Weddings between expats and Saudis drop 84%

JEDDAH: The number of marriages between expatriates and Saudis has dropped 84 percent to 1,928 since the start of this Islamic year that began on Oct. 24, compared to the same period the previous year.
The Ministry of Justice said that there were 12,000 marriage contracts between Saudi nationals and foreigners in the Kingdom during the same period the previous year, a local publication reported.
Statistics show the province of Hafr Al-Batin was home to the largest number of officiated marriage contracts in the Kingdom this year, while Makkah led last year with 3,400.
The ministry stated that 700,000 Saudi women are married to foreign nationals, mostly those from other Gulf Cooperation Council countries, or 10 percent of the total number of married Saudi females.
The ministry said that marriages in the Kingdom must abide by the regulations. In the case of a Saudi man proposing to an expatriate woman, he must provide an official letter of engagement endorsed by the General Court, written approval of the sponsor of his fiancée who must be residing legally in the Kingdom, and a copy of her iqama and identification papers.
Meanwhile, the ministry stated that it has established 288 specialized courts in the country, with plans to set up traffic and labor courts. It has also finalized procedures for the development of the judiciary under the guidance of the Supreme Judicial Council and the project launched for this purpose by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman.