Saudi women can change names without consent
Saudi women can apply for an official change of their names without the guardian’s approval, a local newspaper has reported.
The Interior Ministry’s Civil Affairs Agency said that a woman’s name can be changed without referring to her guardian by booking an appointment via the official website and checking for related procedures, according to the report.
The Saudi Interior Ministry has recently raised the age limit for changing a person’s first name from 15 to 18 years. According to the ministry’s stipulations, the name change should be applied for the first time only or for return to a previous name.
Recent amendments to the Saudi civil affairs system also stipulate that citizens aged below 18 can only have their first names changed after presenting a written consent from their parents or a power of attorney or through an application from the legal guardian.
