Saudi Arabia Publishes Minimum Age Requirement for Foreigners Applying for Citizenship

• Saudi Arabia's nationality system sets the legal age of majority at 18 years old, a key requirement for citizenship
• The Saudi Arabian government published the conditions under which foreign nationals may apply for naturalisation
• Article 9 of the nationality law requires foreign applicants to have reached the age of majority before seeking Saudi citizenship

Saudi Arabia has set 18 years old as the minimum age a person must reach before applying for the country's citizenship, according to the kingdom's official nationality system published by the government.

The requirement is spelt out in Article 1(c) of the Saudi Nationality System, which defines the legal age of majority as 18 and above.

The document was published by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior and applies in 2026.

Saudi Arabian citizenship: What the law says about foreign applicants

Under Article 9 of the nationality law, any foreign national seeking to naturalise as a Saudi citizen must have already attained the age of majority before submitting an application.

This means anyone below 18 years old is ineligible to apply for Saudi Arabian citizenship on their own account.

The law also defines the citizenship in question specifically as Saudi Arabian citizenship, making clear the nationality framework under which the age threshold applies.

Key requirements under the Saudi nationality system

The age requirement is one of several conditions set out in the nationality system for those seeking to become Saudi citizens.

The document outlines that the legal age of majority, defined as 18 years and above, is a baseline condition that foreign applicants must meet before the naturalisation process can begin.

The Saudi Ministry of Interior oversees the administration of the nationality system, and the conditions it sets govern both the eligibility and the process for acquiring Saudi citizenship through naturalisation.

In a related story, Legit.ng reported that Saudi Arabia added four new countries whose citizens are eligible for eVisa.

Conditions for Saudi citizenship by marriage

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Saudi Arabia shared the conditions to get its citizenship via the marriage route.

The requirements are drawn from Article 16 of the Saudi nationality law, which gives the minister the discretionary authority to approve or deny such applications.

To be eligible, the marriage must be legally valid and still in force at the time of application.

Source: Legit.ng