said was translated into 10 languages -- before they set off on the climb to the summit for hours of Koran recitals and prayers to atone for their sins.

The scene was strikingly different to last year's ritual when a sea of pilgrims ascended Mount Arafat, marshalled by tens of thousands of stewards in a bid to prevent any crushes.

After sunset prayers, pilgrims will make their way down Mount Arafat to Muzdalifah, another holy site where they will sleep under the stars to prepare for the final stage of hajj, the symbolic "stoning of the devil".

It takes place on Friday and also marks the beginning of Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice.

The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, is usually one of the world's largest religious gatherings.

But only up to 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom will participate in this year's ritual, compared with 2019's gathering of some 2.5 million from around the world.

"You are not our guests but those of God, the custodian of the two holy mosques (Saudi Arabia's King Salman) and the nation," Hajj Minister Mohammad Benten said in a video released by the media ministry on Wednesday.

Security cordon

A security cordon has been thrown around the holy sites to prevent any security breaches, an interior ministry spokesman said.

Riyadh faced strong criticism in 2015 when some 2,300 worshippers were killed in the deadliest stampede in the gathering's history.

But this year, those risks are greatly reduced by the much smaller crowd.

The pilgrims have all been tested for the virus, and foreign journalists were barred from this year's hajj, usually a huge global media event.

As part of the rites completed over five days in the holy city of Mecca and its surroundings, the pilgrims converged on Mount Arafat after spending the night in Mina.

A district of Mecca, Mina sits in a narrow valley surrounded by rocky mountains, and is transformed each year into a vast encampment for pilgrims.

They began the hajj on Wednesday with their first "tawaf", the circumambulation of the Kaaba, a large structure in Mecca’s Grand Mosque towards which Muslims around the world pray.

The Kaaba is draped in a black cloth embroidered in gold with Koranic verses and known as the kiswa, which is changed each year during the pilgrimage.

Pilgrims were brought inside the mosque in small batches, walking along paths marked on the floor, in sharp contrast to the normal sea of humanity that swirls around the Kaaba during hajj.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.