Government & politics — Saudi Arabia
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Government & politics at a glance
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations. Key figure for Saudi Arabia: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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Identity & names
- Full Country Name
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Country Name
Saudi Arabia
- Local - Long
Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
- Local - Short
Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
- Etymology- history of name
named after the ruling dynasty of the country, the House of Saud; the name "Arabia" can be traced back many centuries B.C., the ancient Egyptians referred to the region as "Ar Rabi"
- Independence
23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom)
- National Holiday
Saudi National Day (Unification of the Kingdom), 23 September (1932)
Political system
- Government Type
absolute monarchy
- Constitution
- history: 1 March 1992 - Basic Law of Government, issued by royal decree, serves as the constitutional framework and is based on the Qur'an a
- nd the life and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad amendments: proposed by the king directly or proposed to the king by the Consultative Assembly or by the Council of Ministers; passage by the king through royal decree; Basic Law amended many times, last in 2017
- Legal System:
- Islamic (sharia) legal system with some elements of Egyptian, French, and customary law
- note - several secular codes have been introduced
- commercial disputes handled by special committees
- Executive Branch:
- chief of state: King SALMAN bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 23 January 2015); Crown Prince MUHAMMAD BIN SALMAN bin
- Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (born 31 August 1985) head of government: Crown Prince and Prime Minister MUHAMMAD BIN SAL
- MAN bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 27 September 2022) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch every 4 years
- and includes many royal family members elections/appointments: none; the monarchy is hereditary; an Allegiance Council created by royal decree in October 2006 established a committee of Saudi princes for a voice in selecting future Saudi kings
- Legislative Branch:
Description
unicameral Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura (150 seats plus a speaker; members appointed by the monarch to serve 4-year terms);
Note
in early 2013, the monarch granted women 30 seats on the Council
Note
composition as of 2021 - men 121, women 30, percent of women 19.9%
- Judicial Branch:
- highest court(s): High Court (consists of the court chief and organized into circuits with 3-judge panels, except for the criminal circuit, which has a 5-judge panel for cases in
- volving major punishments) judge selection and term of office: High Court chief and chiefs of the High Court Circuits appointed by royal decree upon the recommendation of the Supreme Judiciary Council, a 10-member body of high-level judges and other judicial heads; new judges and assistant judges serve 1- and 2-year probations, respectively,
- before permanent assignment subordinate courts: Court of Appeals; Specialized Criminal Court, first-degree courts composed of general, criminal, personal status, and commercial courts; Labor Court; a hierarchy of administrative courts
- Regions or States:
13 regions (manatiq, singular - mintaqah); Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah (Northern Border), Al Jawf, Al Madinah al Munawwarah (Medina), Al Qasim, Ar Riyad (Riyadh), Ash Sharqiyah (Eastern), 'Asir, Ha'il, Jazan, Makkah al Mukarramah (Mecca), Najran, Tabuk
- Political Parties and Leaders:
- none
- Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal for municipal elections https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/saudi-women-go-to-the-polls-finally
- Citizenship Criteria:
- no citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Saudi Arabia; a child born out of wedlock in Saudi Arabia to
- no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
Capital & time
- Capital Name
Riyadh
- Capital - geographic coordinate
24 39 N, 46 42 E
- Capital Time Difference
UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
International role
- International Organization Participation:
ABEDA, AfDB (nonregional member), AFESD, AMF, BIS, BRICS, CAEU, CP, FAO, G-20, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
- International Law Organization Participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
- Diplomatic Representation from US:
chief of mission
Ambassador Michael RATNEY (since 27 April 2023) embassy: Riyadh 11564 mailing address: 6300 Riyadh Place, Washington DC 20521-6300
telephone
[966] (11) 835-4000
FAX
[966] (11) 488-7360
Email address and website
- RiyadhACS@state.gov
- https://sa.usembassy.gov/
consulate(s) general
Dhahran, Jeddah
- Diplomatic Representation in the US:
chief of mission
Ambassador Reema Bint Bandar Bin Sultan AL SAUD (since 8 July 2019)
chancery
601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone
[1] (202) 342-3800
FAX
[1] (202) 295-3625
Email address and website
- info@saudiembassy.net
- https://www.saudiembassy.net/
consulate(s) general
Houston, Los Angeles, New York