Registering a Child's Birth in Saudi Arabia

Welcoming a new baby is a joyful milestone — and in Saudi Arabia, one of the first practical steps for new parents is registering the birth officially. The good news is that the process has become largely digital: registration is handled through Civil Affairs (Ahwal Al-Madani) and the Absher platform, and much of the work begins automatically the moment your accredited hospital records the newborn's details. This guide from سعودي ليفنج walks both citizens and residents through what happens, the deadlines to watch, and how to receive your child's birth certificate.

How the registration process works

Once a baby is born in a hospital accredited by the Ministry of Health, the hospital enters the newborn's information, which automatically registers the child in the Ministry of Interior records. This applies to both citizens and residents. That automatic entry is the trigger that lets parents complete the official registration online, without needing to build a file from scratch.

Registering through Absher, step by step

The official online channel for completing the registration is Absher. The flow is straightforward:

• Log in to your أبشر account.
• Open Civil Affairs Services.
• Select the Newborn Registration Service.
• Choose the newborn from the list.
• Review the details carefully, confirm they are correct, and submit the request.

This is the current formal online channel, so it's worth making sure your Absher details and family data are up to date before you begin.

The 30-day deadline (and the penalty)

The birth must be registered within 30 days of the date of birth. If this period is exceeded, a financial penalty is imposed. Some guidance pages also reference a shorter 15-day window for visiting Civil Affairs in person with the required documents, along with extra steps for late registration — but the current formal online announcement sets 30 days as the deadline before a penalty applies. To be safe, treat the first month after birth as your registration window.

If you do visit a Civil Affairs office, the documents typically requested include:

• The hospital birth notification.
• The parents' IDs.
• The marriage certificate.
• The family registration card.

What citizens receive

For citizens, a successful online registration produces several outcomes automatically:

• The child's civil registry record is created.
• The family record is updated by adding the newborn.
• A national ID number is assigned to the child.
• A birth certificate is issued in both paper and digital form.

What residents (expats) receive

For residents, the service issues an official birth certificate for the child and registers the birth in the Ministry of Interior records. The child is linked to both the father's and mother's IDs in the system, so the newborn is properly tied to the family file.

Viewing, verifying, and delivering the certificate

After registration, you have a few useful digital tools within Absher:

• View Digital Birth Certificate — access the certificate electronically at any time.
• Birth certificate verification — check the validity and details of an issued certificate.

If you want physical copies, delivery to your registered address is available via the postal delivery (Wasel) service — the birth certificate and updated family record for citizens, or the birth certificate for residents. The delivery fee is shown when you choose your address and complete the request, and payment is made electronically during the Absher flow. The exact amount may vary by time and location, so confirm it when you reach the payment step. Under the Civil Status Implementing Regulations, a fee applies always confirm current amounts within Absher before submitting.

A few practical tips

• Double-check the baby's name spelling before confirming — corrections later are more complicated.
• Make sure your Absher profile and family data are accurate ahead of time.
• Register early in the 30-day window to avoid any penalty.
• For any specific fee, timeframe, or document not shown here, confirm directly on Absher or with your local Civil Affairs office.

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