How to Get Saudi Arabia CitizenshipKey facts
- Residence for naturalisation
- 5 years
- Language
- None
- Dual citizenship
- Not accepted
- Civic test
- No civic knowledge requirement
- Criminal record
- A criminal record or good character condition applies
- Income condition
- Income or economic resources must be shown
- Dual citizenship in detail
- Not acceptedNew citizens must give up their previous citizenship.Authorities can withdraw citizenship from citizens who naturalise abroad.
- Available routes
- Region
- Asia
- Law in force as of
- 1 January 2024
- Last checked
- Not yet checked by our team
The rule text in the sections below was coded for the law on 1 January 2024. A November 2026 search found no later change for this country, but this has not been verified.
Naturalisation (residence)
For foreign nationals living in Saudi Arabia, this is the ordinary route based on residence. Meeting the legal conditions does not guarantee approval, since authorities retain final discretion.
- Residence
- 5 years
Person has had a permanent resident permit (iqama) inside the Kingdom for 5 years continuously as a minimum. Note that under article 20 of the citizenship law it states that residency period will be reset if the applicant after filing his application left the kingdom for more than 12 months using his existing passport, or if before filing his application they left the kingdom for more than 6 months.
- Previous citizenship
- New citizens must give up their previous citizenship
Proof that person will renounce his/her original citizenship required.
- Language
- No language requirement
- Civic knowledge
- No civic knowledge requirement
- Criminal record
- A criminal record or good character condition applies
Person must be of good character and may not have been sentenced to imprisonment for more than six months for an offence related to public order and morality.
- Income or economic resources
- Income or economic resources must be shown
Person must have a legal income, person has an occupation that is in demand in Saudi Arabia (unless he/she is the child of an alien mother and an unknown father).
Marriage or civil partnership
For spouses of citizens of Saudi Arabia, the rules below set out what this route requires. Meeting the legal conditions does not guarantee approval, since authorities retain final discretion.
Person is the wife of a male citizen. Other conditions: renunciation of citizenship of another country.
Descent (citizen parent)
This route covers children of a citizen of Saudi Arabia, subject to the conditions below.
Descent (born in country)
Person is born inside the Kingdom to a Saudi father, or to a Saudi mother and an unknown father; Person is born inside the Kingdom to a non-Saudi father and Saudi mother may be granted citizenship by decision of the Prime Minister following proposal by the Minister of Interior and a declaration in the year between his/her 18 and 19 years old, and fulfiling the requirements under SAU 8(a-c).
Descent (born abroad)
Person is born abroad to a Saudi father, or to a Saudi mother and unknown father.
Child of a new citizen
A parent acquiring citizenship of Saudi Arabia is the basis of this route. Saudi Arabia grants citizenship by operation of law, requiring no decision from any authority.
Person is the minor child of a father who is acquiring citizenship and the child is residing in Saudi Arabia. Unless the person recovers his/her father's original citizenship within 1 year from reaching the age of 18.
Other family members of citizens
A family tie to a citizen, former citizen or new citizen of Saudi Arabia is the basis of this route. Saudi Arabia grants citizenship by operation of law, requiring no decision from any authority.
Person is the wife of someone who is acquiring Saudi citizenship. Unless she decides within the first year to keep her original citizenship.
Former citizens (reacquisition)
Earlier citizenship of Saudi Arabia is the basis of this route. Where the legal conditions are met, an application leads to a mandatory grant of citizenship.
Person is the wife of a foreigner and lost her citizenship through obtaining the citizenship of her husband. She has the right to recover her citizenship in case of divorce and return to the Kingdom.
Stateless persons
For people without any citizenship, the rules below show what the law of Saudi Arabia provides. Saudi Arabia grants citizenship by operation of law, requiring no decision from any authority.
Person is found inside the Kingdom and is considered born in it unless the opposite is proven. Same for foundlings born in the Kingdom. Or person is born to unknown parents.
Not available in Saudi Arabia: Birth in the country, Adoption, Citizens of specific countries, Ethnic or cultural affinity, Residence during childhood, Very long residence, Refugees, Special achievements, Public or military service, Investment. Based on the GLOBALCIT coding of the law, updated with in-force changes.
Dual citizenship
Saudi Arabia does not generally accept dual citizenship.
- New citizens
- New citizens must give up their previous citizenship
- Citizens who naturalise abroad
- Authorities can withdraw citizenship from citizens who naturalise abroad
Person obtains another citizenship without permission by the Prime Minister. Person is given a 3 month warning before citizenship is withdrawn.
Compare with neighbours
Across Western Asia, the most common requirement is 5 years, and Saudi Arabia sets the same period.
Compare Saudi Arabia with all countries in the residence ranking
| Country | Residence | Language | Dual citizenship |
|---|---|---|---|
 Armenia | 3 years | Required, no test | Accepted |
 Azerbaijan | 5 years | Test or certificate | New citizens only |
 Jordan | 4 years | Required, no test | Citizens abroad only |
 Lebanon | 5 years | None | Accepted |
 Syria | 5 years | Required, no test | Accepted |
 Türkiye | 5 years | Required, no test | Accepted |
Official sources
This page was located by search and has not yet been checked by our team.
Naturalisation provisions: Nationality law: Art. 9.
Cite this page
TravelDecl. (n.d.). How to Get Saudi Arabia Citizenship. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://traveldecl.com/citizenship/saudi-arabia/
<a href="https://traveldecl.com/citizenship/saudi-arabia/">How to Get Saudi Arabia Citizenship</a> (TravelDecl, retrieved 5 November 2026)
Sources and licence
Vink, van der Baaren, Bauböck, Džankić, Honohan, Manby (2025). GLOBALCIT Citizenship Law Dataset v3.1. Global Citizenship Observatory, https://hdl.handle.net/1814/73190. CC BY 4.0. Modified by TravelDecl.
Modified by TravelDecl: updated with changes after 1 January 2024.
GLOBALCIT codes the law as written. Fees, processing times, quotas and how officials apply the rules in practice are not in this dataset: check them with the official authority.
FAQ
How many years to become a Saudi citizen?
5 years of residence, under the ordinary naturalisation route. The conditions that come with it are listed on this page.
Does Saudi Arabia allow dual citizenship?
Generally no. The law of Saudi Arabia does not accept dual citizenship in either direction.
Do I need a language test for Saudi citizenship?
There is no language condition attached to Saudi citizenship.
Is there a civic knowledge test for Saudi citizenship?
There is no civic knowledge requirement for Saudi citizenship.
Do I have to give up my current citizenship to get Saudi citizenship?
Renouncing your current citizenship is a condition of Saudi citizenship.
Can I get Saudi Arabia citizenship by marriage?
Yes, the law of Saudi Arabia has a route for spouses. Procedure: discretionary.
Can I get Saudi Arabia citizenship by descent?
Yes. A child of a citizen can acquire citizenship of Saudi Arabia by descent. Procedure: automatic, discretionary.
Can I get Saudi Arabia citizenship by investment?
No investment route is coded in the law of Saudi Arabia.
Related pages
Also see: Saudi Arabia passport, visa-free access and entry rules. Latest law changes.
Corrections to this page are handled by Sarah Kim, Fact-Checker.