Birth Record Notification

1. Father’s Presence

• The father must personally report the birth within 30 days from the date of delivery.
• If the father cannot be present within 30 days, he may issue a power of attorney (POA) via Najiz authorizing a representative.
• The POA must be valid and issued within Saudi Arabia only.
• POAs from recognized governmental bodies outside Saudi Arabia are not accepted. If the father is abroad, the POA must be issued by a Saudi embassy and explicitly state the authority to notify and obtain a birth certificate for the child, mentioning the child’s name.

2. Child’s Name Selection

• The child’s full name must follow the four-part format: First name – Father’s name – Grandfather’s name – Family name.
• The name must be written in English.
• If the father is non-Saudi, the full name must be written in capital letters. For Saudi fathers, only the child’s first name is capitalized.

3. Name Restrictions

• Compound first names are not allowed (e.g., “Mohamed Khaled” as one first name).
• Names contrary to Islamic principles are prohibited (e.g., Abdul-Nabi, Abdul-Rasool, Abdul-Masih, Abdul-Kaaba, Abdul-Hussein).
• Strange, inappropriate, or culturally unsuitable names (e.g., Zuhal, Baras, Qamar) are not allowed.
• Compound names such as “Qamar Al-Zaman” or “Abdul Aziz / Abdullah” are not accepted.
• Titles (e.g., Al-Sherif, Al-Sayyed, Al-Sheikh) cannot be included in the name field.
• The prefix “Al-” is not allowed at the beginning of the name (e.g., Al-Anoud, Al-Ghalia).
• Nicknames or shortened forms (e.g., Abu Omar, Abu Ali) are not accepted.
• Names containing socially or religiously inappropriate expressions are strictly prohibited.

4. Absher Application

• The form must be downloaded and completed in advance via the Absher application.

5. Twins Births

• Documents must be submitted for both twins together, and the reporting officer must be informed of the twin birth.
• If one of the twins has passed away, this must be fully reported to the officer.

6. Birth Certificate Issuance

• Once issued by Civil Affairs, the birth certificate cannot be modified by the hospital. Any corrections must be requested directly from Civil Affairs.

7. Lost Birth Certificate

• In case of loss, a replacement must be requested from Civil Affairs. Hospitals cannot issue a replacement.

8. Notification Completion

• Once the birth notification is completed, the applicant will be notified via SMS. No paper notification will be issued.

9. Birth Certificate Authority

• Hospitals do not issue birth certificates. They are exclusively issued by Civil Affairs.

10. Cases Without Hospital Records

• If the birth was not reported at the hospital or records are unavailable, the family must approach Civil Affairs with an official letter from the hospital addressed to the Health Affairs Directorate.

11. Twins Notification Forms

• A separate notification form must be filled out for each twin individually.