Documenting a divorce in Saudi Arabia is not optional. The Personal Status Law issued by Royal Decree M/73 of 2022 obliges the husband to document the divorce within a set deadline, and grants the wife a right to compensation where a divorce goes undocumented without her knowledge. This page sets out the statutory deadlines and the electronic steps on the Najiz platform, within the Personal Status materials on Hala Law.

The statutory deadlines

| Event | Statutory duty | Deadline | Basis | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Divorce | Document it before the competent authority per the statutory procedures | No more than 15 days from the divorce becoming final | Article 90 | | Revocation of a revocable divorce | Document it, where the divorce was documented | 15 days from the date of revocation | Article 92 |

The husband's documentation duty is without prejudice to the wife's right to file a divorce-confirmation case if he fails to document.

The wife's right to compensation for non-documentation

Article 91 provides that if the husband does not document the divorce and the wife is unaware of it, she is entitled to compensation of no less than the minimum maintenance, from the date of the divorce until the date she learns of it. The purpose is that a wife not be left in the dark about an event affecting her legal position; the assessment in each case rests with the court based on the evidence.

Steps to document a divorce or revocation on Najiz

  1. Sign in to the Najiz platform with a National Access account.
  2. Choose all electronic services, then the social status package.
  3. Choose the divorce documentation or revocation documentation service, as applicable.
  4. Enter the applicant's and parties' details, the marriage or divorce contract details, and the place of the event.
  5. Attach the required documents and submit the application, then follow the notification with the application number.

The interface steps above reflect the last verification on 25 June 2026; labels may change as the platform is updated.

What comes after documentation?

Documentation records the event, but it does not necessarily settle what flows from it. After a divorce is documented, independent matters may arise that the court examines file by file: maintenance, custody, visitation, housing, or enforcement. There is no single pre-set answer to these matters; the court examines each according to the evidence, and according to the ward's best interest where children are involved.

When do you need a licensed lawyer?

The documentation steps themselves are procedural and direct, but family cases are by nature cases of facts and evidence. The matter becomes a specific case calling for a licensed lawyer or accredited advisor when:

  • The husband refuses to document and you need an assessment of a divorce-confirmation case and the evidence it requires.
  • The claim concerns compensation for non-documentation under Article 91, where the assessment turns on proving the divorce date and the date of knowledge.
  • The divorce branches into a dispute over maintenance, custody, or visitation — discretionary matters the court examines according to the ward's best interest and the facts of each file.
  • A cross-border element — a marriage documented outside the Kingdom or non-Saudi parties — adds procedural complexity that needs specialist assessment.

This is a general overview; the outcome of any case depends on the documents, the evidence, and the court's assessment.