How expat parents in Saudi can apply for birth certificates online

Repatriates applying for birth certificates for their children born in Saudi Arabia can do so online following specific legal and procedural requirements.

In March 2021, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior through the Agency for Civil Status announced that expatriates could register births electronically through the Absher’s platform domiciled under the Ministry.

According to the ministry, the expatriate parents are required to submit essential documents including the child’s birth notification from the hospital, parents’ valid residency permits (Iqama), passports, marriage certificates, and filled Form 87 for Birth certificates.

However, additional documents may be required based on individual circumstances.

Once the application is complete, the expatriates can then request the dispatch of the birth certificate to their preferred addresses.

The process starts with the issuance of the baby’s birth notification at the hospital where the birth occurred. The hospital then forwards the document to the Ministry of Health for registration. The Ministry of Interior then sends an SMS to the parent to acknowledge the birth.

The Saudi Arabian authorities require the parent seeking to apply for a birth certificate online to submit the required documents within a month after birth or pay a fee of 30 Saudi Riyals for applying later than 30 days.

Saudi Arabia authorities state that birth certificates can be verified on the online Absher platform by entering the birth certificate number, Iqama number, date of birth and image code.

Guidelines

Different countries have outlined guidelines for their citizens working or living abroad on registration for their children born outside of their mother country.

For British citizens in Saudi Arabia or any other country, the UK government states that their citizens in Saudi Arabia must adhere to the regulations for registration of the country their child is born.

Further, citizens who give birth abroad are not necessarily supposed to register a birth abroad with the UK authorities for to acquire British citizenship because British citizenship is normally automatically passed down one generation to children born outside the UK.

This means, a child born to a British parent outside of UK automatically becomes a British citizen. However, the generation after that child will not automatically be citizens if they’re born outside the UK.

For American citizens, a child born outside the USA must be issued with a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) to gain citizenship.

The Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) serves as evidence of United States citizenship for a child born abroad to a US citizen parent or parents who meet the requirements for transmitting citizenship under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The US Embassy and Consulates in Saudi Arabia state that most, but not all, children born abroad to a US citizen parent, are eligible to be documented as US citizens through the issuance of a CRBA and US passport.

“Parents of a newborn US citizen child should apply for a CRBA at the nearest Consular Section at their earliest convenience,” reads the guideline statement by the Embassy.

According to the Embassy, the application for CRBA should be completed online by the parent and if the child is also a Saudi citizen, the parents are supposed to provide the birth certificate issued by the Saudi Ministry of Interior.

For children born out of wedlock, the Embassy states that the US-citizen father must complete the acknowledgement of paternity and agreement to provide financial support.

For children born to one US citizen and one foreign national, the US citizen parent should provide evidence that she has been physically present in the United States for at least five years prior to the child’s birth, two of which must have been over the age of 14.