Crown Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, has approved amendments to two articles of the executive regulations for Saudi Arabian nationality. Muhammad Bin Jasser Al-Jasser, spokesman of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, pointed out that the new amendments included Articles 7 and 8 concerning people born in the Kingdom to a foreign father and a Saudi mother and to a foreign woman married to a Saudi. Al-Jasser said the amendment to Article 7 states that in light of the information provided by a male applicant, his application shall be evaluated by a committee formed by the Directorate of Naturalization branch of the Ministry of Civil Affairs through five elements: If his residence in the Kingdom is permanent at the age of majority (becoming an adult), he gets one point; if he has an academic certificate not less than that of a secondary level, he gets one point; if the father of the mother and her grandfather from her father's side were Saudis, he gets six points; if only her father is a Saudi, he gets two points, and if an applicant has one Saudi brother or sister, or more, he gets two points. If an applicant gets at least seven points, the committee recommends that his application be considered, otherwise his application shall be reserved. Al-Jasser noted that amendment to Article 8 states that in light of the information provided by a female applicant, her application shall be evaluated by a committee formed by the Directorate of Naturalization branch of the ministry through six elements: If one or more of her relatives (father, mother or brother) are Saudi, she gets two points; if she was born in the Kingdom, she gets two points; if she has an academic certificate of not less than a university degree, she gets two points, if she has been residing in the Kingdom for a period of not less than 10 consecutive years prior to the date of her marriage she gets two points; for each year, after the approval of the competent authority of the marriage, she gets one point, a maximum of 12 points, and if she gives birth to a baby, she gets two points (if she gives birth to two babies or more, she gets four points) and if the father of her children is not a Saudi, her application for Saudi nationality shall not be considered. If a female applicant gets 17 points, the committee recommends that her application be considered, otherwise her application shall be reserved.
