A Royal Decree from Saudi Arabia has made it possible for several scientists, physicians, researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and outstanding individuals with particular skills and specialisations to become citizens of the Kingdom.
The declaration, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), emphasises Saudi Arabia’s ongoing quest for international talent possessing distinctive competencies. The Kingdom is looking for individuals with special skills and knowledge in areas that they can use to help different parts of the Kingdom grow to meet its “Vision 2030” economic diversification objective.
The Vision 2030 programme manifests Saudi Arabia’s desire to draw in, support, and retain outstanding creative talent. It also emphasises the Kingdom’s goals of developing an atmosphere encouraging creativity and advancement. The news follows the issuance of a comparable Royal Decree in 2021, which gave Saudi citizenship to the first class of very talented individuals in certain professions.
According to a story from Al Arabiya News in early 2024, King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman initiated Saudi Arabia’s “Vision 2030” in 2016.
As stated on the initiative’s official webpage, the plan is ambitious, aiming to harness the Kingdom’s deep cultural roots and strategic advantages to forge a “diversified, innovative, and globally preeminent nation.”
The three pillars of Saudi Arabia’s “Vision 2030” roadmap, a successful economy, an ambitious nation, and a dynamic society, highlight the country’s primary focus as it strives to realise its objectives.
These pillars also branch out into strategic goals to facilitate the efficient execution of initiatives across industries.
Saudi Arabia’s prime minister, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, now has the final authority to award citizenship after a Royal Decree amended Article 8 of the citizenship statute in early January. Article 8 allows children of Saudi mothers and expatriate fathers to petition for citizenship, even if they are naturally citizens. Applicants must be over 18, live in Saudi Arabia, have a clean background, and speak Arabic.
The amendment is important, but Mohammed bin Salman’s influence as Prime Minister on naturalisation and its repercussions are uncertain. This regulation also requires the interior minister to propose a decision to the prime minister.
Although vague, the language implies that to choose which applications to forward to the PM. Many consider Saudi citizenship important, especially those who live there. The Saudi government offers free health care, pension benefits, and exemption from recently established expatriate fees (only expats meeting certain criteria receive social insurance pensions).
Saudi nationals enjoy free tuition at most institutions and other academic privileges, as well as free kindergarten through high school education. Saudis find it easier to start enterprises and invest in “Vision 2030” governmental initiatives, which stimulate new sectors. Saudization policies, which aim to enhance national employment, often lead to preferential hiring.
In 2018, about 700,000 Saudi women, or 10% of all married women, married non-Saudi men. This is up from 2013, when Saudi courts registered 1,925 marriages of Saudi women to foreigners, 190 of which ended in divorce.
Expect a rise in the number of Saudi women marrying non-Saudi men due to the fading social stigma against mixed-culture weddings and the high costs of dowry and marriage between Saudi spouses. Article 8 only applies to Saudi permanent residents. Because of their father’s citizenship, they are foreigners.
Saudi Arabia’s gender reform includes a citizenship law revision. Women’s labour participation in the Kingdom has increased in recent years due to workplace discrimination regulations. Article 8 of the nationality law grants citizenship to the offspring of expatriate women, thereby promoting gender equality.
However, Saudi women who marry foreign partners cannot automatically pass on their citizenship, which many observers say should be a right for all Saudis. The transfer of power to Mohammed bin Salman signals the Saudi government’s centralisation and the crown prince’s acceptance of another pro-women gender policy. The amendment and Article 8 have faced criticism.
The transfer of power from the Minister of Interior to the PM, according to some advocates, will make it harder for mothers to naturalise their children. Some believe that the Kingdom should not extend citizenship to more people, especially after a wave of changes to strengthen and diversify the Saudi economy. Also questioned is the amendment’s societal impact. This latter approach notes that legal standing in Saudi Arabia does not ensure social rank.
Despite their citizenship, children of Saudi mothers and expatriate fathers may still be considered foreigners and not “true Saudis” in social settings. Application efficiency is another issue. Bureaucratic processes are notoriously slow, and there is no evidence that the citizenship process will be any faster now that the crown prince has the final say.
The legal actions of Gulf neighbours reveal the effectiveness of the modified Saudi law’s application and its comparison with other similar regional laws. The General Directorate of Naturalisation, not the prime minister, oversaw a 2011 citizenship legislation revision in the United Arab Emirates.
However, bureaucratic efficiency and social acceptance have stagnated. Emirati women complain that the application process is excessively lengthy and difficult. However, in June 2022, children of Emirati women and expatriate fathers received citizen health and education advantages. According to a February 2021 change, Emirati royals or authorities must nominate foreigners seeking citizenship in the UAE.
Kuwait and Oman are considering citizenship for children of citizen mothers and non-citizen fathers. However, both nations have rigorous rules. These children can only be citizens of Kuwaiti and Omani women who have been divorced, widowed, or abandoned by their foreign husbands for 10 years. Qatar and Bahrain only grant citizenship to stateless or unknown minors with one noncitizen parent.
Kuwaiti National Assembly members developed a proposal in 2021 to allow mothers to give citizenship to their children, but the issue remains contentious, as in other Gulf states. Typically, opposition to naturalisation law reforms, which allow foreigners to petition for citizenship, undermines the fight for women’s right to pass citizenship on to their children.
Mohammed bin Salman may enhance gender equality and internal reform by using Article 8 of Saudi Arabia’s citizenship statute to grant more people Saudi citizenship.
The law needs clarification and development to be effective. Observers will closely monitor the law’s implementation for signs of its effects on Saudi women and Saudi women who marry foreigners.